Alumni Weekend

A session chaired by Dr Frances Lannon that examines this period of flourishing arts and literature in Spain, which coincided with the political rise and subsequent decline of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. Renowned historian and author Professor Sir John Elliott (Oriel) gives the first talk on 'Art and Politics in Golden Age Spain'. This is followed by a talk by Dr Jonathan Thacker (Merton), an expert in Spanish Golden Age drama and author of 'A Companion to Spanish Golden Age Theatre'.

Professor of English, Katherine Duncan-Jones, discusses the real life characters and contemporaries of Shakespeare that inspired, shaped, and on occasion performed the various roles of the 'fool' in much of his work. Shakespeare's fools, in sync with Shakespeare's revolutionary ideas about theatre, began to depart from a more simple representation of the traditional jester. Like other of his characters, Shakepeare's fool began to speak outside of the narrow confines of exemplary morality, to address themes of love, psychic turmoil, and the innumerable themes that arise in Shakespeare, and indeed, modern theatre.

Dr John Wheater, Chairman of the Department and other members of the Oxford University Physics team about all the latest projects and ideas that they are working on. With Alan Barr and Henry Snaith.

Dr Rob Simpson from Zooniverse talks about the awe-inspiring aurorae, the Northern Lights, and other effects the sun can have on the earth. Find out why 2013 will be a spectacular year for this phenomenon and how and where is best to view it.

Dr Chris Lintott and Dr Rob Simpson explain using 'citizen power' to expand our knowledge of the Universe.

Sir Peter Lampi, founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust (which aims to improve social mobility through education) and founder of the Education Endowment Foundation. Outlining the impetus for these organisations, their key research findings, major projects and future direction, as well as thoughts on improving social mobility in the UK. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Professor Richard Jenkyns, Oxford University's Public Orator, looks at where what we call classical antiquity came from, whether it differed from other ancient civilisations and what it can tell us about Western Civilisation now and in the future. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

A lecture exploring the differences and similarities between the rich and poor of Dickens' era and that of today. Alison Jackson, Jane Humphries, Helen Small and Paul Donovan bring forward their views in a panel discussion. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

A talk from Matthew Leigh, Fellow and Tutor from St Anne's College, Oxford University, on Military Ethics; taken from the Alumni Weekend 2012. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

English, as its vocabulary confirms, is constantly on the move - both words and meaning act as witnesses to time and change, revealing the diverse pathways of contact and conflict with other nations, as well as changes in culture and identity. Please Note: Technical difficulties interrupted the recording. We apologise for this disruption. This talk, by Lynda Mugglestone, Professor of the History of English and Fellow and Tutor in English at Pembroke College, looks at the history of the English language, examining not only the ways in which it changes (and continues to change), but also the challenges of trying to represent English in dictionaries, not least since popular notions of 'the dictionary' often tend to assume that it is a simple and non-problematic entity, neutrally telling us 'the truth' when we look up words and meanings. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/