University of Nottingham: University experts host free events in nationwide celebration of social science
People across Nottingham and beyond are invited to join University of Nottingham academics at a series of events covering a range of activities including knitting for connecting people and places, and song writing for children.
Experts from the Faculty of Social Sciences are sharing their skills and knowledge at 15 events that are part of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)’s flagship Festival of Social Science, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
The national festival is an opportunity for anyone to explore topics relating to social science – from health and wellbeing, to crime, equality, education and identity – through free events run by researchers from UK universities.
Nottingham events cover a wide range of topics, with a panel discussion on restorative justice; a presentation by members of the Nottingham Youth Climate Assembly 2022; and an interactive art installation exploring sex workers’ experiences in the city.
Events will take place across the country and online from Saturday 22 October until Sunday 13 November. Highlights from the University of Nottingham include:
Why place is important to me – Saturday 22 October: an event exploring the benefits of volunteering in your local green spaces, with an interactive nature trail.
Song writing for and with children – Monday 24 October: two interactive workshops, one for children and one for parents/carers/educators, looking at how to write songs.
Breaking bread – Wednesday 9 November: a performance picnic with refugee women, where each participant will tell a story about their food and their lived experiences, finishing by serving the audience the food they have prepared.
Remembering the transatlantic cotton workers: the enslaved and female workers behind the East Midlands cotton textile industry – Saturday 12 November: the event will show two films created by community-led projects which reflect on the histories and legacies of transatlantic slavery and female work in the East Midlands cotton textile industry.
Knitting together: how does knitting and crochet connect us to people and place? – Sunday 13 November: an interactive workshop exploring how craft connects us.
Nottingham University Business School academics are also running a webinar series based on their research into work, employment, and organisation. They will share their findings on how companies can effectively operate in a changing landscape. The webinars will cover:
Organising work and employment in a changing social and economic landscape
Organising for employee creativity and innovation
Organising for health, safety and wellbeing
Organising for resilience and sustainability
Organising across borders and space
Todd Landman
A key theme for this year’s festival is ‘my local area’ and many of our events will explore Nottingham and the East Midlands, giving local people the chance to get to know our area better with the help of our experts. The festival is always a great opportunity for the university to share the valuable work our colleagues are contributing, both to the region and to wider society with their world-leading research.
Professor Todd Landman, Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Social Sciences
Professor Alison Park, ESRC’s Interim Executive Chair, said: “The ESRC Festival of Social Science offers a fascinating insight into some of the country’s leading social science research and its relevance to individuals, society and the economy. This year we are celebrating the festival’s 20th birthday with hundreds of free events across the UK, including at the University of Nottingham. We hope the events are enjoyable and inspiring.”
Visit the Festival of Social Science’s webpage for more information and the full list of events run by the University of Nottingham.
These events are part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022 and were made possible thanks to funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).