Skip to content Accessibility statement
Home>Festival Focus Days

You're viewing an archived page from a previous Festival of Ideas. See this year's festival »

Festival Focus Days

Throughout the Festival, a number of days are dedicated to events on a certain theme. Join us for one event or stay for the whole day. 

Poverty: How can we tell a new story to inspire change?

Friday 14 June

Our Festival Focus Day is based on the belief that poverty can only be truly addressed when those who experience it first-hand are at the heart of the process. But how do you talk about poverty in a meaningful way to people who are experiencing it? Join us for inspirational talks, music, films and performances.

Poverty: How can we tell a new story to inspire change?

 

A Date With History: Fashion, food and feminism

Saturday 15 June

How do the iconic symbols of French and British culture – fashion, food and feminism – define our national identity? The third in our series of A Date with History – our annual Franco-British collaboration - gets behind the mythical images of glamour and femininity, and discusses issues linked with gender and cultural history. Presented by the French Embassy in the UK.

A Date With History: Fashion, food and feminism

 

The Poetry and Music of Science

Sunday 16 June

Inspired by The Poetry and Music of Science, a new book by the University of York’s first Professor of Natural Philosophy, Tom McLeish, our Festival Focus Day aims to break the silence on the deep creativity and imagination required in science.

The Poetry and Music of Science

 

A Fair Economy. A Better World

Friday 7 June

In this age of globalisation, who is the economy for and who really benefits?  In partnership with the Friends Provident Foundation, our Festival Focus Day investigates the future of Economics and asks how we can create a fair and resilient economic system that benefits all.

A Fair Economy. A Better World

What Have Universities Ever Done For Us?

Saturday 8 June

What do universities need to do to redefine their purpose, value and relevance to the many and not just the few? Join us for our Festival Focus Day on higher education presented in collaboration with UPP Foundation and HE for Research Professional.

What Have Universities Ever Done For Us?

 

Toleration: An outdated concept?

Sunday 9 June

The murdered MP Jo Cox said ‘there is more that unites us than divides us’, expressing a sentiment often offered after conflicts or atrocities. But is this a utopian dream? Join in the conversation as we discuss if toleration has become an outdated concept.

Toleration: An outdated concept?

 

Artificial Intelligence: Looking to the future

Sunday 9 June

Discover what the future may hold at our Artificial Intelligence (AI) Focus Day. From driverless cars to robotic health carers, where is AI taking us? What benefits will AI bring to our lives and what concerns should we have? Join us for informative discussions, hands-on activities and an opportunity to see driverless cars in action.

Artificial Intelligence: Looking to the future