Evolving Society

The Today programme is coming to York as part of their University series, exploring issues affecting both students and academics.

Join humanitarian Terry Waite, Astronomer Royal Martin Rees and award-winning journalist Misha Glenny for a thought-provoking look at our wonderful world and the future of humanity.

Come along to a business showcase and meet staff, students and graduates of the University of York who have started their own business or social enterprise.

Join Bruce Daisley, European Vice-President for Twitter, as he discusses how we can make our jobs happier and more fulfilling.

Hear inspirational personal stories from some extraordinary people making a difference in our world.

Come along to a business showcase and meet staff, students and graduates of the University of York who have started their own business or social enterprise.

This is the century of whiteshift. Author Eric Kaufmann explains how demographic change is transforming politics in Western Europe and North America.

From 18th-century personal grooming to gangsters in Glasgow, hear five fascinating talks on the history of masculinity at an event being recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Why is the retail industry broken - and what can be done to fix it? Join retailer and author Mark Pilkington as explores the forces at work in retailing.

Sociologists Daniel Robins and Rosie Smith shed light on what happens to the remains of mass murderers after they die.

Our Festival Focus Day investigates the future of Economics and asks how we can create a fair and resilient economic system that benefits all.

Meet some of the trailblazing women developing new approaches to the economy and monetary policy.

Is an unfair economic system and globalisation responsible for creating the ‘left behind’ – people trapped in poverty? How can we create more inclusive economies?

Author Lorna Gibb presents a global portrait of people without children, exploring moving and surprising stories of longing, loss, resistance and choice.

Gender is shifting. But is gender disappearing? Writer Tom Whipple delves into the sexual subconscious to explain the inner workings of character and desire.

Join us for the launch of York Unlimited, the campaign for the University of York.

Speakers, including Hamish McAlpine of Research England, and Deborah Smith and Sue Hartley of the University of York, discuss the benefits universities deliver.

From pitch to boardroom, Premier League lawyer Daniel Geey explores the issues that shape the modern game of football.

Our expert speakers, including Maths teacher Bobby Seagull and Kate Sandars of FutureLearn, discuss how universities help advance social mobility and social justice.

Find out more about the business of football with sports journalist David Conn and management historians Kevin Tennent and Alex Gillett.

In the context of higher education, our speakers demonstrate the integral contribution of arts, culture and the humanities to society.

What is love? Does love at first sight exist? Why do people cheat? Author Laura Mucha explores the science of who, how and why we love.

Join us for a continental view of higher education with Alain Beretz of the University of Strasbourg, France.

Are intolerance and populism increasing? What are the legal and societal challenges we face in confronting the rise of uncivil society? Join us at a special Festival Focus Day.

Ranging from Trump to Brexit to Islamophobia, speakers at our special Festival Focus Day on toleration look at what drives beliefs and the spread of fear.

In the wake of Brexit, what are the issues we face around trust, democracy and political engagement, and how can these be resolved? Join us for the final session of our Festival Focus Day on toleration.

One Planet York invites you to join an inspiring group of educators, business people, health professionals and activists to share ideas about the concept of Cultural Capital.

From the Stone Age to the modern day, has inequality always been inevitable? Find out what lessons can be learnt from the history of social inequality.

Explore an alternative map of the continent where Europeans of African descent are juggling their multiple allegiances and forging new identities.

Join Campbell Robb, CEO of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, in conversation with authors John Boughton and Gillian Darley, then take a guided walk around the village.

Meet inspiring University of York PhD students and hear how their curiosity is leading to life-changing research.

Discover how a personality test, conceived by a mother and daughter with no formal training in psychology, worked its way into our boardrooms, classrooms and beyond.

Through firsthand accounts and immersive VR technologies, this interactive workshop highlights the skills and capacities of autistic adults.

Visit the Beats Bus on Parliament Street and find out how this mobile recording studio gives young people a voice through music and art workshops.

Our Focus Day introduces the writers and performers who empower people to tell their own stories. Learn about the challenges young people face today and watch the film Shared Stories

Find out about community initiatives to tackle the shame surrounding poverty and make policymakers listen.

How do we change the way we talk about poverty? Join in the discussion as our speakers, including journalist Billie JD Porter, examine the solutions to the challenges we face.

Our Festival Focus Day concludes with a screening of Sean McAllister’s documentary, A Northern Soul, which presents the reality of life for many working people locked in poverty in Britain today.

An expert panel discusses the current landscape of social media and what is needed to help young people ‘win’ in an ever-changing environment.