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  Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Research Council and the British Academy, Being Human is a national festival promoting public engagement with humanities research. Between 17 and 23 November 2018 , the School of Culture is hosting a series of public talks looking at this year’s theme of ‘Origins and Endings’ through the lens of Sunderland’s local history. The topics range from the Wearside origins of English republicanism to the end of heavy industry in the city. All are free to attend and open to all. Click on the links to find out about these events. The North East Coast, the Sea and its Dangers (Dr Peter Hayes) A Place Fit for Heroes? The End of the First World War in the North East (Dr André Keil) Suffrage and Beyond in Sunderland: The City’s First Female MP  (Dr Sarah Hellawell)   The Lilburne Family and the Origins of English Republicanism (Dr Delphine Doucet)

An illustration from The Present You are never too young to debate questions of politics. That is the view of Dr Peter Haye s, Senior Lecturer in Politics.  He has just published a book called The Present , which introduces young readers to contested political issues through a story concerning Father Christmas. “Father Christmas is magic but his Christmas gift giving involves him in a number of serious real-world issues,” Peter explains. “These issues include the working conditions of people making Christmas presents; the regimentation and surveillance that underpins our modern consumerist society; the increasingly hard border between those within the industrial core and those outside it, and the contribution of consumerism to global warming.  All of these international political issues lie behind the annual appearance of Father Christmas.” The Present does not try to answer what we should do about all this, but it does raise questions, and encourages children and ...

Once again, several members of the School of Culture will be taking part in the Sunderland Libraries Literature Festival (download the full programme here ). These events feature our staff/students: Colin Younger (Senior Lecturer): Expressive Writing as Therapy, City Library @ Museum & Winter Gardens, 10th October 3-4.30pm This workshop will explore expressive writing approaches to support mental health well-being as part of Mental Health Day. Dr Alison Younger (Senior Lecturer): Folklore and Fable in the North East, Houghton Library, 16th October 2-3pm This session will explore the extraordinary folklore and fables of North East England. Short Story Competition Launch , Waterstones, The Bridges, 16th October 5pm In association with Waterstones, the University of Sunderland will launch a Short Story Competition. Dr Geoff Nash (Senior Lecturer): The Gothic Terrorist: from Robespierre to Jihadi John City, Library @ Museum & Winter Gardens, 18th October 5-6.30pm Gothic, terroris...

Politics senior lecturer Dr Peter Hayes has co-written an article for the journal Child: Care, Health and Development. The authors show how girls adopted internationally from some states have been found to have high rates of early puberty, including early menarche. Explanations for the link between international adoption and early puberty include post-adoption catch-up growth triggering puberty, and under-recorded age. Hayes, P. and Tan, T.X. (2016) Timing of menarche in girls adopted from China: a cohort study . Child: care, health and development. 42(6): 859-862.

Several members of the School of Culture will be taking part in the Sunderland Literature and Creative Writing Festival this autumn. Click on the links below to find out who will be doing what and where. The festival starts on September 30th (the full schedule is here ). Spectral Visions book launch Against the Grayne: Learning about your Reiver ancestry Witchcraft and wizardry in Wearside Northern Gothic: Jane Harvey's The Castle at Tynemouth (1806) Eternity in an hour: William Blake and popular music Gothic Wearside World books to read before you die Apples and Snakes performance poetry Flash Fiction in a flash: how to write it and how to get it published Reading philosophy to lose weight The terrorist novel from Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent to Hamid Mohsen's The Reluctant Fundamentalist Of Peter and Jemima: An introduction to the extraordinary life of Beatrix Potter 'Not quite a Geordie': The ethnonyms of North East England Wizards, goblins and forbidden l...

History and Politics are organizing a one-day event devoted to considering policy toward refugees and asylum seekers through lectures, discussion, visual displays, theatre, and Q&A.  Speakers include refugees and asylum seekers, as well as academics, members of local organisations, and politicians. Students and staff (morning and afternoon) and students, staff and members of the public (afternoon) are warmly invited to this free event, which takes place on Monday 1st February 2016 . Information about booking and the full programme can be found here . The organizer is Dr Peter Hayes (Politics).

Easington Colliery 1984. Photo by Keith Pattison Dr Peter Hayes has published a chapter entitled 'Riots in Thatcher's Britain' in Crowd Actions in Britain and France from the Middle Ages to the Modern World (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015). He takes a fresh look at three violent confrontations during Margaret Thatcher's period as Prime Minister: the inner city riots, the Miners' Strike and The Poll Tax Riot.  The chapter suggests that Thatcher's response to the inner city riots was not one of mere condemnation as she recognised that racist policing and unemployment were contributory factors. It explains how the decision not to hold a strike ballot caused some of the violence in the Miners' Strike, and contributed to its failure. Finally it considers how the Poll Tax Riot reflected the broader unpopularity of the tax.  This was not only because the poll tax was seen as being unfair but also because local governments had deliberately set the new charge ...

Dr Peter Hayes has co-authored an article which appears in September's edition of Family Law. He and John Hayes QC examine a recent change in the law: the repeal of the requirement in the Adoption and Children Act 2002 to give 'due consideration' to the racial and ethnic background of the child. They argue that the new 'colour-blind' law, properly construed and applied, should bring about a fundamental change to decision-making in adoption which is firmly rooted in securing the welfare of the child. John Hayes and Peter Hayes. Adoption in England: The end of placements dictated by race, culture, religion and language . Family Law, September 2014.