Festival to bring social science research to the city
University of Sheffield will host more than a dozen events planned as part of the national Festival of Social Sciences next month with more events organised across the city than any other place outside of London.
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Festival of Social Science, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, will take place across Britain from Saturday 3 November 2012 for seven days.
Offering a fascinating insight into some of the University’s and the country's leading social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives, today and in the future, the festival is relevant to everyone with a wide range of events for all ages.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Social Sciences at the University Professor Gill Valentine said:
“The festival is a great opportunity for people across the city of Sheffield to better understand and experience firsthand how Social Sciences subjects studied at the University impact on their lives and help address issues across the contemporary world.
“There is a wide range of hands on events as part of the seven day programme aimed at all ages, abilities and interest in the Social Sciences offering a real insight into its workings both in the city and further afield.
“The Social Sciences in Sheffield are held in high-regard internationally and across the UK so it’s only natural that the University and the city should host so many events during the weeklong festival, continue its long association and support it in its 10th year.”
Amongst the events taking place at the University of Sheffield are Act your Age! on Thursday 8 November 2012 aiming to challenge stereotypes by working with thirty children at a Sheffield primary school to develop children’s understandings of later life and reflect on the differences and similarities between people at various ages.
A pair of research projects exploring children’s play and its relationship with media and technology spanning more than 60 years in the Parson Cross area of Sheffield from 1950 through to the present day will take place on Wednesday November 7 2012. Play in Parson Cross: Past and present will see the children and adults who participated in the projects share the findings, using a range of interactive approaches.
Other events include Who wants to be an Entrepreneur? which will take place on Wednesday 7 November 2012 which will see college students visit the University to build their entrepreneurial skills. A Resilient Business Workshop will be held for local businesses on Friday 9 November 2012 to think about the steps that they need to take to be stronger and grow. This event is limited to 40 people and anyone interested will need to register in advance.
Place matters!, the first event of the festival taking place in Sheffield on Saturday 3 November 2012, will see experts and the public exploring green spaces providing a hands-on opportunity to think differently about everyday green spaces in the city and try out evaluation tools in Sheffield’s green spaces.
For a full list of events taking place in Sheffield and around the region and for further information please visit: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/festival/festival-events/index.aspx or http://festivalofsocialscience.group.shef.ac.uk/
Additional information
The Festival of Social Science
The Festival of Social Science is run by the Economic and Social Research Council and takes place from 3-10 November 2012. With events from some of the country's leading social scientists, the Festival celebrates the very best of British social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives - both now and in the future. This year’s Festival of Social Science has over 180 creative and exciting events across the UK to encourage businesses, charities, government agencies, schools and college students to discuss, discover and debate topical social science issues. Press releases detailing some of the varied events and a full list of the programme are available at the Festival website. You can now follow updates from the Festival on twitter using #esrcfestival.
The University of Sheffield
With nearly 25,000 students from 125 countries, the University of Sheffield is one of the UK’s leading and largest universities. A member of the Russell Group, it has a reputation for world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines. The University of Sheffield has been named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards for its exceptional performance in research, teaching, access and business performance. In addition, the University has won four Queen’s Anniversary Prizes (1998, 2000, 2002, and 2007).
These prestigious awards recognise outstanding contributions by universities and colleges to the United Kingdom’s intellectual, economic, cultural and social life. Sheffield also boasts five Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and many of its alumni have gone on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence around the world. The University’s research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, Boots, AstraZeneca, GSK, ICI, Slazenger, and many more household names, as well as UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations.
The University has well-established partnerships with a number of universities and major corporations, both in the UK and abroad. Its partnership with Leeds and York Universities in the White Rose Consortium has a combined research power greater than that of either Oxford or Cambridge.
Contact
For further information please contact:
Paul Mannion
Media Relations Officer
The University of Sheffield
0114 222 9851
p.f.mannion@sheffield.ac.uk