How do we build a better world?

How do we build a better world?
MindJam, Friday, October 23, 5:30-7 pm, Otago University expert panel

Our smartest philosophers, writers and social scientists have forged critical tools over centuries to tackle our world’s most wicked problems, from climate change to social disruption and beyond.

And a panel of University of Otago experts will share some of these at MindJam, a celebration of thinking organised by Catalyst Trust and Otago University’s Humanities Division, in Arrowtown this coming Labour Weekend.

Scientists might be on the frontline when it comes to weather events, disease, and technologies, but the humanities have a front and centre role in this era of global crisis, University of Otago’s MindJam coordinator, Dr Grace Moore, says.

“Creative and critical thinking have a vital part to play, from imagining futures to rehearsing solutions.”

Our expert panel will open MindJam with an exploration of the insights and essential tools that the humanities offer in this era of massive global challenges.

This event is part of MindJam, to be held at Arrowtown’s Lake District Museum this coming Labour Weekend: Friday Oct 23, 6:30 pm; Saturday, 11am and 1 pm; Sunday 11am and 1pm.

Discussions will range from how to build a better world to the ‘new’ feminism, ‘teachnology’, AI relationships in literature and life, and the global context of NZ’s general election.

Join us for some MindJam magic by registering for this session on Humanitix (Please Note: separate registration is required for each session).
Attendance is free, with koha going to Lakes District Museum’s education programme.

Our Panel

Chair, Associate Professor Grace Moore is an English lecturer and author. She is general editor of the online Literary Encyclopedia, and her upcoming book, Anthony Trollope and the Global Environment, will be published by Cambridge University Press.

Dr Fairleigh Evelyn Gilmour is a senior lecturer in the Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Programme. Her research explores prison education as well as gender, violence, criminal justice policy and the media.

English Professor David Ciccoricco’s research draws on cognitive science and philosophy of mind to establish how fictional minds help explain actual ones. His book Refiguring Minds in Narrative Media (2015) explores cognitive approaches to narratives in print novels, digital fictions, and story-driven video.

Dr Peyton Bond teaches across sociology, gender studies and criminology at the University of Otago. Her research is grounded in feminist theory and politics, with particular focus on labour, abolition, relationality, and social reproduction.

Dr Neil Vallelly is a senior lecturer in Sociology at the University of Otago, and his most recent book is Edges of Empire: The Politics of Immigration in Aotearoa New Zealand, 1980–2020 (Auckland University Press, 2025).

Join us for some MindJam magic by registering on Humanitix.
Attendance is free, with koha going to Lakes District Museum’s education programme.