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 […]

‘Teachnology’ – Technology and teaching MindJam, Saturday, October 24th, 11am-noon, Dr Fairleigh Gilmour. What are the possibilities and pitfalls of ‘teachnology’, with technology so intrinsically linked to teaching? It’s a huge question, says University of Otago criminology expert Dr Fairleigh Gilmour, when so much of the discussion around tech and teaching assumes people have equal […]

Globally, feminism and the rights of women are under attack.  The 2020s have given us the manosphere, looksmaxxing and tradwives, while femininity is being harnessed for political ends. Why are so many women retreating from the feminist cause, and what is the appeal of the tradwife lifestyle for those who adopt it? University of Otago […]

Artificial relationships – in literature as in life? MindJam, Sunday October 25, 11 am – noon, Prof David Ciccoricco Long the topic of speculative fiction and fantasy, friendship with an AI chatbot is now a reality.  Some use AI to commune with the dead, others consult it for answers to life’s big problems.  For others, […]

In the final fortnight’s run up to New Zealand’s General Election, University of Otago’s Dr Neil Vallelly will ask some serious questions about our political climate in the context of contemporary geopolitics. Across the globe, wall-builders, anti-migrant populists and warmongers are having their day at the ballot box and in the wider public sphere, he […]