Monday 14^th November

Guided tour 11:30 - 12:30

Coach departs from University 9am

Visit   to International Slavery Museum, Albert Dock, Liverpool

This   is event is open to LBU Politics & IR students only

Tuesday 15 November

9.30am – 10.30am

RB205 (Rose   Bowl)          

Volunteering   Opportunities

Oriel Kenny

In this workshop   Oriel will help you to identify appropriate volunteering opportunities in the   UK, in readiness for the Level 6 Volunteering module

(For Level 5   / Year 2 Politics & IR students only)

12pm - 1.30pm BPA103 (Broadcasting   Place)

Dissertation Supervision Cafe

With the deadline looming for Assessment   1, this drop-in session is an opportunity for you to meet your supervisor and   discuss your proposal.

Refreshments will be provided.

This   is event is open to LBU Politics & IR Level 6 students only

1.30pm – 3pm

BPA102 (Broadcasting Place)

What is critical engagement?

Tom   Purcell & Robin Redhead

This session is designed to help you   think critically and understand why critical theory is a necessary part of   your toolkit as an independent thinker. The world confronts us a complex   social reality, full of interlocking processes and political problems. The   goal of critical theory is to stand back from this complex reality and ask   after the historical, political and social relations which constitute the   world. In this way critical theories can be thought of as filters, lenses   or beacons that direct us to what is essential for getting to grips   with some part of the world. In this session we will explore how critical   theory can help you home in on real world problems, allow you to understand   the difference between describing and analysing a problem and, above all,   think about the ethical dimension of how we understand the world.

This   is event is open to LBU Politics & IR students only

5pm – 6.30pm

NT118 (Northern Terrace)

Should   universities be ‘safe spaces’?

Robert Sharp, Head of Campaigns and Communications,   English PEN www.englishpen.org

‘No   platform’ policies adopted by student unions are justified on the grounds of   ensuring that universities are ‘safe spaces’, but critics argue that they are   unacceptable restrictions on free speech.

Robert   will provide a strong defence of free speech against ‘No Platform’ policies   which, he will argue, are counter-productive. Robert will also criticise as   reactionary and equally counter-productive the response of some of those who   seek to defend free speech. He will also address the problem of universities   ands and student unions threatening legal action or expulsion to student   journalists that criticise them, and the government measures to tackle   extremism that could lead to a chill on the discussion of radical ideas.

Wednesday 16 November

12pm-1pm

BPA104   (Broadcasting Place)

Undergraduate Focus Group

Jess   Gifkins & Tom Purcell

All Politics & IR students are   invited to this meeting with course leaders Jess and Tom. Focus groups are   one of the ways in which you can let us know how things are going on your   course, both the positives and the negatives. We are keen to get your   feedback to help us to improve your course and your experience as a student.   Refreshments will be provided.

This   is event is open to LBU Politics & IR students only

1pm   – 2pm

CL211   (Calverley Building)

Political   book club discussion

A   Better Politics: How Government Can Make Us Happier by Danny Dorling

In   an age of disillusionment with our political system and low levels of trust   in politicians, the desire to define and realise a better politics is widely   felt. In his most recent and highly acclaimed book, Danny Dorling’s   conception of a better politics is ‘one that will enable future generations   to be happier’. His approach is based on evidence of what matters most in   affecting people’s happiness. He argues that ‘there are many policies that we   could adopt if we really want to be collectively happier and healthier. We   could have a government that makes our lives happier, if we win the argument   for it.’ So, read the book here and   join the discussion, with Paul Wetherly.

3pm – 4pm

Rose Bowl Lecture Theatre F

How Studying Politics & IR Can   Make You Employable

Professor   John Craig, Dean, School of Social Sciences

Graduate employability has become a   key issue for students, universities and government. While there is often a   focus on the development of generic and transferable skills, the intellectual   and practical skills that come from studying a discipline are also important.   This session will examine how studying politics and international relations   can contribute to your employability. It will explore how employability has   always been an aspect of studying politics and the social sciences, and how   governments and local authorities have long recognised the value of education   in this area. It will examine some of the particular skills that politics and   international relations students develop during their studies and help you to   think through how these might be presented to potential employers.

This   is event is open to LBU Politics & IR students only

4-5.30pm

NT118 (Northern Terrace)

Making Sense of Trump

Donald Trump’s shock victory in the US Presidential election seems   like Brexit all over again. Indeed Trump characterised his coming victory as   “Brexit plus”. There are some obvious parallels: populism, the focus on   controlling immigration, and the ‘revolt against the elite’ by the ‘left   behind’ or ‘forgotten men and women’ who have not benefitted from globalisation.   This roundtable will try to make sense of the Trump phenomenon – what are its   causes? what are the implications of a Trump presidency for the US and the   world? how can we respond? Come and join the discussion.

Chair: David Robertshaw

John Craig - Donald J Trump and the Tragedy of American Political   Science

Andrew Morton - White nativism meets economic populism, in the US   and Europe

Steve Wright – What does it mean for security? - NATO and the   West’s relationship with Russia

Sophia Price – What is to be done?

5.30-7pm

NT118   (Northern Terrace)

Making   Sense of the Syrian Conflict

Javaad Alipoor, Federico Venturini & Muzna Al- Naib

The ongoing civil war in Syria has left many of us in the West   bewildered due to claims and counter-claims in the press about the nature of   the uprising and the existence of moderate rebels, and the seemingly   unfathomable and constantly shifting web of allegiances involved. As a   result, most people think the conflict is simply too complex to understand,   never mind work out who is worth supporting, what the West’s role in the   conflict should be or how it can ever come to an end.

Too often the conflict is viewed from the ‘top-down’, with much   focus on the tension between the US, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and   their allies on the ground. In this session, Javaad Alipoor, Federico   Venturini and Muzna Al-Naib will tell a different side of the story, looking   at the civil war from the ‘bottom-up’, with a focus on those in Syria who are   struggling for peace and social justice in the face of unimaginable   adversity.

Javaad Alipoor is a writer, director and activist based in   Bradford. As well as being artist-in-residence at Sheffield’s Crucible   Theatre, he co-authored ‘Khiyana: Daesh, the Left and the Unmaking of the   Syrian Revolution’ in December 2015. You can read some of his writing on   Syria and other issues here: attheinlandsea.wordpress.com  

Federico Venturini is a member of Leeds Friends of   Rojava - the de-facto autonomous Kurdish region of Northern Syria currently   under the administration of revolutionary Kurdish forces. He travelled to the   region last spring as part of the International Imrali Peace Delegation, and   recently finished a PHD on Social Ecology - one of the guiding principles of   the Kurdish project in Rojava.

Muzna Al-Naib has an MA in media and International   development. She writes for children and she is a documentary filmmaker.   Muzna lived in Damascus during the revolution and was involved in peaceful   activism on the ground. She left Syria in 2014 and came to the UK to do her   MA. She is a spokesperson for Syria Solidarity UK.

Thursday 17 November

12.30pm   -2pm

CL311   (Calverley Building)

Talking   about Immigration

Paul Wetherly

Immigration   and its economic and cultural impacts, positive or negative, has been a key political issue in the UK for several years.   The vote to leave the European Union has been interpreted by the government   primarily as a vote in favour of controlling, and reducing, immigration. Some   people who are anxious about immigration may feel that evidence of its   benefits does not reflect how it has affected their lives. Many people, on   the other hand, are relaxed about immigration, feel it has brought benefits   and worry about the anti-immigration sentiment that the Brexit vote seems to   express. So, immigration is at the heart of political divisions in Britain   today.

This   session will take the form of a conversation, to discuss and explore attitudes   to immigration and the mixture of hopes and anxieties people feel about its   impacts.

4pm – 5.30 pm

WH135 (Woodhouse Building)

Brexit

Sophia Price & Mark Langan

In this session Dr Mark Langan and Dr   Sophia Price will explore various dimensions of Brexit. Mark will discuss the   potential impact of Brexit on the EU’s and the UK’s trade relations, with a   particular focus on EU-UK-Africa relations. Sophia will explore the terms   ‘hard’ and ‘soft Brexit’ and how these might shape the future of the UK’s   relations with the EU.

5.30pm   – 7pm

NT118   (Northern Terrace)

Responding   to the Refugee Crisis. What can be done, locally and nationally?

Jon Beech. Director, Leeds Asylum Seekers’ Support   Network (LASSN)

www.lassn.org.uk

“The   largest movement of people in modern times has prompted questions about all   aspects of our lives, and our rights and responsibilities as citizens. These   issues include travel, citizenship, foreign policy, democratic   accountability, border controls, human rights, labour markets and welfare,   and they are being raised at a time of   unprecedented austerity and increased local responsibility.

This   talk will look at local action - how citizens of Leeds have responded to   events, and how local and national Government have attempted to keep up.”

Friday 18 November

11am   – 1pm

BPA102   (Broadcasting Place)

'Should   'killer robots' be regulated? You decide.'

Jess Gifkins & Steve Wright

Autonomous   weapons systems (aka 'killer robots')can select and engage targets without   any human involvement once they are activated. This technology is being   explored by many countries and weapons manufacturers. The 'benefits' of this   technology could mean less harm to soldiers and greater precision. The 'risks'   of this technology are the possibility of terrorist use, dehumanisation of   war, and the possibility of malfunctions. So should this technology be used??   You decide.

This   session will begin with an overview on the current state of development and   regulation of killer robots, led by Dr Steve Wright. Then you will be   assigned to represent a country in a mock-United Nations negotiation over how   the technology could be regulated, led by Dr Jess Gifkins. In this simulation   you will have the opportunity to negotiate with your fellow UN Ambassadors   (aka 'students') and to see if you can reach a global agreement on whether to   regulate this technology. You will then also have the opportunity to reflect   on your own position regarding the use of killer robots. [This session ties   directly to Steve's modules and Jess's International Relations modules.]

2pm-3.30pm   

BPAG02  (Broadcasting Place)

Bringing Mass Surveillance in Europe Under Democratic Control – Is it   Too Late?

Tony Bunyan, Editor of   Statewatch

Edward Snowden’s Attorney, Ben Wizner

As Editor of Statewatch Tony Bunyan has done more than any other   researcher or Journalist to keep the issue of democratic accountability,   freedom, justice and security on the European political agenda. In that   context, mass political surveillance has always been a core issue and Tony   and his colleagues at statewatch have put more documents into the public   domain tracking changes in surveillance tactics, technology and targeting   than any other NGO. This work has been accomplished with dedication and slender   resources and yet many European politicians will go to statewatch when they   want to understand the complexities of modern surveillance and the chicanery   involved in expanding the scope of mass surveillance. And much of this was   started 30 years before Edward Snowden was leaking just how far the   technology had gone to track everyone’s telecommunications. It is Statewatch’s   meticulous research which is its defining brand and we have moved on   significantly since Snowden described specific mechanisms and algorithms to   create universal surveillance. Recent official inquiries have concluded that   much of this snooping has been illegal. But successive governments have   looked the other way and said so what. It has been down to NGO’s such as   Statewatch and Privacy International to alert a largely somnolent public to   the dangers. Tony will address the topic of have we lost meaningful human   control over mass surveillance or are there political ways of ensuring proper   accountability over targeting and data retention in Europe.

Ben Wizner (@benwizner) is the director of the   ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. For nearly 15 years, he has   worked at the intersection of civil liberties and national security,   litigating numerous cases involving airport security policies,   government watch lists, surveillance practices, targeted killing, and   torture. He appears regularly in the global media, has testified before   Congress, and is an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law.   Since July of 2013, he has been the principal legal advisor to NSA   whistleblower Edward Snowden. Ben is a graduate of Harvard College and New   York University School of Law and was a law clerk to the Hon. Stephen   Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Few surveillance lawyers   have Ben’s expertise and knowledge and he is uniquely qualified to address   the issues of bringing mass surveillance under democratic control, post the   election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. This will be   amongst the first public speeches of Edward Snowden’s lawyer in Europe,   following the presidential election.

6pm   – 7pm

Rose   Bowl Lecture Theatre C

Can   Labour Win Under Jeremy Corbyn?

Richard Burgon MP (Labour, Leeds   East) Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice

Saffron Rose (CHAIR)

Jeremy   Corbyn has achieved decisive victories in two leadership elections and, in   the process, inspired a huge growth in membership of the Labour party. But   can the party now be united under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership? Can a social   movement also be a successful electoral party? And can Labour defy the   conventional wisdom that parties only win elections when they occupy the   centre ground? Richard Burgon, a key figure in the transformation of Labour,   will argue that the answers to these questions are positive.

Saffron is former Vice President of   Leeds Beckett Students' Union where she represented the academic needs of   students with strong emphasis on issues such as free education and banning   unpaid internships. Now Saffron is a campaigner within the Labour Party at a   national and local level and was very active throughout Jeremy Corbyn's   leadership elections.