Free public lecture series to look at the challenge and opportunity of a post-Covid world

Experts from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) will consider the ways Covid-19 might inspire social improvements in a new series of free public talks. 

The global changes brought about by the spread of the virus have already changed daily life for almost everyone around the world. 

 

But in the Festival of Teaching: the Challenge of Change, some of DMU’s leading academics will consider the impact and possible legacy of the pandemic on topic like mental health, climate change and education. 

Building on the success of the event in previous years, this year’s Festival of Teaching engages directly with key social issues and offers the public a chance to hear from some of the university’s lecturers on their areas of expertise. 

The full programme of events is on DMU’s website, where people can also book free places on any of the events.

The series opens on Monday 15 March, with a launch event which will see a panel including Sir Peter Soulsby, Leicester City Mayor; Professor Jackie Labbe, Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic at DMU; and Mark Charlton, Associate Director of Public Engagement at DMU discuss the power of teaching during a pandemic can help to support Leicester as lockdown eases and the recovery process begins. 

On Thursday 18 March, Dr Andrew Reeves, Senior Lecturer in Energy and Sustainable Development at DMU will host ‘Escape from the car!’ - an innovative escape room event which explores the behavioural change needed on a big scale to begin reducing carbon output and tackling climate change. 

While in Misinformation, Trust, Democracy and Credibility in Politics on Tuesday 16 March, Associate Professor Jonathan Rose will explore the importance of how public trust in politics, and politicians’ positions on integrity – particularly in an era of political instability, a global international pandemic and in the future. 

And on Friday 19 March, Bertha Ochieng, Professor of Integrated Health and Social Care, will host ‘Psychological resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic’. The talk will explore the work being done jointly between DMU and Leicester City Council’s public health team, which looks at how teaching and research can inform policy to support those at-risk groups in society which have been most affected by the social restrictions under Covid.