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Is Matter Evil?

A dialogue with Philip Pullman's complex 'Dark Materials' trilogy which provides a framework for discussing how human beings relate to the material world, and the origin of evil.

'Two Point One Children': Why There is No Typical Family in the Family Court

This lecture will explore vulnerable parties and children in the Family Court, especially where the common denominator is frequently one of poverty - in education, income and expectations. How can a court deliver a fair system to the most vulnerable?

Expert Witnesses: A Zero-Sum Game?

It is a gross injustice to the child and parent for social workers, backed by ‘expert’ opinion, to wrongly remove children but it is equally unacceptable for vulnerable children to be left at home to suffer abuse...

The Poetry of Robert Frost, The Power and Intrigue of Simile

Frost's line, 'I found a dimpled spider... holding up a moth like a white piece of rigid satin cloth' exploits simile... But how can a moth be like cloth? -This is one of a number of examples that will be explored with a view to refining our understanding of smilie.

Suspect Communities in Anglo-American Law

In the UK and USA, counter-terrorism efforts have had disparate impacts on racial, ethnic or religious minorities. Are the underlying policies and practices consistent with Anglo-American concepts of the rule of law and individual rights?

The Value of Heritage and the Heritage of Value

There was a time when old places were valued simply for their beauty and interest, but now this is not enough. Are calculations of the financial contribution of our history adding to the value of our heritage or have they fundamentally devalued it?

Guilty until Proven Innocent

The issue of Shaken Baby or Natural Cause will be examined, using a case study involving a bereaved parent, the transformation of a family home into a crime scene, with the pregnant mother facing a murder trial and her baby removed at birth.

Justice Online: Just as Good?

Early in 2016, the criminal and civil courts of England and Wales embarked on a modernisation programme aimed at reforming procedures that have survived for centuries. The hope is to set up the courts of the future. Will this project be the forward-thing success we hope for, or an IT disaster?

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' and Poetic Technique

In the line, 'The Western wave was aflame', the 'Western wave' refers to the sea. But is it this simple? What do forms of substitution, synecdoche for example, lend to this magnificent and shadowy poem?

Respecting and Transcending Nature

Science and technology creates moral problems in being able to both improve life and destroy it. How might Tolkein's 'Lord of the Rings' offer us reflections on scientific and religious frameworks which enable us to respect nature on the one hand, while transcending its limits on the other?

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