The festival is run by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) to help new audiences find out more about how social science affects their everyday lives.
The festival runs from November 3-10 and will feature over 300 events across the UK. With everything from film screenings, exhibitions, workshops and walks to debates and hands-on experiences, there are events suitable for all ages and all walks of life.
The ESRC is also inviting people to follow or contribute to the debate on Twitter by using the hashtag #esrcfestival.
Events in Glasgow
Act against bullying: discover the hero inside you! (November 3) – Come and learn how to defend others from being bullied, teased or hit. Learn the exact right things to say and when. At this event the researchers will explain their findings to you so that you can be better prepared next time you see someone being bullied.
Taster day: A taste of social science (November 5) – Calton Heritage and Learning Centre Hall have teamed up with the University of Glasgow and the Glasgow Centre for Population Health to bring you a taster day with a difference. Learn about how social scientists from Glasgow are tackling the big issues facing our society, and find out about activities happening in your local community.
A place you can happily call home? (November 5) – Over recent years it has become increasingly hard for people to afford and access the type of housing that they want, in the places that they want to live. More and more people are unable to live in a place that they can happily call ‘home’. However what is home? Come along to our interactive stand at The Calton Heritage and Learning Centre and tell us about what is important to you.
Introducing social science and artificial intelligence to pupils (November 5 & 6) – This event will introduce primary and secondary school students to artificial intelligence using use hands-on experiments and group activities – showing how AI works, what the advantages and disadvantages of the technology are, and how it could be used in the future by professionals such as doctors and police officers.
Using Brexit votes to predict a second referendum (November 6) – This event will look at how social scientists use survey data to predict election results, and why many polls incorrectly predicted the 2016 US Presidential Election and Brexit. After the discussion, attendees will have a chance to attempt to predict the results of a second referendum using survey data.
Taster day: A taste of social science (November 7) – Netherholm Community Hall have teamed up with the University of Glasgow and the Glasgow Centre for Population Health to bring you a taster day with a difference. Learn about how social scientists from Glasgow are tackling the big issues facing our society, and find out about activities happening in your local community.
Towards a tobacco-free generation: Where next? (November 7) – At this interactive debate researchers from the University of Glasgow will describe some of their latest findings on achieving a ‘Tobacco-Free Generation’. They will talk about the effect that recent policy changes have had on smoking among our nation’s young people.
Good in the hood? Fae Glasgow to Kigali (November 7) – Come and join University of Glasgow social science researchers for a photographic exhibition, as we invite you to travel to Bangladesh and beyond. See the different neighbourhoods that make up the big cities in the developing world, talk to researchers and help us understand what makes a sustainable and healthy neighbourhood.
20 years of devolution: how have inequalities in Glasgow changed? (November 8) – This event will showcase new insights into the multiple inequalities that affect communities within the city of Glasgow. We will present new research findings and demonstrate our ‘big data’ using a range of innovative and engaging techniques, including interactive maps and novel data visualisations developed in partnership with the Data Lab in Edinburgh.
Changing the view of women in leadership (November 8) – Female Modern Studies pupils in Scotland are invited to attend a half-day workshop about gender inequality in politics. You will explore and analyse media representations of women leaders in Scotland, and take part in a series of creative activities using collages.
Using numbers to understand our world (November 9) – In this event, researchers from ScotCen Social Research will provide secondary school pupils with a real-world overview of what it’s like to work as a quantitative social researcher. The event will show pupils how data and number skills can be used to answer fundamental questions about the way the world is ordered.
Shaping your community! (November 10) – This is a free event for all the family, with board games for adults and walk-in games for kids. Have fun playing ‘Shape Your Community’ games, find out how decisions are made and by whom, and determine what happens next in your community.
Crafting different images: Challenging mainstream representations of girls (November 10) – We will be holding a lively discussion and creative zine-making workshop with girls aged 12 and over to challenge the stereotypical images of women and girls in the media – using drawings, texts, images, poetry, and cutting and pasting to tear up the stereotypes and create a homemade zine.
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