Academics Join Social Science Festival

5th November 2015

Discussions about school toilets, holiday snaps and autism are on the agenda as Sheffield Hallam University academics engage with a national festival dedicated to social sciences.

Thirteen Sheffield Hallam staff are taking part in the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) Festival of Social Sciences with a week-long series of events starting on Saturday 7 November. Highlights include Storying School Toilets (Saturday 7 November), a discussion on the way public toilets are designed, in an effort to assess if they are fit for purpose for the UK's diverse 21st Century society. Dangerous Conversations (Saturday 7 November) will feature youth workers and professional bodies discussing young people at risk, while How UK Are You (Sunday 8 November) will ask attendees if they would be able to "earn their passport" by answering questions currently asked to obtain UK residency. Members of the public are welcome to attend the host of public debates, conferences, workshops, film screenings and exhibitions to receive a fascinating insight into some of the country's leading social science. The ESRC runs the national Festival of Social Science on an annual basis to provide an insight into some of the country's leading social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives - both now and in the future. This celebration of the social sciences takes place across the UK - via public debates, conferences, workshops, interactive seminars, film screenings, virtual exhibitions and much more. 2015 is the thirteenth year that ESRC, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, has held the Festival of Social Science. For full details of all 13 Hallam events for this year's festival, go to www.sheffieldesrcfestival.org.