Think Tank – Global North vs Global South – Cutting Edge University Interdisciplinary & Student Led Debate With Dr Ra Mason From University of East Anglia

In this Think Tank we will be joined by Dr Ra Mason, Sasakawa Associate Professor in the School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies at University of East Anglia.

Think Tank is a series of interdisciplinary webinars for Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 students, engaging academics and students in debate. We tackle some of the pressing national and global issues being faced today.

Dr Ra Mason’s teaching spans International Relations Theory, China and Japan’s Foreign Relations, International Security, Global Politics and Contemporary Politics and complements his research and publishing on Japan’s International Relations, Okinawa and North Korea. Ra will open the session by outlining the key issues, as he sees them, relating to Global North vs Global South.

Ahead of the event, we will invite students to submit questions HERE within the overall session theme which, following the introductory inputs from our academic, are then either posed by the student themselves or by the host, depending upon each student’s preference.

Ra will then share his perspectives with plenty of opportunity for students to engage in the discussion.

Woven into the discussion, university academics are encouraged to shed light on how undergraduates engage in these critical issues during their studies.

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom, or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. This means that sessions will continue irrespective of possible school closures.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Suitable for: Key Stage 4 & Key Stage 5 students and equivalent with an interest in Global North vs Global South, either as part of their studies, their university aspirations, personal interests, or related citizenship studies. Teachers and members of school staff, as always, are welcome too.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students are asked to consider the theme and discuss some of the key issues, prior to submitting questions for our panel to address live. These can be submitted HERE.

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Bluejeans and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via a microphone and/or typed comments and questions. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below: