Think Tank – UK – The State of The Union – Cutting Edge University Perspectives & Debate With Professor Alan Finlayson From 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.

We will be joined by Alan Finlayson, Professor of Political & Social Theory in the School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies at UEA who will have 5 minutes at the beginning of the session to outline the key issues, as he sees them, relating to UK – The State of The Union.

Ahead of the event, we will invite students to submit questions and arguments 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.

Alan will then share his perspectives with plenty of opportunity for students to engage in the discussion. The event will progress in a similar way to ‘Question Time’.

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 UK – The State of The Union, 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 and arguments 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: