The Best Knight? The Forgotten Great Man of
English History - William Marshall | Christopher
Jones
William Marshall served five Plantagenet kings, went
on Crusade, acted as Regent for Henry III, paved the
way for Magna Carta and was eulogised as “the best
knight that ever lived” – so why are we unaware,
800 years on from his death of the significance of
such a Medieval statesman? The ultimate aim will
be to assess his significance to the formation and
foundation of the English constitution and legal and
political history. Respected by his adversaries, the
epitome of knightly loyalty and the only man to have
unhorsed Richard the Lionheart in combat - why has
he been forgotten?
Comparison of modern-day coffee culture in the UK
verses coffee culture within the British Empire | Lucy
Kirk
Do you ever think about where your stuff comes
from and how it became available for you to buy?
Try it; think about coffee. Where did it come from?
Who grew it? What had to happen in order for it
get into your particular cup? Has it always been like
this? This presentation will compare and contrast the
relationship the UK has with coffee today, versus the
relationship it had during the British Empire by using
the ‘three P’s’: Policy, Procurement and Perception.
Animals without Brains? The Mental Power of the
Protozoa | Rebekah Leftley
The simplest and most primitive ‘animals’ - the
protozoa - are often perceived as simple-minded
creatures. Although more complex than bacteria, they
lack a brain, and so its assumed their days are rather
mundane. Yet they seem to bridge the gap between
bacteria and animals. We will be looking at the
surprisingly complex intellect these humble organisms
can show, and other curious finds that have left some
scientists in awe of them.
116
The Ethics of Aid and Donation | Ashleigh
Tanyaradzwa Mubaiwa
For decades wealthy Western countries have funded
humanitarian acts of charity to support growth
and development in less economically developed
countries especially in Africa. The Sustainable
Development Goals set by the UN have heightened
the need for funding development projects. However,
between the 1970s and 2008, over US$300 billion
was donated as humanitarian aid to impoverished
African countries yet during this period, economic
growth in the continent either stagnated or
experienced decline. This presentation will explore
the motives behind aid, the reasons for its failure
to eradicate poverty and the possible solutions to
promote economic growth in Africa.
Hijab: a fundamental human right and freedom to
religious belief | Wing Shuen Ng
In 2014, the European Court of Human Rights
upheld the French government’s decision to ban
face-veils in public places as consistent with the
European Convention on Human Rights. In light of
the UN Human Rights Committee’s criticism of the
case, this paper will argue that the banning of hijab
in employment constitutes direct discrimination on
grounds of religious belief. The measure taken to
achieve any legitimate aims justifying the ban would
be disproportionate. This paper will further address
the undemocratic nature and shed light on the social
abuse in which the ban might encourage a less
tolerant society and norms.
The role of ethnicity on percutaneous absorption |
Murielle Nsiela
The world encompasses many different skin
ethnicities, one important factor that contributes to
this variation is pigmentation. Questions have been
raised whether there are any differences in the skin
structure and barrier function of pigmented