The Centre for Continuing Education’s annual Winter Week on Campus brings together renowned academics across an impressive range of disciplines and areas of expertise.
Comprising five days of morning and afternoon lectures, the biggest challenge of the Winter Week will no doubt be deciding which of the many courses to take. For example, internationally respected Professor of Anatomy Richard Faull is hailed for his work on the brain, including neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimers and Huntington’s. His lecture, "Human Brain Diseases & Stem Cells: Facts & Fantasy" features in the "Medical Matters" series, which also includes lectures on stroke prevention, pandemic influenza, and coping with the challenges of elderly care.
On a lighter note, in a lecture series entitled "Food: Glorious Food!", Sociology Professor Ian Carter explores the big picture of food—how food systems have differed across human history, and the politics of your morning cup of coffee—while his colleagues shed light on how New Zealanders’ eating habits have changed over time, and offer an inside look at how the plethora of Auckland eateries operate.
The history, politics and future of China will be top of mind in the "China" lecture series. Richard Phillips, Head of the School of Asian Studies, will expound both on Chinese history and the complexities around the origins of this country, as well as issues of Chinese emigration to New Zealand. Edward McDonald will discuss such controversial issues as media and censorship in China; while Yongjin Zhang, Director of the New Zealand Asia Institute, will examine China’s turbulent relationship with the world over the last two centuries.
Other Winter Week lecture series include "Experimental Economics", "Natural Hazards in New Zealand" (how great is the risk of a Tsunami? Why is NZ so shaky?) and "The Everyday Life of Policy: Anthropological Perspectives". This series includes explorations of the politics of reproduction in the Western Solomons, artefact smuggling in Papua New Guinea, and the "moral life" of trees.
CCE’s Winter Week on Campus runs from Monday, 2 July- Friday, 6 July. University of Auckland staff receive a 10% discount on enrolment fees. For more information or to enrol phone 0800 UNICONTED (0800 864 266), email conted@auckland.ac.nz or visit www.cce.auckland.ac.nz.
