Educom guest lecture series continues

A School of Education and Communities student is continuing a second series of online seminars with some of the world’s leading names in international development.

Lester Lyall, a third-year student in BA International Development and NGO Management, has organised guest lectures, open to all students and staff, which are hosted by the Centre for Social Change and Justice.

Lectures this term include The Ethics of Development, by Professor Des Gasper, Visiting Professor, International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands, and Urban Development: Cities in the Global South, by Professor Lisa Bornstein, Associate Professor, School of Urban Planning, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Lester said,

The first term was a great success. It was really invigorating to hear from a collection of development scholars whose profound knowledge of, and passion for, the subjects which they discussed shone through in their really enlightening presentations and in the Q+As with students and UEL staff members which followed. “I hope and am sure that the lectures scheduled for the coming term will continue this academic year's trend of providing students with exclusive sessions with some of the best minds in the sustainable development arena."

Many of the speakers who gave guest lectures during term one were featured in the third edition of Oxford University Press' Introduction to International Development, which was the core text of the Level 4 core module Introduction to Development Studies, run by Dr Miriam Mukasa.

Lester decided to track down some of the prominent scholars who contributed chapters and invited them to give guest lectures.

Senior lecturer and course leader in International Development and NGO Management, Dr Susannah Pickering-Saqqa  said, "Our course equips students to understand and critique the theories and practices of global development. But it also gives them the space to develop their own interests, connections and skills. Lester's work in putting together this year's guest lecture programme is a wonderful example of doing all of these."