International association for Ladakh studies
This is the website of the international association for Ladakh studies, an organisation established in 1987 to further the study of Ladakh and to provide a forum in which scholars could establish networks and links around the world. The site contains details of academic events, cultural activities and publications. The publication pages give details of books and journals published under the aegis of the association, along with contents and abstracts. Details of how to order are also provided, a
The Art of Structural Design: A Swiss Legacy
Bridges serve a utilitarian purpose, but they should also please the eye. David P. Billington celebrates an influential group of Swiss structural engineers who forged a tradition of bridge-building in the 20th century that united form and function with unprecedented grace. His lecture describes the offerings of an exhibit at the MIT Museu
Foreign Policy and the Next U.S. Administration
After tuning in closely to the presidential campaign, these panelists don’t discern worlds of difference in the candidates’ approaches to foreign policy. But the speakers convey key concerns and offer words of advice to the next U.S. president.
Barry Posen is interested in the future of U.S. grand strategy, by which he means our plan for achiev
Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools
The daily news is full of stories about failing schools, as well as those undergoing miraculous rescues. But there are also schools that have devised innovative and constructive practices that are worth studying and emulating, according to Milton Chen of The George Lucas Educational Foundation. The Foundation has been documenting n
Toward India 2020: Challenges and Opportunities
People sometimes ask Montek Singh Ahluwalia questions loaded with “aspirational objectives,” such as when India will “get rid of poverty.” Few are as well equipped to respond as Ahluwalia, one of the architects of India’s breathtaking economic transformation.
The current income of an average Indian cit
Lunch with a Laureate: Richard Schrock
Growing up in Indiana, exploring the local woods and pit where fossils were found, Richard Schrock early on became interested in the natural world. He was captivated by the way things worked. When he was eight, his older brother gave him a chemistry set and he knew that was what he wanted to do. “Like many things, you slide i
Airline Safety and the Electoral College
Somehow Arnold Barnett manages to massage the subject of airline accidents into a breezy and sometimes comforting talk on statistical probabilities. In decades of research, he has taken firm hold of the metrics of measuring mortality in flight. While there are many ways of looking at the grim numbers, Barnett has de
The Art of Science Television
Paula Apsell, NOVA's senior executive producer laments the sad state of science journalism and discusses how NOVA is more essential than ever. In a world where the public understanding of science is diminishing, she makes a strong case for NOVA's tradition of depth and substance, tackling the most pressing issues in sc
Power Shift in the Global Economy
The 2008 Oxford University Society Lecture in which Professor Woods talks about the shift in Global Economic Power from private companies in the developed world to national companies in developing countries
Russia is Back: Jenifer Hart Memorial Lecture
Professor MacFarlane gives a talk about modern Russia; from the fall of the Berlin Wall to today; including the rise of Vladimir Putin, the conflict between Chechnya, alleged human rights violations and Russia's relationship with the rest of the world
Muhammad Yunus: A Poverty-free World?
Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate and pioneer of microcredit, gave this year’s Romanes lecture on ‘A poverty-free world: When? How?’
4.4 Historical note on the Euler characteristic
Surfaces are a special class of topological spaces that crop up in many places in the world of mathematics. In this unit, you will learn to classify surfaces and will be introduced to such concepts as homeomorphism, orientability, the Euler characteristic and the Classification Theorum.
Societies in Transition: Early Metallurgy Around the World
Professor David Killick (Dept. Anthropology, University of Arizona) talks about the invention of metallurgy and the transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age and what the social roles of emerging metallurgy were in societies throughout the world.
2007 Lecture 1: Starting in the middle
Our topic is a subject's knowledge of his own phenomenal experience and of the content of his thought, but I will approach the topic from the outside, treating the subject as an object in the world. The first lecture will characterize, in a general way, this externalist strategy, and look at some familiar examples of it in the recent philosophical tradition.
We Should Accept Performance Enhancing Drugs in Competitive Sports: Debate
This debate was organised by Intelligence Squared US to debate drugs in sport. Julian Savulescu, Director of the Uehiro Centre was on the panel in favour of the motion. Opponents included Dick Pound, Head of the World Anti-Doping Agency
Introduction to Indian Literature in translation
Professor Boehmer gives a short talk on her current research on Indian Literature in English, looking at the Post-Colonial world of literature and gives an introduction to studying World Literature in the Humanities Division
Protecting People in Conflict and Crisis: Opening address: Protection space
This podcast was recorded at the opening address of the Protecting People in Conflict and Crisis: Responding to the Challenges of a Changing World conference. This podcast was recorded at the opening address of the Protecting People in Conflict and Crisis: Responding to the Challenges of a Changing World conference, which was held by the Refugee Studies Centre (in collaboration with the Humanitarian Policy Group) on Tuesday 22th September 2009 at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford.
Protecting People in Conflict and Crisis: Plenary 2
This podcast was recorded at the second plenary session of the Protecting People in Conflict and Crisis conference. This podcast was recorded at the second plenary session of the Protecting People in Conflict and Crisis: Responding to the Challenges of a Changing World conference, which was held by the Refugee Studies Centre (in collaboration with the Humanitarian Policy Group) on Wednesday 23rd September 2009 at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford. Presented by Dr Zonke Majodina, M
Protecting People in Conflict and Crisis: Plenary 3
This podcast was recorded at the third plenary session of the Protecting People in Conflict and Crisis conference. This podcast was recorded at the third plenary session of the Protecting People in Conflict and Crisis: Responding to the Challenges of a Changing World conference, which was held by the Refugee Studies Centre (in collaboration with the Humanitarian Policy Group) on Thursday 24th September 2009 at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford. Presented by Professor David Keen, P
Why Beckham chose the 23 shirt
Why did Beckham chose the 23 shirt? What makes prime numbers special? Marcus duSautoy sheds light on the so-called 'masculine' numbers, explains why prime numbers will help you survive, and opens our eyes to the fascinating world of mathematics.
