Unknown Southern Land
The lecture introduces students to the history of Australia from her discovery to the present. It includes the following topics: indigenous people of Australia; arrival of convicts and settlers; contemporary Australia; symbols and the unique flora and fauna of the island continent. Recommended for elementary students (class 7-8.) and secondary students.
The Myth of the Founding Fathers
The „Founding Fathers” is a political myth of American national origin-but how can we (re)define this exclusive and sometimes elusive group of towering individuals? Recommended for secondary students.
The Myth of the Melting Pot
What are the origins of the „melting pot” concept? By today's standards, it is often regarded to be too intolerant and incompatible with multiculturalist expectations. However, the melting pot could actually be seen as a(n uneasy) compromise with respect to nation-building recipes when examined in the broader historical context of assimilation/integration-oriented expectations. Recommended for secondary [...]
The dark side of the music industry: lyrics of metal, rock, punk, post-punk songs
Most trends and genres in popular music getting to be shaped in the 1960s were seen as part of a countercultural movement, and as rebels against traditional forms of musical entertainment both in terms of melody and lyrics. Heavy metal, hard rock, punk, and post-punk bands are typically labelled as angry young men, and the [...]
Modern retellings of Shakespeare's plays / Shakespeare and modern pop culture
Although Shakespeare may be thought of today as an ancient author with little if anything to say to 21st-century people, the adaptations of his plays produced in the past couple of decades seem to contradict this opinion. In this presentation we'll take a look at a few examples to see how what Shakespeare has to [...]
A feast for the eyes
In the colourful room of the Light and Colour Research Laboratory, visitors can gain an insight into the world of psychophysical experiments on colour. The possibilities of LED lighting are demonstrated in this ever-changing environment. During the demonstration, different monochromatic coloured and powdered white LEDs will be used to demonstrate additive colour mixing and colour-light optimisation and its effects on the appearance of the environment and thus on human [...]
My goodness, you're beaming!
We are all surrounded by radioactive substances and ionising radiation of natural and/or artificial origin. Ducik at a disadvantage, i.e. how much radiation is our friend exposed to? How much radiation do we get on a plane trip? Where do we go on a date, is the radiation higher outdoors or indoors, does all building material emit radiation? Radon is responsible for more than half of all radiation exposure, yet many people rely on its healing properties. Elixir in spas, bogey in the home? Why are [...]