Student organises guest lecture series

A University of East London student has set up a 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 will be hosted by the Centre for Social Change and Justice.

Lectures include 'Post-Development and Alternatives to Development' by Professor Aram Ziai of the University of Kassel, Germany, and 'Foreign Aid and LGBTQ+ Rights' with Professor Stephen Brown of the University of Ottawa, Canada. A number of topics across social change and justice will be explored. The events will be held simultaneously on the Docklands campus (EBG.08) and online via Microsoft Teams/Zoom.

Lester said,

I believe that our time as undergraduates is defined as much by what we do outside of our modules as it is within them. Guest lectures are a chance to make crucial connections with academics and practitioners in the field, to tune in to a topic of interest to you which may not (yet!) be covered by the modules available, or simply to relish the prospect of learning about something entirely new to you.

"All of those academics whom I spoke to at other universities were enthusiastic about their topic, flattered to have been approached by UEL, and eager to make new connections with students and lecturers alike.

"Many of the speakers who have agreed to talk to us during this academic year were featured in the third edition of Oxford University Press' Introduction to International Development, which was the core text of our Level 4 core module Introduction to Development Studies, run by Dr Miriam Mukasa.

“It felt like a nice idea to try to track down some of the prominent scholars who contributed chapters that our cohort have all benefited from."

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."

Lester plans to work in the charity and not-for-profit sector before returning to postgraduate study. View the full list of seminars and Teams links on our website.