The University of Westminster has always been different. We are now the most internationally diverse University in the UK. Our predecessors created a place where the public could explore new ideas, view new inventions and learn new skills. Similarly, the University has also always striven to make a difference, embodying the symbiotic link between theory and practice and changing the world for good.

Through a series of events, this week-long celebration will pay homage to the history and roots of the institution, whilst showcasing the work of staff, students, alumni and friends of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, aspiring to ‘instruct and delight’.

Visit the Difference Festival section of the site for more information.

Schedule of events

Monday 27 February

The Chinese experience in London: depiction and reality
Time: 1-2pm
Location: University of Westminster, UG05, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW
Speakers: Derek Hird and Anne Witchard
Find out more and book a free ticket via Evenbrite.

'Wait while lights flash!': Studying Linguistics
Time: 5.30-6.30pm
Location: University of Westminster, UG05, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW
Speaker: Patricia Ashby
Find out more and book a free ticket via Eventbrite.

Discover Chinese language and culture
Time: 6-7pm
Location: University of Westminster, Room RS315, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW
Speaker: Cangbai Wang
Find out more and book a free ticket via Eventbrite.

Tuesday 28 February

Shakespeare's Storms
Time: 1-2pm
Location: University of Westminster, UG05, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW
Speaker: Gwilym Jones
Find out more and book a free ticket now via Eventbrite.

The place of religion in secular society: from dialogue to tolerance
Time: 4-6pm
Location: University of Westminster, The Boardroom, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW
Speakers: Reverend Canon Michael Hampel, St Paul’s Cathedral
David Pollock, British Humanist Association
Frank Cranmer and David Pocklington, Law and Religion UK blog
Find out more and book a free ticket now via Eventbrite.

Different laws: security and protection in an uncertain world
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Location: University of Westminster, Fyvie Hall, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW
Speakers: Steve Greenfield – Legitimate protection or unwarranted paternalism?: the international transfers of young footballers
Simon Flacks – Children, difference and discrimination
Marilyn Freeman – Parental child abduction: what difference does it make?
Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos – Atmospheric indifference: agency in the lawscape – why we do what the law tells us to do without necessarily realising it
Find out more and book a free ticket now via Eventbrite.

Wednesday 1 March

Understanding difference through migrant contributions to British culture
Time: 1-2.30pm
Location: University of Westminster, Fyvie Hall, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW
Speakers: Dorrie Chetty
Nazek Ramadan, Director of the non-governmental organisation Migrant Voice
Anne Stoltenberg, Project Development Worker, Migrant Voice
Find out more and book a free ticket via Eventbrite.

Understanding differences in crime and justice around the world: why study Criminology?
Time: 5.30-6.30pm
Location: University of Westminster, Cayley Room, RS152, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW
Speaker: Sacha Darke
Find out more and book a free ticket via Eventbrite.

London being different: life after Brexit
Time: 7-9pm
Location: University of Westminster, Portland Hall, 4-12 Little Titchfield Street, London, W1W 7BY
Speakers: Stephen Kinnock MP, Member of Parliament for Aberavon
Amy Longland, Partnerships and Programmes Lead at MyLifeMySay
Catherine Barnard, Senior Fellow of The UK in a Changing Europe
Matthew Goodwin, Senior Fellow of The UK in a Changing Europe
Magdalena Frennhoff Larsen (Chair), Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Westminster
Find out more and book a free ticket via Eventbrite.

Thursday 2 March

Being political, becoming international: engaging with a dynamic and diverse world - why study International Relations?
Time: 5.30-6.30pm
Location: University of Westminster, Cayley Room, RS152, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW
Speaker: Dibyesh Anand and Sam Raphael
Find out more and book a free ticket via Eventbrite.

Lampedusa: debating representation of migration in an age of 'crisis'
Time: 6.30-8.30pm
Location: University of Westminster, Portland Hall, 4-12 Little Titchfield Street, London, W1W 7BY
Speakers: Federica Mazzara
Côme Ledésert (film maker/PhD student at University of Westminster) – Côme is the author of Persisting Dreams, a short film about Lampedusa that questions our perception of migrants in Europe.
Maya Ramsay (artist) – An award-winning artist, Maya works with historically and politically important sites including, most recently, the graves of migrants who lost their lives whilst trying to reach Europe by sea.
Lucy Wood (artist) – Lucy set sail from Lampedusa to London in a rescued North African migrant boat on World Refugee Day, 20 June 2013.
Find out more and book a free ticket via Eventbrite.

Friday 3 March

Introduction to the film Under the Shadow and Q&A
Time: 1-2pm
Location: University of Westminster, UG05, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW
Speaker: Babak Anvari (Director of Under the Shadow)
Find out more and book a free ticket via Eventbrite.

Silent film Broken Blossoms (1919), with cinema organ played by Donald Mackenzie
Time: 5.30pm
Location: Regent Street cinema, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW
Find out more and book a free ticket via Eventbrite.

Writing the Other
Time: 7-9pm
Location: University of Westminster, Fyvie Hall, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW
Speaker: Jemma Wayne, novelist and journalist
Find out more and book a free ticket via Eventbrite.