April 30 is International Jazz Day, which was designated by the UN to celebrate jazz music worldwide. Professor Andy Hamilton is the Director of Aesthetics, Ethics, and Politics Research Cluster in the Department of Philosophy and he discusses his personal interest in jazz as well as the philosophy of improvisation below.

April 23 is Spanish Language Day, one of a series of Language Days selected by the United Nations to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity. Dr Yarí Pérez Marín, an Associate Professor and Director of Studies in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, discusses her research as well as the duality of the Spanish language.

April 20 is Chinese Language Day, one of a series of Language Days selected by the United Nations to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity. Dr Samuel Horlor, a Teaching Fellow in Ethnomusicology in our Music Department, discusses his research on Chinese popular music with a particular focus on audiency, street music, and music's embeddedness in everyday urban life.

A leading Durham University theologian is to help shape the Catholic Church for years to come.

Professor Santiago Fouz Hernández, from our School of Modern Language and Cultures, will showcase his specialist research on the film director, designer and artist Bigas Luna at The Bigas Luna Tribute in Los Angeles, USA, from 17-24 March 2023. 

Dr Kelly Jakubowski, from our Department of Music, explains how music connects to memory.

Lucy Atkinson, a PhD candidate in our Department of English Studies, describes how modern writers are reinventing the witch.

Student theatre may be a staple of undergraduate life today, but in Shakespeare’s time it was controversial and provocative, and may have inspired some of ‘The Bard’s’ most important pieces.

We continue to be deeply concerned and saddened by the war taking place in Ukraine. We are an international university, committed to social responsibility and democratic values. As we mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Dr Markian Prokopovych, Associate Professor at our History Department, discusses a series of topical webinars, and the global significance Ukraine has become.

In a new study, Durham researchers have investigated how a vast number of musical cues can help shape different emotions in music.

A new study led by Dr Paddy Ross in our Psychology Department has shown that music can significantly influence emotion recognition in children.

Staff and students are planning chocolate-themed events in the lead up to Valentine’s Day in connection with a research project about the origins and history of chocolate.