EU referendum initiatives
The University is organising a series of initiatives to help people consider the referendum on EU membership.
Images of the EU
A bank of images is being compiled by researchers from the University to track people’s impressions of Europe.
People are being invited to upload a photo, artwork or short video on social media. The images will convey a sense of what the European Union means to them during and after the referendum.
They are being asked to upload their impressions with the hashtag #myimageoftheEU on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, with a brief explanation of why it was chosen.
The search for images will run until after the referendum.
More information on the project can be found here.
The project is organised by the University's Neuropolitics Research Lab, as part of the UK in a Changing Europe project.
National exhibition
Images collected so far have already formed part of an exhibition in the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh in May.
We have been delighted with the public response so far. As the gallery continues to grow, we will look at how closely the balance of images aligns with our analyses of social media debate in Twitter and in relation to traditional opinion poll measures.
Professor Laura Cram Principal Investigator on the project and Director of the Neuropolitics Research Lab
Tomorrow’s EU
Professor Cram is chairing ‘Tomorrow’s EU – what does it mean to you?’ – a public event at the University on 6 June.
A panel of researchers will be responding to questions and sharing their academic expertise on the European Union.
The panel from the School of Social and Political Science includes Adrian Favero, a PhD student in European identity, and Emily Hancox, a PhD student in EU constitutional law.
Anthony Salamone, a PhD student in British and European politics who has researched political leaders in the UK, and Saskia Smellie, a PhD student in the politics of migration, are also taking part.
If you are booking for a group of 10 or more please email: festivals@ed.ac.uk
Free online course
The EU referendum is also being examined as part of a new free online course.
The three-week course entitled ‘Towards Brexit? The UK’s EU Referendum’ will help provide a guide to the issues surrounding the vote.
Areas covered will include how the vote came about, the issues at stake, public opinion towards the EU, and alternatives to the UK being an EU member, should voters opt to leave.
The final week of the course will examine the result of the vote and analyse what the decision means for the UK and the rest of Europe.
The course, which starts on June 13, is the latest in a series of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offered by the University in conjunction with FutureLearn, one of three MOOC platforms the University partners with.
The University currently offers more than 35 MOOCs.