Durham University is a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research based in historic Durham City in the UK.
We are a collegiate university committed to inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham and in the world.
We conduct research that improves lives globally and we are ranked as a world top 100 university with an international reputation in research and education (QS World University Rankings 2024).
We are a member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive UK universities and we are consistently ranked as a top 10 university in national league tables (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, Guardian University Guide and The Complete University Guide).
Taken immediately after the ceasefire that ended the first Gulf War in 1991, Kenneth Jarecke’s photograph of the charred corpse of an Iraqi soldier in his burned-out jeep is one of the few memorable images…
In its independence referendum, Scotland voted to remain in the United Kingdom by 55-45%. Our panel looks at what happened, and where it leaves the UK and Scotland. Neil Blain, Professor of Communications…
“Make sure you play fairly,” often say parents to their kids. In fact, children do not need encouragement to be fair, it is a unique feature of human social life, which emerges in childhood. When given…
Familiar methods.
Banana and condom via bajinda/Shutterstock
Britain is not unique when it comes to debating how it should educate children and young people about sex. But the country approaches the subject with a particularly British sense of embarrassment and…
You’ll do better than me son.
Mother and child, via Lakov Filimonov/Shutterstock
It is generally accepted by all political parties and most of the media that social mobility in the UK is low compared to other countries, and worsening over time. These “facts” appeared in the manifestos…
The hijab isn’t a symbol of oppression for many women.
diegofornero
Terrorism, oppression, fundamentalism and victimhood are only a few of the buzzwords that inevitably accompany discussions about Islamic headgear. From burqa-bans to atrocities against women in some Islamic…
Pakistani paramilitary soldiers secure the parliament building in Islamabad.
EPA/T. Mughal
The protests that have rocked Islamabad for weeks seem to be soothing somewhat, with opposition leaders Imran Khan and Tahir ul-Qadri reportedly agreeing to begin negotiations for a political solution…
The coalition negotiated hard on emergency measures.
Yui Mok/PA Wire/Press Association Images
After weeks of speculation, the UK government has played its hand, revealing the measures it is taking to confront what is apparently “the greatest and deepest terrorist threat” the UK has ever faced…
Calais might be in France, but it is the front line of Britain’s battle to control immigration. Yet the governments of both countries continue to pass the buck between each other and very little progress…
As the UK’s largest gaming festival, Insomnia, wrapped up its latest event on August 25, I watched a short piece of BBC Breakfast news reporting from the festival. The reporter and some of the interviewees…
Kurdish protesters in Paris, telling it like it is.
EPA/Etienne Laurent
After capturing various major Iraqi cities and towns, attacking the Yazidis, and beginning a still-ongoing battle with the Iraqi Kurds, the Islamic State’s (IS) campaign of terror and barbarism shows no…
The discovery of a 4,000-year-old wine cellar in Israel has provided the best direct evidence yet of the raucous, boozy celebrations that were a key part of the region’s culture at the time. The cellar…
So we’re all agreed. Knee jerk is best.
John Stillwell/PA Archive/Press Association Images
The murder of US journalist James Foley by an Islamic State militant who appears to be British has shocked the world and the UK. This was the most graphic example to date of a UK citizen’s involvement…
Theresa May is leading a review of government policy on domestic abuse.
Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/Press Association Images
This week’s no-brainer award goes to the UK Home Office - an accolade it has surely won many times before. A new consultation has been launched to see whether the law on domestic violence should match…
As a nation we smoke too much, drink too much alcohol and don’t do enough exercise. The reasons why we continue to do this despite the health risks is complex, but what is clear is that people in deprived…
Pro-choice campaigners make their feelings known at a protest in 2013.
Niall Carson/Press Association Images
The high-profile case of a young woman forced to give birth in Ireland has highlighted the realities of Ireland’s recently introduced Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 – a law designed to regulate…
A few days ago, I was an astrophysicist and contributed to a research project by organising sunspot images in order of complexity. After I’d had enough of that, I became a biochemist and worked late into…
A new legal template for fighting medicine crimes around the world is being developed by the United Nations. The first 39-page draft of the document was unveiled at a meeting in Vienna last month. The…
On July 24 1914 the British cabinet met to discuss the diplomatic situation in Europe, which had deteriorated rapidly since the assassination of the Austrian archduke, Franz Ferdinand, a month before…
Working out what’s going on isn’t as easy as it looks.
Social worker by Shutterstock
Social workers deal with messy, complex and ambiguous situations where off-the-peg solutions are often irrelevant. Take a mother who wants to feed a hungry baby, but her fridge is empty because she can’t…