Reason Week (formally known as Rationalist Week) is the society’s flagship awareness event – a week of talks, debates and events on atheism, reason and science. The week has proved so successful at Leeds it has now spread nationally with societies all over the country running their own awareness weeks.
Reason Week 2011 is taking place Monday 7 March – Saturday 13 March. A timetable can be found below. Most of our events are talking place outside Leeds University Union, while our evening events will be taking place at the Leeds University Business School (LUBS).
Schedule
| When? | What? | Where? |
| Monday | ||
|---|---|---|
| 10am-1pm | Religion and Human Rights Open discussion on freedom of expression, civil rights and religious freedom – and why secularism promotes all of these ideals. |
The Union |
| 1pm-5pm | Make Your Own God Come along and craft yourself a god Blue Peter style – by sticking stuff together out of toilet rolls and yogurt pots. After all, all gods are human creations anyway. |
The Union |
| 7pm | Religion as a Human Creation A panel discussion on the idea religion is just a myth created by Humans – but may have some good in it none the less! Speakers including Dr Gijsbert Stoet, coordinator of the Humanist Chaplaincy Network, Chris Whichelo non-theist Quaker Chaplain and a representative from Sea of Faith. |
LUBS 1.04 |
| Tuesday | ||
| 10am-1pm | Science and Medicine An open discussion on how to untangling science and medicine from religion. |
The Union |
| 1pm-5pm | Debaptisms Baptised into the church as a child? No worries, just head down to our Debaptism ceremonies on Tuesday afternoon and we’ll sort you out – comes with a certificate and all! |
The Union |
| 7pm | Dr Antony Lempert: Cutting Religion out of Medicine Dr Lempert is head of the Secular Medical Forum and winner of the Academic of the Year prize at the 2001 Erotic Awards. He will be speaking on when religion interferes with medicine. |
LUBS 1.03 |
| 9pm | Karaoke We have D-Fusion Karaoke Bar booked for a night of singing and dancing. |
D-Fusion |
| Wednesday | ||
| 10am-1pm | Ethics An open discussion on ethics, what they are and why religion doesn’t have a monopoly on them. |
The Union |
| 1pm-5pm | Ask An Atheist Have a burning question – such as do we really understand that we’re going to be burning in hell for all eternity? Turn up and ask away. |
The Union |
| 7pm | Andrew Copson Chief executive of the British Humanist Association, Andrew Copson willbe speaking on Humanist ethics. |
LUBS 1.04 |
| Thursday | ||
| 10am-1pm | Sex and Sexuality An open discussion on sex – religion often has a lot to say on matters of sexual freedoms, we will be talking about it from a secular perspective. |
The Union |
| 1pm-5pm | The Census Campaign Come find out what the Census Campaign is and why it’s so important. |
The Union |
| 7pm | Humanist Chaplains: For and Against The Humanist Society of West Yorkshire present a debate on Humanist Chaplains. Speakers include Dr Gijsbert Stoet, coordinator of the Humanist Chaplaincy Network and Dr Paul Dean, researcher at the University of Leeds and local British Humanist Association development representative. |
Swarthmore Centre |
| Friday | ||
| 10am-1pm | Scepticism We are sceptical about a lot of topics at LAS – alternative medicine, the paranormal, superstition and a lot of other irrational nonsense. Come and find out more! |
The Union |
| 1pm-5pm | Quirkology Science in action – see some remarkably simple science experiments that seem to show the impossible. |
The Union |
| 7pm | Mark Edon: Creationism Mark Edon sits on the committee for the British Centre for Science Education – a group dedicated to combatting `Creationism in the UK. |
LUU Meeting Room 5 |
| 9pm | All Night Debate Join us outside Leeds University Union all night where we will be handing out coffee and talking to people about life, the universe and well, everything really. |
The Union |