An Overview of Oxford 2008 Courses
2009 course information will be available in Ocdtober. Join our email list to receive an update.
Castles and Country Houses: A Social, Economic, and Architectural Study
Our subject is the residences of the English aristocracy. Until recently, castles were considered only from the military angle and country houses for their aesthetic appeal, but both were primarily places in which to live. To modern eyes, these structures are monumental agglomerations of rooms, but every space originally had a specific role to play in the English gentleman's "theatre of hospitality." Who was admitted where and with what ceremony were vitally important matters. By studying household regulations, servant hierarchy, social mores of the English gentleman, texts on building, and plans of selected residences, as well as by visiting some of the structures, you look behind the art history approach to discover why these buildings were erected.
Tutor: Robert Machin
X101.6 (3 semester units in History)
(EDP 284125)
Click for complete course description, with reading list and descriptions of field trips.
Commoditie, Firmness, and Delight: The Fabric, Social Life, and Culture of the Tudor and Stuart Home
The homes of the Tudor and Stuart periods are as contrasting as the periods themselves. From the vestiges of medieval life to the dawn of a consumer culture, domestic life played a full part in the development of a new culture and society: in improved living conditions, in changed social manners, in the flamboyant decorative expression of classical culture, and in lavish furnishings. This richly illustrated course examines every aspect of the domestic life of the period, from humble to grand, with several visits to notable historic houses.
Tutor: Antony Buxton
X407 (3 semester units in History)
(EDP 284133)
Click for complete course description, with reading list and descriptions of field trips.
England's Later Medieval Queens
English medieval queens had intrinsic political importance. When a king married, it was for strategic reasons: to end or avoid war, to acquire territory, to forge and strengthen alliances, and to secure heirs for his dynasty. But all this inspires curiosity as whether medieval queens had power of their own in an age that disfavored the overt exercise of authority by any woman. What sort of roles were medieval queens expected to fulfill, and what ideals they were supposed to personify? To whom were they loyal, and what were their concerns and interests? Among an array of powerful rulers, some of the queens we study n depth include Eleanor of Aquitaine, Margaret of Anjou, and Eleanor of Provence.
Tutor: Elizabeth Gemmill
X405 (3 semester units in History)
(EDP 284141)
Click for complete course description, with reading list and descriptions of field trips.
The History and Architecture of Oxford
Oxford, settled during the eighth century, flourished and later became one of the great seats of learning. In this course, you study Oxford's growth and development and examine the way in which English history has been acted out in part or in miniature within the confines of this extraordinary place. Study firsthand the architectural masterpieces within this beautiful city, from the work of the medieval master masons through Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor to the great Victorians and their modern successors. You also visit the region surrounding Oxford to see some of the medieval manor houses, country mansions, villages, gardens, and parish churches that are the splendor of the English countryside.
Tutor: Christopher Day
X107.4 (3 semester units in History)
(EDP 284166)
Click for complete course description, with reading list and descriptions of field trips.
Medieval Monasteries and Cathedrals
The great cathedrals and monastic churches of Britain are among the most impressive architectural legacies bequeathed to us from the Middle Ages. This course explores their origins and development up to the sixteenth-century Reformation. Topics include the differences between the various monastic orders, the way of life of the monks and canons and its influence upon the architecture and planning of monasteries and cathedrals, and the monastic and Episcopal contribution to the countryside as a whole.
Tutor: James Bond
X404 (3 semester units in History)
(EDP 284174)
Click for complete course description, with reading list and descriptions of field trips.
Shakespeare's Heroes and Villains
"Since I cannot prove a lover.. I am determined to prove a villain" (Richard III).
The tense and passionate relationship between hero and villain lies at the heart of Shakespeare's drama. The course encompasses tragedies, histories, and comedies, and the plays are studied within the context of Renaissance culture considering Classical and Christian ideas of heroism as well as contemporary heroes and villains such as Catholics, Protestant martyrs, the Earl of Essex, and murderers. Topics range from whether a villain can be the "hero" of a play, if female heroes and villains are different from their male counterparts, if villains are born or have villainy "thrust upon them," and the power of drama to create heroes and villains in contradiction to historical evidence. Among the plays the class discusses are Antony and Cleopatra, Macbeth, and King Richard III. There will be trips to performances at The Globe Theatre in London and by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Tutor: Lynn Robson
X426 (3 semester units in English)
(EDP 284182)
Click for complete course description, with reading list and descriptions of field trips.
Sovereign of the Seas: The Rise of the Royal Navy 1500 to 1750
The Royal Navy was the world's largest organization in Nelson's time, yet only two centuries before, England had just a handful of warships. In this course we see how the Tudor and Stuart navy rose to become the most successful fighting force in the world, giving Britain a global empire by the Georgian era. We look at the evolution of ships, weapons, and fighting tactics, and study some of the Royal Navy's most fascinating characters including Sir Francis Drake, Samuel Pepys, and Admiral George Anson.
To learn more about the navy in this period—and to get a flavor of Pepys's London—we will visit the Admiralty Library at Portsmouth, the remains of Henry VIII's warship the Mary Rose, Chatham Historic Dockyard, and the Maritime Museum at Greenwich.
Tutor: Justin Reay
X406 (3 semester units in History)
(EDP 284190)
Click for complete course description, with reading list and descriptions of field trips.
The British Way in War, 1980 to Now
This course is no longer available.
Sun Tzu said that war was a matter of life and death for all nations, and a subject requiring urgent study. Currently, the British armed forces are busier than they have been in decades, committed to major military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and others, less publicized but no less important, in other parts of the globe. This course teaches the role of armed force in modern international politics and how the British government uses different types of force to achieve the aims of policy.
Tutor: Simon Anglim
X403 (3 semester units in Political Science)
(EDP 284232)
The Flowering of Ecology: From Its Natural History Roots to Evolution and Conservation
This course is no longer available.
Britain has a particularly rich heritage of naturalists who watched and drew the animals and plants around them and wrote accounts that are both fascinating and often surprisingly accurate. During this course we investigate the work of these early naturalists and trace the development of modern ecology and the wildlife conservation movement from these early beginnings. The later development of ecology and evolution is well represented in Oxford with Richard Dawkins and other scientists. The course will include two full-day field excursions—to Gilbert White's house in Selborne village and to Down House in Kent where Charles Darwin lived.
Tutor: Tristram Wyatt
X404 (3 semester units in Environmental Sciences)
(EDP 284158)
The Story of English
How did a language which began with just 150,000 speakers eventually become the phenomenon that it is today, the lingua franca of more than 1.5 billion people? This course takes you on a journey of discovery about our language. It offers the opportunity to learn about the history of English by looking at the way the language was used by those at both the center and the margins, and by engaging with original documents from the past and the present, both public and private. This course tracks the changes in our language and links these changes with social and political events in history. The class will enjoy field trips to buildings that house the Oxford English Dictionary and to Oxford University's Bodleian Library, where we will access original documents that span the history of English, from twelfth-century manuscripts to the nineteenth-century letters of Jane Austen and the diary of George Eliot. The course concludes with an exploration of some of the many varieties of English spoken around the world today, and a discussion about the future of English as an international language.
Tutor: Sarah Ogilvie
X101 (3 semester units in Linguistics)
(EDP 284208)
Click for complete course description, with reading list and descriptions of field trips.
Travellers' Tales
Most of us can travel, but only some can write with genius about their travels. This course explores four centuries of travellers' tales, revealing the colorful lives and inspired writings of a range of fascinating authors. We focus in particular, however, on accounts of the cultures and landscapes of the Americas and the Near East.
Tutor: Dr. Anna Beer
X427 (3 semester units in English)
(EDP 284216)
Click for complete course description, with reading list and descriptions of field trips.
William Morris and the History of Design
William Morris, the founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement, believed that contemporary design in the industrial age was ugly, mechanistic, and dehumanizing, and that beauty could only be achieved through honest construction, individual craftsmanship, and a respect for the past. A house should acknowledge its debt to tradition. A chair should show pride in the fact that it was fashioned by humans rather than machines.
This course looks at William Morris's turbulent personal life, his work as a designer, and his legacy-some of the most beautiful houses and furnishings the world has seen. Visits will be made to a number of key sites, including the Red House and Kelmscott Manor.
Tutor: Adrian Tinniswood
X419 (3 semester units in Art History)
(EDP 284224)
Click for complete course description, with reading list and descriptions of field trips.