SCIO Scholar ship & Christianity In
OX F O R D
Prospectus for Student Programmes Scholars’ Semester in Oxford Oxford Summer Programme
G All Souls College, Oxford
SCIO: Scholarship & Christianity In Oxford
Contents SCIO.............................................................................................................................................................................. 2 The University of Oxford and Wycliffe Hall............................................................................................................... 2 A Centre for Scholarly Projects and Research............................................................................................................. 3 Alumni.......................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Your Way into Oxford: Visiting Student Status........................................................................................... 5 Scholars’ Semester in Oxford.. .................................................................................................................... 6 Academic Concentrations..................................................................................................................................... 7 Tutorials................................................................................................................................................................. 8 British Studies Core Course: The British Landscape...........................................................................................10 Undergraduate Research...................................................................................................................................... 12 Year-Long Option................................................................................................................................................ 14 Classics................................................................................................................................................................. 16 Musicology........................................................................................................................................................... 17 English Language and Literature......................................................................................................................... 18 History.................................................................................................................................................................. 20 Philosophy........................................................................................................................................................... 22 History of Art....................................................................................................................................................... 23 Theology.............................................................................................................................................................. 24 Psychology........................................................................................................................................................... 26 Modern Languages.............................................................................................................................................. 27 Oxford Summer Programme..................................................................................................................................... 28 Seminars and Tutorials........................................................................................................................................ 29 Lecture Series: The Christian Tradition in the British Isles...................................................................................................... 30 The Oxford Experience...............................................................................................................................................31 Housing...................................................................................................................................................................... 32 Excellence and Value for Money................................................................................................................................ 33
“The way in ... SCIO and Wycliffe Hall invite you to join an international academic community, become part of one of the greatest universities in the world, and enhance your scholarship as part of a Christian vocation. Expand your vision, develop your critical faculties, hone your skills, and widen your future options.” Stan Rosenberg, SCIO Executive Director
www.scio-uk.org
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SCIO: Scholarship & Christianity In Oxford
SCIO and Wycliffe Hall SCIO: SCHOLARSHIP & CHRISTIANITY IN OXFORD is the UK centre of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) which advances the scholarly development and opportunities of academic leaders in North America and throughout the world. Working in partnership with Wycliffe Hall, SCIO runs its programmes which serve undergraduates, graduates, and faculty, and CCCU institutions themselves. Oxford is a unique setting which offers those with scholarly ambitions and aptitude virtually unrivalled resources and opportunities. This document introduces SCIO’s Scholars’s Semester in Oxford and its Oxford summer Programme and we welcome applicants from CCCU and non-CCCU campuses. SCIO and Wycliffe Hall hope you enjoy reading it and look forward to seeing you in Oxford.
E Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford
The University of Oxford and Wycliffe Hall THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD is the oldest university in the English speaking world, and has been in continuous existence for more than nine centuries. It is routinely included amongst the top universities for research and teaching in the world. The University has the largest university library system in the UK with more than 100 libraries which together contain over 11 million books and gives access to large and rapidly expanding collections of materials in other media. Wycliffe Hall is one of six Permanent Private Halls in the University and a theological training college of the Church of England. It equips students for future ministries through excellent academic teaching and seeks to be a vibrant and supportive Christian community. All students on the Scholars’ Semester in Oxford programme are Registered Visiting Students of the University and become members of Wycliffe Hall. This status allows them to study intensively, 2
making use of the University’s library collections and attending lectures by world-renowned scholars. Oxford Summer Programme students are Associate Members of Wycliffe Hall, and have access to the main University library, the Bodleian Library. For more information on all parts of the University and the colleges and halls, visit www.ox.ac.uk. For more information on Wycliffe hall visit www.wycliffe.ox.ac.uk.
Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO: Scholarship & Christianity In Oxford
SCIO: a Centre for Scholarly Projects and Research AS WELL AS BEING a centre for teaching, SCIO is a centre for research, funded in part by major grant awarding bodies supporting research into science and religion and text and manuscript studies. SCIO’s core academic staff are all research active, writing for peer-reviewed journals and monographs, participating in editorial teams, and presenting academic conference papers.
CURRENT PROJECTS
Texts and Manuscripts
Science and Religion
In partnership with the Museum of the Bible (MoTB) Scholars’ Initiative, SCIO promotes scholarly research on artefacts from the Green Collection and, in its Logos international summer programme, introduces students to the techniques and skills of textual scholarship.
Funded by a grant of nearly £1.2m from the Templeton Religion Trust, SCIO’s Bridging the Two Cultures of Science and the Humanities project promotes dialogue between science and religion by encouraging research, developing teaching, and enabling discussion on CCCU campuses and across the globe. www.scio-uk.org/science-religion
www.scio-uk.org/motbsi
SCHOLARSHIPS AND PRIZES SCIO offers prizes to outstanding programme participants and scholarships for alumni who return to study at the University of Oxford. It also manages the Yamauchi Scholarships for MoTB. www.scio-uk.org/scholarships www.scio-uk.org/yamauchi-award
Human Origins
Further monies from Templeton Religion Trust enable SCIO to stage the play Mr Darwin’s Tree on CCCU campuses to stimulate dialogue among students, faculty, and others.
Funded by Biologos, SCIO’s configuring Adam and Eve project brings researchers from various disciplines and denominations to explore a sensitive topic with scholarly rigour.
www.mrdarwinstree.com
www.scio-uk.org/biologos
G Tutorial with manuscript from the Green Collection at SCIO
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO: Scholarship & Christianity In Oxford
Alumni AN EXCELLENT PREPARATION for graduate and professional school as well as developing skills for full-time professional employment, SCIO’s Oxford programmes develop the tools of scholarship and furthers its students academic goals. The Oxford (Wycliffe Hall or SCIO) transcript that the student receives is a prestigious addition to an academic record. Alumni of SCIO have gone on to masters’ and doctoral level study in the humanities and social sciences, law school, and medical school. Alumni have secured places (some with quite handsome fellowships) at top tier institutions including Oxford, Cambridge, University of London, St Andrews, University of Edinburgh, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, University of Chicago, UC Berkeley, University of Texas, and UCLA. Others have gone on to major seminaries including Princeton, Yale,
Trevor Simmons is a doctoral candidate at University of Texas, Austin.
“Studying history at Oxford with the SCIO program represents one of the most intensive and most rewarding phases of my academic career to date. I recommend the program wholeheartedly to any student who wants to pursue graduate studies at a first-rate university and wants help achieving their academic goals.”
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Duke, Gordon-Conwell, Talbot, Fuller, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. With its focus on developing analytical and writing skills and with the opportunity it provides for adapting to other cultures, the SSO programme is also extremely useful for those intending to enter business life or professional schools. Many alumni have gone on to work in law firms, Washington, DC think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and the State Department.
Susan Bilynskyj is a doctoral student at University of Toronto.
“SCIO’s classics program provides excellent opportunities for students to delve into the study of ancient civilizations, especially as preparation for graduate work. I found the one-on-one tutorial setting ideal both for strengthening my skills in reading Greek and Latin as well as learning to argue clearly and creatively in written assignments. My experience at SCIO helped shape my future plans and confirmed my enthusiasm for Classical studies.”
Katelyn Beaty is Managing Editor of Christianity Today.
“Studying theology with SCIO’s Oxford program revealed a historically rich, intellectually rigorous spiritual tradition unknown to me in undergraduate studies. The British landscape course, spanning the first month, showed how earlier Christians like Julian of Norwich, Thomas Cranmer, and John Henry Newman had brought the faith to bear on the questions and crises of their time. Because of the SCIO program, I now work at Christianity Today magazine with an eye toward the past, so as not to repeat its mistakes, and joy knowing that we labour in a long, living tradition.”
Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO: Scholarship & Christianity In Oxford
Your Way into Oxford: Visiting Student Status JOIN THE SCHOLARS’ SEMESTER IN OXFORD and your name will be added to the Register of Visiting Students regulated by the University of Oxford. This will make all the difference to your time in Oxford. You will be able to participate in the academic and social life of the University and use its support facilities in the same way as do the undergraduates who are in Oxford studying for degrees. Before you choose your programme, check what your status will be. Associate (sometimes called Affiliate) student status significantly limits your access to Oxford’s rich resources. There are good reasons for choosing an Associate programme: SCIO itself runs an Associate programme (OSP) because Visiting Student status is not available to summer students. Other students come as Associate students for J-Terms or similar for which Visiting Student status is not appropriate. But if you spend a semester or longer in Oxford only Visiting Student status gives you the resources to make the most of your time in Oxford.
What benefits do I get from Visiting Student status through SSO which I would not get if I chose a programme offering Associate status? • Full use of University libraries, including borrowing privileges where appropriate • University ID which allows you to access the University’s online resources (subscription databases, online journals and books etc) wherever you are • A transcript from Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford rather than from a study abroad programme. This makes transferring credit to your home school straightforward and means you can submit a separate Oxford transcript when you apply to graduate school or for a job. • University email address • The right to attend University lectures and seminars, where you can meet Oxford’s foremost scholars • Use of the University’s computer service, counselling service, sports facilities, language centre, and other facilities • The right to play sport for the University (if you are of the right standard) If you are choosing a semester or year-long programme then the benefits of being a Registered Visiting Student, rather than an Associate student, speak for themselves. But for those who cannot come for that length of time Associate programmes such as OSP make good sense.
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Scholars’ Semester in Oxford STUDENTS MAY ATTEND for one or two semesters and each semester they build a coherent but individual programme of study by selecting options within a wide range of concentrations. The programme is primarily for undergraduate students, but graduates are warmly welcomed.
Curriculum overview: students in Oxford for their first or only term The first semester introduces students to advanced, intense, scholarship; to the tutorial, which is the most distinctive element of Oxford’s teaching; and to Oxford’s libraries. Primary and secondary tutorial, and University lectures: 6 + 3 semester credits Each student chooses his/her own primary and secondary tutorial. Primary tutorials take place weekly, and secondary tutorials take place fortnightly during the University’s Full Term. Students attend 16 University lectures which complement their tutorial work. Tutorial work is graded by tutor assessment of each student’s written and oral work. The British landscape: 4 semester credits The British landscape course examines aspects of British life, landscape, and culture. It takes place in the first four weeks of the Autumn semester, and the final four weeks of the Spring semester. The course
includes viewings, lectures, and regional and local field trips. The course is graded by the submission of a portfolio of essays and by participation. Undergraduate research seminar: 4 semester credits (classics, English, history, history of art, philosophy, philosophy of psychology, psychology or theology seminars). Students follow the seminar most appropriate to their primary tutorial subject. Students attend 16 University lectures, discussion classes which address methodological questions in the students’ subject area, and consultations to help in planning and writing a research essay. The course is graded by a research essay and a proposal for that essay, and participation.
Curriculum overview: students in Oxford for their second term Primary and secondary tutorial, and University lectures: 6 + 3 semester credits Tutorials operate in the same way as in the first semester. Thesis: 4 semester credits Students write a thesis on a topic of their choice, with the guidance of a tutor. And either: Further studies in the British landscape: 4 semester credits Students pursue their studies in the British landscape with a new programme of lectures and field trips. or: Undergraduate research seminar: 4 semester credits Students follow a seminar other than that which they took in their first semester.
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Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
Scholarship SCIO: Scholars’ & Christianity Semester In in Oxford
Academic Concentrations THERE ARE THREE WAYS to put together a programme of study at Oxford so that a coherent and individual programme can be followed by each student.
Disciplinary concentrations Putting together studies in this way follows the traditional Oxford model: working within one discipline but specialising within it. Students select a primary and a secondary tutorial from one of the disciplinary lists below, take the seminar in the same discipline as the primary tutorial, and, where appropriate, choose British landscape topics within that discipline. Disciplinary concentrations 1 Classics (pp. 16–17) 2 English language and literature (pp. 18–19) 3 History (pp. 20–21) 4 History of art (p. 23) 5 Modern languages (p. 27) 6 Musicology (p. 15) 7 Philosophy (p. 22) 8. Psychology (p. 26) 9. Theology (pp. 24–25)
Thematic concentrations These provide a way to specialise by theme or time period through an interdisciplinary focus. Students select a primary and a secondary tutorial from lists under each concentration, take the seminar in the same discipline as the primary tutorial, and choose, where appropriate, British landscape topics within the chosen theme. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
The ancient world Late antiquity Medieval studies Renaissance and Reformation studies Enlightenment studies Victorian and nineteenth-century studies Modern studies
8 History and philosophy of science 9 Gender studies 10 Colonialism and postcolonialism 11 Philosophy and the human mind 12 Philosophy of human morality 13 Philosophy of language 14 Philosophy and the ancient Greek world 15 Religion and literature 16 Religion and science 17 Religion and society 18 Social sciences
Personalised learning Students put together a combination of courses to meet particular needs and interests. Selecting a primary and secondary tutorial from the disciplinary lists, students normally take the seminar that corresponds to the primary tutorial, and choose any British landscape topics. This can be useful for meeting graduation requirements. Many students, however, find the programme works best when the various elements build on each other to make a coherent whole.
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Tutorials THE TUTORIAL IS THE HEART of undergraduate teaching at Oxford. It is an hour long conversation between a tutor who is engaged in research and one student who has spent the week reading and writing an essay in answer to an assigned, searching question. The tutorial gives students the chance to read in depth, to formulate their views on a subject, and to consider those views in the light of the detailed, analytical conversation in the tutorial. Students may choose their tutorials from a range of over 300 topics within classics, English language and literature, history, history of art, modern languages, musicology, philosophy, psychology, and theology (see pp. 14–26).
have sufficient preparation for the subject chosen so that they can work at the expected advanced level. Students wanting to study British history, for example, need to have done some history work, though not necessarily in British history. Similarly, students wanting tutorials in Latin may never have studied Latin, but will have an aptitude for languages and experience of literary studies.
Students attend University lectures in conjunction with their primary and their secondary tutorials. Such lectures are offered by noted scholars who have published extensively in the field on which they are lecturing and also by political figures, leaders in other governmental and intergovernmental institutions, creative artists, and speakers from the professions and civil and armed services.
Primary tutorial
Tutorials are equivalent to upper-division courses, not introductory courses. Students normally need to
Each week during the University term students have their primary tutorial.
Secondary tutorial Students have their secondary tutorial every second week during the University term and they choose a different subject from that studied for the primary tutorial: but in all other respects secondary tutorials have the same characteristics as primary tutorials.
E Develop your love of books
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Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
H The tutorial is at the heart of Oxford’s teaching
Course details Each tutorial has its own particular aims and objectives and in addition there are aims and objectives which transcend the subject matter and these are listed below. AIM Students should develop their ability to find their own ‘voice’ as a writer within their discipline, not simply relating the views and findings of others, but using them to develop their own understanding and argument OBJECTIVES Students should develop their ability to • master a subject in a short period of time, acquiring knowledge of both primary and secondary texts (where appropriate) and being able to distinguish clearly the function of the two • read on several levels at once, for example in literary texts reading simultaneously for register, voice, tone, and technical competence in the genre, or in historical texts reading
simultaneously for findings and method • defend (or amend) their views in the tutorial in the face of sustained questioning • write persuasively and engagingly, following the conventions of their own discipline • produce written work of high quality to order WORKLOAD Students should expect to spend at least 20 hours preparing for each tutorial and should write one substantial essay for each tutorial. ASSESSMENT PROCESS Assessment is based on performance in tutorials and on essays. At the end of term tutors provide a one paragraph
report and a mark/grade for each student. These will go on the students’ transcripts. Tutors are asked to base their mark on the standard of oral and written work shown in the final three quarters of the term (in the first quarter of the term the students will simply be getting used to the tutorial system). Tutors evaluate the effort the student has put into the term’s work and his/her attainment. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Participation: attendance at 8 primary and 4 secondary tutorials and 16 University lectures. Tutorial essays or equivalent: one essay for each tutorial in response to a question set by the tutor or other required work, e.g. translation. Credits: 6 + 3 semester credits
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Selected topics in British culture THIS COURSE EXAMINES SELECTIVE THEMES from the British past and their traces in present day Britain. Students explore how past events, people, and ideas are remembered, forgotten, and misremembered in literature, politics, philosophy, religion, art, architecture, and the material landscape, and investigate the meaning, use, and abuse of the past. Students attend lectures, field trips, and a tutorial, but spend most of their time doing independent study to produce detailed, scholarly essays. The teaching for the course is given through lectures, a tutorial, and field trips. Assessment is by the submission of essays examining in detail particular aspects of British life. The field trips change from year to year, and in past have included Stonehenge and Salisbury cathedral, Winchester cathedral, Bath, and the HMS Victory moored in Portsmouth.
• Selected topics in British culture: gender studies
Academic credit options
• Selected topics in British culture: political science
The course is taught by specialists in each of SCIO’s major academic concentrations. Students may receive credit in one of 11 disciplines by submitting work in that discipline.
• Selected topics in British culture: theology
• Selected topics in British culture: history of art
• Selected topics in British culture
• Selected topics in British culture: classics
Second term students may take further studies in this course.
• Selected topics in British culture: English language and literature
• Selected topics in British culture: history • Selected topics in British culture: history of science • Selected topics in British culture: musicology • Selected topics in British culture: philosophy • Selected topics in British culture: psychology
Alternatively, students may have a free choice of topics, in which case the course will appear on their transcript as:
H Lecturing at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford
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Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
H The view of Oxford from The Vines, home to many SCIO students
Course details AIMS Students should develop their ability to • understand British culture through a sound knowledge of detailed topics • see the impact of biographical, ideological, and political context on literary texts, philosophical, theological, and scientific ideas, and works of art, architecture, gardening, and music • differentiate between history, myth, and heritage preservation, and thus to examine critically what they see in historic sites, commemorative activities, and museums in Britain and elsewhere • answer questions about Britain imaginatively but from a firm evidential base • see through the eyes of people from other eras and other countries as a means of understanding Britain, past and present, and of developing a critical approach to universalist rhetoric • assess often incomplete evidence about the past critically and know
what can legitimately be inferred from it OBJECTIVES Students should develop their ability • to understand British people (dead and alive) through an understanding of their past and present • to ‘read’ Oxford and British landscapes so that they can understand the city and country where they live • to understand the historical specificity of terms such as ‘freedom’, ‘legitimate authority’, ‘oppression’, ‘society’, ‘true religion’, ‘science’, ‘magic’, ‘beauty’, ‘virtue’, ‘nature’. • in their chosen topics to situate particular writers/artists/ intellectuals/scientists in their historical context to produce a more nuanced understanding of those individuals and their ideas
culture essay. Essays are papers drawn from an extensive list of topics as varied as J.S. Mill, war poetry, and the sociology of sport. ASSESSMENT PROCESS Assessment during course (formative assessment) H Caption Markers will make written comments on each British culture essay and comment in person on at least one essay in a tutorial, to enable the student to improve essay writing skills.
Assessment at the end of course (summative assessment) Markers will grade each British culture essay. The moderated mean of these grades will be entered on the students’ transcripts. Students are referred to SCIO academic code of conduct for further guidance on late work, moderation of marks, etc.
WORKLOAD
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
This falls entirely in the pre/post term period. Lectures, field trips, and the tutorial take up about 13 hours per week. Students should spend at least 20 hours working on each British
Lectures, field trips, and the tutorial are compulsory. Each student is required to submit a completed attendance form. Credits: 4 semester credits
For more information and to apply visit bestsemester.com/sso; email sso@bestsemester.com
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SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Undergraduate Research Seminar SEMINAR DISCUSSION CLASSES enable students to reflect on methodological issues within their discipline, and integrate material covered in tutorials and University of Oxford lectures. Seminars are offered in the following disciplines: • classics • English language and literature (for English and modern language students) • history (for history and musicology students) • history of art • philosophy • psychology • theology
Students develop their research skills by writing a research essay for which they must formulate a hypothesis or question, plan their research paying particular attention to questions of sources, method, and approach, and produce a research essay using an appropriate range of scholarly resources. The process offers training in preparation for the rigorous research and writing required of graduate students and is supported by classes in bibliographic methods and editing as well as individual consultation with specialist advisors. The Vocation and scholarship course and seminar discussion classes prompt reflection on the relationship between vocation and scholarship within different Christian traditions.
“Reading, writing, tutorials, the library, and lectures; it was a very happy life for me”
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Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Course details AIMS Students should develop their ability
which empirical knowledge and literary texts are grounded
• to pose purposeful academic questions and answer them imaginatively and appropriately
• to apply in one context ideas and information encountered in another
• critically to consider the effects of age, gender, belief system, and historical and geographical context on particular scholars, particular disciplines, and on learning in general
• to consider what vocation is, and how it is and should be practised within a culture of research and scholarship
• to assess evidence critically and understand what can legitimately be inferred from it • to differentiate between and evaluate different theoretical positions • to understand various methodological positions and appreciate the limits to their applicability • to find their own ‘voice’ as a writer within their discipline, not simply relating the views and findings of others, but using them to develop their own understanding and argument • to reflect on the implications of various philosophical starting points and conclusions • where appropriate, to examine the social and economic conditions in
• to understand the requirements of graduate study and reflect on such study as a possible next step OBJECTIVES Students should develop their ability • to manage their time to complete a sustained piece of writing over a period of some weeks • to present material to a high scholarly standard • to compile a bibliography of appropriate sources • to write persuasively and engagingly, following the conventions of their discipline WORKLOAD Students should spend about one hour preparing for each discussion class (if work is set) and about one and a half hours in the class. They should spend two hours a week going to lectures associated with their
seminar and about three hours a week working on their seminar essay. The final reading period should be dedicated to completing the seminar essay. ASSESSMENT PROCESS Academic advisors will discuss research seminar essay proposals with students at individual consultations (formative assessment), and will grade the essay proposal and the essay (summative assessment). These grades will be added to form one grade. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Participation: attendance at the SCIO sessions and at 16 University lectures. Seminar essay: an essay of 3,750– 4,000 words on a topic chosen by the student and approved by the seminar leader (80 per cent of marks). Seminar essay proposal and bibliography: a structured proposal and annotated bibliography (20 per cent of marks). Submission of documentation: each student is required to submit a University lecture approval form and a Vocation and scholarship series attendance form. Credits: 4 semester credits
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Year-Long Option THE YEAR-LONG PROGRAMME gives students a chance to make the most of Oxford. The first semester is in many respects a time for settling in to the new system and getting used to working in a new way, with access to research libraries and individual tutorials. By the second semester students feel at home and can focus wholeheartedly on their studies or perhaps join a club or society they didn’t feel they had time for in the first semester. Students normally come for their first semester in the autumn and stay on until the spring, but it is possible to do it the other way round.
but changing visa regulations may make this a more difficult process. Either way the second semester gives students a chance to continue working in their chosen discipline, pursue interdisciplinary studies, or put together a personal programme of courses. In particular second term students work under the supervision of a specialist tutor to write a thesis If possible students should apply for a year in which for many is useful preparation for graduate Oxford from the start as this makes the visa school applications, or for a senior thesis at home. application more straight-forward. Applications The second term gives students the opportunity have successfully being made during the first term to hone their writing and research skills, and many say it changes their aspirations. D Encaenia (commencement awarding honorary degrees)
Programme In addition to a primary and secondary tutorial, returning students may take either Further studies in the British landscape (autumn and spring terms offer different lectures and field trips) or a different Undergraduate research seminar from the term before. Students have a free choice but are advised that many have found the seminar option hard to combine with the thesis.
Thesis Second term students further develop their ability to research and write independently by submitting a thesis, with specialist guidance, on a topic of their choice, normally chosen from amongst those in which tutorials are offered.
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Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
F Walking along the Old London road into Oxford
Course details AIMS Students should develop their ability to • pose purposeful academic questions and answer them imaginatively and appropriately • assess evidence critically and understand what can legitimately be inferred from it • find their own ‘voice’ as a writer within their discipline, not simply relating the views and findings of others, but using them to develop their own understanding and argument
complete a sustained piece of writing over a period of some weeks • present material to a high scholarly standard
thesis adviser and Senior Tutor. The idea, description, and bibliography are not graded but the Senior Tutor may withhold approval for them in exceptional circumstances.
• compile a bibliography of appropriate sources
Final assessment: The thesis adviser grades the thesis.
• write persuasively and engagingly, following the conventions of their own discipline • manage meetings with a tutor in order to gain the most from them WORKLOAD
• plan and carry out a piece of independent work, using skills learnt in the first semester in the long essay planning process
Three consultations with a thesis adviser and a substantial amount of independent study.
OBJECTIVES
Assessment before submission: The Senior Tutor approves the student’s idea for the thesis. A description and bibliography are assessed by the
Students should develop their ability to • manage their time to plan and
ASSESSMENT PROCESS
COURSE REQUIREMENTS Participation: Attendance at the thesis consultations and 16 University lectures Thesis: An essay of 5,500–6,000 words on a topic chosen by the student and approved by the Senior Tutor and thesis adviser (80 per cent of marks). Submission of documentation: Each student is required to submit an idea (not graded) and proposal and bibliography (20 per cent of marks). Credits: 4 semester hours
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Classics THE STUDY OF CLASSICAL languages, literature, history, philosophy, archaeology and art is long established at Oxford. The large number of specialists, the rich library resources, and the fine classical collections of the Ashmolean Museum, Britain’s oldest public museum, make classical enquiry at Oxford particularly rewarding. SCIO offers tutorials for experienced classicists and those who have not previously had the chance to study classical languages.
Classics and the British landscape
Classics seminar
Students may write essays on such topics as the Roman occupation of Britain, and classical influences on British art and architecture, education, and culture. Field trips to Roman sites at Bath and St Albans five students a chance to see classical artefacts in situ.
The classics seminar gives a chance to discuss methodological questions in the study of ancient societies and to visit the Ashmolean to look at some of the classicist’s sources. The thematic concentration ‘The ancient world’ allows students to combine tutorials from different disciplines within a focus on ancient civilisations.
Tutorials (see pp. 8–9)
Lyric Poetry
GREEK AND ROMAN LANGUAGE
Medieval and Renaissance Latin Hexameter Poetry
Greek Grammar Greek Reading Latin Grammar
Neronian Literature Ovid
GREEK AND ROMAN LITERATURE
GREEK AND ROMAN HISTORY [proficiency in Greek or Latin useful but not required]
Catullus: Manuscripts, Texts, Interpretation
Alexander the Great and his Early Successors, 336–302 BC
Cicero
Art under the Roman Empire, AD 14–337
Classical literature [in English translation]
Athenian Democracy in the Classical Age
Latin Reading
Comedy Conversion of Augustine
Cicero: Politics and Thought in the Late Republic
Early Greek Hexameter Poetry
Greek Art and Archaeology, c.500– 300 BC
Greek literature of the 5th Century BC
Politics, Society, and Culture from Nero to Hadrian
Greek Tragedy
Polybius, Rome and the Mediterranean, 241–146 BC
Hellenistic Poetry Historiography (Greek and Roman Authors) Latin Didactic poetry Latin Literature of the 1st Century BC
Sexuality and Gender in Greece and Rome The Early Greek World and Herodotus’ Histories, 650–479 BC The End of the Peloponnesian War to the Death of Philip II of Macedon, 403–336 BC The Greeks and the Mediterranean World, c.950–500 BC The Hellenistic World: societies and cultures, c.300–100 BC Thucydides and the Greek World, 479–403
Related thematic concentrations (see p. 7) The ancient world
Religions in the Greek and Roman World, c.31 BC–AD 312
Late antiquity
Republic in Crisis, 146–46 BC
Colonialism and post-colonialism
Roman Archaeology: Cities and Settlement in the Roman Empire
Philosophy and the ancient Greek world
For tutorials in ancient philosophy see ‘Philosophy’, p. 22
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Rome, Italy and Empire under Caesar, the Triumvirate, and Early Principate, from 46 BC to AD 54
Gender studies
Religion and society
Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Musicology OXFORD HAS A THRIVING MUSIC FACULTY where rich library resources (books and other media) make the study of musicology very rewarding. The University has no conservatoire, but many students perform to a high standard and there is a vibrant student musical life. Professional performances can be regularly heard by Oxford’s three choral foundations at Magdalen College, New College, and Christ Church, while concert series by visiting professional ensembles give added possibilities. The Bate Collection and Pitt Rivers Museum house collections of instruments from Western and other cultures. Instrumental or voice tuition is not offered, though it may be possible to arrange it privately and at extra cost.
Musicology and the British landscape The British Landscape course enables students to write on British composers such as Dunstable, Purcell, Vaughan Williams, and Britten.
Seminar
Jonathan Kirkpatrick BA (Oxon.), MSt (Oxon.), D.Phil. (Oxon.)
Lecturer and Director of Studies in Classics and the History of Art Jonathan Kirkpatrick’s doctoral research centred on pagan religious cults in Roman Palestine. From 2004 to 2006 he was Departmental Lecturer in Jewish Studies at the University. He now works with manuscripts from the Green Collection.
Musicology students normally join the history research seminar, but it may be possible to join other seminars: for example those with a particular interest in church music or music in worship might join the theology seminar.
Tutorials (see pp. 8–9) Musical Analysis and Criticism Musical Thought and Scholarship Techniques of Composition Topics in Music History before 1700 Topics in Music History after 1700
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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Scholarship SCIO: Scholars’ & Christianity Semester inInOxford Oxford
English Language and Literature ENGLISH IS ONE OF THE LARGEST and most vibrant faculties at Oxford. Students studying English have the chance to take tutorials in a wide variety of specialist subfields, hear lectures by some of the discipline’s foremost scholars, and use excellent library facilities. Students can also become literary tourists, visiting the homes of authors as varied as Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, the Brontë sisters, Robert Burns, and William Wordsworth, and seeing the places which inspired their work. As well as having access to the Bodleian library and the associated wide range of electronic resources, students reading English have access to the 100,000 volumes in the English Faculty Library from where books and other media may be borrowed. The library is the largest departmental English library in the country and students find it congenial and a good base to work from.
English language and literature and the British landscape Students can choose to further their disciplinary knowledge in this course which permits them to consider the social, economic, political, religious, geographical, and intellectual contexts in which literary texts were produced and the historiography of their reception. Field trips and individual travel give the chance for critical reflection on why visiting
places associated with writers or texts might, or might not, affect how texts are read. Students write essays on topics as varied as King Arthur; Robin Hood; Chaucer, Langland, and contemporaries; Shakespeare in context; William Wordsworth; Wollstonecraft and Austen; George Orwell; and Bloomsbury and beyond.
English language and literature seminar The English language and literature seminars bring together students from the discipline and Dr Richard Lawes, Lecturer in English language and literature, to discuss substantive topics of interest. These have included biographical and autobiographical work and the moral and ethical debates surrounding the production and reception of literary texts. Students are encouraged to think about literature and the Christian experience, but the choice of texts for study is not limited to those by explicitly Christian authors.
“Oxford gave me more confidence in my academic abilities and reaffirmed how much I love to learn”
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Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Tutorials (see pp. 8–9)
Old English Literature
Beowulf and its Cultural Background
Old Norse
Related thematic concentrations (see p. 7)
Chaucer, Langland, and Gower
Shakespeare
The ancient world
Classical Literature [in English translation]
Special Authors [topics able include American Literature, English Drama, English Fiction, Medieval and Renaissance Romance, English Poetry, Post-Colonial Literature, Women’s Writing, and various specific authors, such as Austen, Elliott, Hardy, Milton, and Wordsworth]
Late antiquity
Creative Writing [secondary tutorial only] C.S. Lewis in Context English Literature, 1100–1509 English Literature, 1509–1642 English Literature, 1642–1740 English Literature, 1740–1832 Linguistic Theory Literature in English, 1100–1530 Literature in English, 600–1100 Modern Literature (1900 to the present day)
Textual Criticism The Archaeology of Anglo-Saxon England The History, Use, and Theory of the English Language
Medieval studies Renaissance and Reformation studies Enlightenment studies Victorian and nineteenth-century studies Modern studies History and philosophy of science History of art Gender studies Colonialism and post-colonialism
Victorian Literature (1832–1900)
H The Kilns, home of C.S. Lewis, Oxford
Richard Lawes BA (Oxon.), MSt (Oxon.), DPhil (Oxon.), MB, ChB (Edin.), BSc (Edin.), MRCPsych, PG Dip Cognitive Therapy Lecturer and Director of Studies in English Language and Literature Dr Lawes has taught in the English faculty of the University of Oxford and in a number of colleges for several years. His interests include spiritual autobiography, poetry of the seventeenth century, psychological literary theory, and C.S. Lewis. He is also a qualified medical doctor and psychiatrist, currently working at the University’s counselling service.
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO: Scholars’ Semester inInOxford Scholarship & Christianity Oxford
History OXFORD’S FACULTY OF HISTORY is one of the largest in the country with about 100 permanent teaching staff, 1200 undergraduates and 500 graduates, and served by a large teaching collection of books and electronic resources as well as the Bodleian Library. The size and quality of the department mean that a broad range of subfields are studied: British history is at its core, but American, European, Asian, African and other histories are also studied, supported in some cases by specialist collections such as the Vere Harmondsworth Library for Americana (the largest collection outside north America) or the collection of the Indian Institute. Students have the opportunity to study primary texts as well as secondary literature across a broad range of tutorial options. The collections of the Ashmolean Museum and Museum of the History of Science provide further stimulus, as do many sites important in British history, as well as other specialist museums, which are within reach of Oxford.
History and the British landscape During the British landscape course historians have a broad range of topics to write on, ranging from the role of myth and legend in shaping national identity, through Adam Smith in historical context, and the political significance of sport in
Tutorials (see pp. 8–9) A Comparative History of the First World War, 1914–20 Anglo-Saxon Archaeology of the Early Christian Period, 600–c.750 Approaches to History British Economic History since 1870 British Society in the Twentieth Century China in War and Revolution, 1890– 1949 Conquest and Frontiers: England and the Celtic Peoples, 1150–1220 Court Culture and Art in Early Modern Europe
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British history. Field trips to important historical sites give further insight into the country and its history.
History seminar In the history seminar students engage in historiographical debate with Drs Stan Rosenberg and Elizabeth Baigent, exploring topics such as postmodernism, public history, and the historian and heritage. There is plenty of scope within history for students who have already specialised as historians, while thematic concentrations include period studies, for example medieval studies or renaissance studies, and enable students to combine their historical study with study of literature or philosophy of any given period. Ancient historians normally join the classics seminar.
Culture and Society in Early Renaissance Italy, 1290–1348 Culture and Society in France from Voltaire to Balzac Culture, Politics, and Identity in Cold War Europe, 1945–68 English Chivalry and the French War, c.1330–c.1400 English Society in the Seventeenth Century Flanders and Italy in the Quattrocento, 1420–80 From Julian the Apostate to Saint Augustine, 350–95
General History I (285–476), to General History XIV (1941–1973) [14 different tutorials topics covering 14 successive periods of European history] General History XV (Britain’s North American Colonies from Settlement to Independence, 1600–1812) General History XVI (From Colonies to Nation: the History of the United States, 1776–1877) General History XVII (The History of the United States since 1863) General History XVIII (Imperial and Global History, 1750–1914)
Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
Scholarship SCIO: Scholars’ & Christianity Semester In in Oxford
Historiography: Tacitus to Weber
Scholasticism and Humanism
History of the British Isles I: c.370– 1087, to History of the British Isles VII: Since 1900 [seven different tutorials topics covering seven successive periods of British history]
Society and Government in France, 1610–1715 The Age of Jefferson, 1774–1826 The American Empire 1823–1904
Women, Gender, and Print Culture in Reformation England, c.1530–1640 Many tutorials in ancient history are listed under classics, p.15
The Authority of Nature: Race, Heredity, and Crime, 1800–1940
Related thematic concentrations (see p. 7)
The Carolingian Renaissance
The ancient world
The Crusades
Late antiquity
Literature and Politics in Early Modern England
The First Industrial Revolution, 1700–1870
Medieval studies
Medicine, Empire, and Improvement, 1720–1820
The Metropolitan Crucible, London 1685–1815
Enlightenment studies from English language and literature
Modern Japan, 1868–1972
The Near East in the Age of Justinian and Muhammad, 527–c.700
Victorian and nineteenth-century studies
Theories of the State
Modern studies
Nationalism, Politics and Culture in Ireland, c.1870-1921
Theories of War and Peace in Europe, 1890–1914
History and philosophy of science
Nobility and Gentry in England, 15601660
The Science of Society, 1650–1800
Colonialism and post-colonialism
The Soviet Union, 1924–41
Religion and literature
Political Theory and Social Science c.1780-1920
The Wars of the Roses, 1450–1500
Religion and science
Witch-Craft and Witch-Hunting in Early Modern Europe
Religion and society
Imperialism and Nationalism, 1830–1980 Intellect and Culture in Victorian Britain
Nationalism in Western Europe, 1799–1890
Revolution and Empire in France, 1789-1815
Renaissance and Reformation studies
Gender studies
Social sciences
Elizabeth Baigent MA (Oxon.), DPhil (Oxon.), PGDipLATHE (Oxon.), FSA, FRHistS, FRGS, FHEA
Academic Director Dr Baigent is the University Reader in the History of Geography. She has held research fellowships at the universities of Oxford, Stockholm and John Hopkins, and from 1993 to 2003 was Research Director of the Oxford dictionary of national biography, and Research Lecturer in the history faculty. She has a large number of scholarly publications including a (co-authored) book which won an international prize.
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Philosophy THE STUDY OF ANCIENT AND MODERN PHILOSOPHY is well established at Oxford. The faculty is the largest in the country and is home to over 150 professional philosophers as well as a specialist library. In addition there are several specialist research centres which explore such themes as practical ethics and the future of humanity. Students can study where Duns Scotus, William of Ockham, John Locke, and, more recently, Gilbert Ryle, A.J. Ayer, and Isaiah Berlin have taught.
Philosophy and the British landscape For this course philosophers join the general student body for field trips and lectures but write papers on philosophical themes such as John Stuart Mill in context, the Scottish enlightenment, or medieval philosophers such as Duns Scotus.
Philosophy seminar Dr Mathew Kirkpatrick brings students of philosophy together to discuss how the church can successfully engage in the wider academic philosophical conversation. This includes addressing such issues as the presuppositions of philosophy, the relationship between reason and faith, and the fulfilment of philosophy in existence.
Tutorials (see pp. 8–9)
Philosophical Theology
Aesthetics
Philosophy of Mathematics
Related thematic concentrations (see p. 7)
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
Philosophy of Mind
The ancient world
Augustine, Early Christianity, and Late Antique Philosophy
Philosophy of Religion
Late antiquity
Philosophy of Science
Medieval studies
Ethics
Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Psychology and Neuroscience
Enlightenment studies
Philosophy of Science and Social Science
Modern studies
Formal Logic Frege, Russell, and Wittgenstein History of Philosophy from Descartes to Kant Intermediate Philosophy of Physics Introduction to Logic Knowledge and Reality Medieval Philosophy: Aquinas Medieval Philosophy: Duns Scotus and Ockham
Plato, Republic Post-Kantian Philosophy The Later Philosophy of Wittgenstein The Philosophy of Kant The Philosophy of Logic and Language Theory of Politics
Victorian and nineteenth-century studies History and philosophy of science Philosophy and the human mind Philosophy of human morality Philosophy of language Philosophy and the ancient Greek world Religion and science Religion and society
Matthew D. Kirkpatrick MA (Oxon.), MSt (Oxon.), DPhil (Oxon.) Wycliffe Hall Visiting Student Programme Co-ordinator, SCIO Lecturer and Director of Studies in Philosophy and Theology Dr Kirkpatrick is tutor in ethics at Wycliffe Hall and departmental lecturer in ethics for the theology faculty, and also serves as a liaison between the SCIO programme and the wider staff at Wycliffe Hall. He runs both the philosophy and theology integrative seminars. His research interests include existential philosophy, ethics, and systematic theology. He has written and edited several books on Bonhoeffer and Kierkegaard.
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Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
History of Art OXFORD IS A VIBRANT CENTRE for the study of the history of art. The collection in the Ashmolean is particularly rich, ranging across many centuries and many cultures. There are in addition important collections at the Christ Church picture Gallery and the Bodleian and other libraries. The architecture of the city is also rich and membership of Wycliffe Hall allows SSO students to see inside many distinguishing buildings not normally open to the public. Access to London galleries is easy, and field trips show students other cities of architectural note.
Art History and the British landscape
History of Art Seminar
History of art students can write on topics ranging from the building of English cathedrals, to John Constable and Elizabethan portraiture, and are encouraged to illustrate their essays with appropriate images.
Art Historians discuss the challenges and opportunities afforded by using works of art and architecture as scholarly sources. Discussions in the classroom are supplemented by museum visits.
Tutorials (see pp. 8–9) Anglo-Saxon Archaeology of the Early Christian Period, 600–c.750 Approaches to the History of Art Art in China since 1911 Art under the Roman Empire Byzantine Art: the Transition from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, 500–1100 Court Culture and Art, 1580–1700 Culture and Society in Early Renaissance Italy, 1290–1348 Egyptian Art and Architecture
European Cinema (knowledge of relevant modern languages required)
Literature and the Visual Arts in France (knowledge of relevant modern language required)
Flanders and Italy in the Quattrocento, 1420–80
Material Culture Studies
German Expressionism in Literature and the Visual Arts (knowledge of relevant modern language required) Gothic Art through Medieval Eyes Greek Art and Archaeology, c.500– 300 BC Intellect and Culture in Victorian Britain
Modernism and After (20th-Century Art in Europe and North America) Northern European Portraiture, 1400–1800 The Carolingian Renaissance The Experience of Modernity: Visual Culture, 1880–1925 The Formation of the Islamic world, 550–900
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Theology THEOLOGY HAS BEEN STUDIED AT OXFORD for many centuries. The traditional focus on biblical studies (including the study of biblical languages), church history, and church doctrine is now complemented by work on other religions and new ways of considering religion influenced by sociology and psychology. Intellectual discussion is enlivened by the presence of Permanent Private Halls with roots in various Christian traditions, and research centres focusing on the Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim religious traditions, as well as on the relationship of
Tutorials (see pp. 8–9)
God, Christ, and Salvation
The Bible: Its Use and Influence
Archaeology in relation to the Old Testament
Hebrews to Revelation
The Development of Doctrine in the Early Church to 451
Augustine: Life and Thought Bhakti, Vernaculars (Hinduism II) Biblical Hebrew Brahminism (Hinduism I) Buddhism in History and Society Christian Life and Thought in Europe and the English-Speaking World, 1789–1921 Christian Liturgy Christian Moral Reasoning Christian Spirituality Early Buddhist Doctrine and Practice Early Syriac Christianity English Church and Mission, 597–754 Further Studies in History and Doctrine (select one author): Origen, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Kierkegaard, Newman, Dostoevsky, Barth, Tillich, Bonhoeffer, Rahner God and Israel in the Old Testament
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religion and science. The University theology faculty, with over 120 faculty, is the largest in the country and consistently ranks among the top in research excellence and international influence.
History and Theology in Western Christianity, 1500–1619
The Gospels and Jesus
History and Theology of the Church in the Byzantine Empire, 1000– 1453
The Hebrew of the Old Testament
Islam I: The Classical Period of Islam
The Nature of Religion
Islam II: Islam in the Modern World
The Sociology of Religion
Issues in Theology, 1789–1921
Varieties of Judaism 100 BC– AD 100
Judaism I: The Formation of Rabbinic Judaism Judaism II: Judaism in History and Society Luke-Acts New Testament Greek Pauline Literature Philosophical Theology
The History and Theology of Western Christianity 1050–1350
Related thematic concentrations (see p. 7) The ancient world Late antiquity Renaissance and Reformation studies
Philosophy of Religion
Victorian and nineteenth-century studies
Psychology of Religion
Philosophy and the human mind
Religions and Mythology of the Ancient Near East
Philosophy of human morality
Science and Religion Selected Topics (Old Testament) The Beginnings of the Church and its Institutions to AD 170
Religion and literature Religion and science Religion and society Social sciences
Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Theology and the British landscape As well as joining in general field trips and lectures, theology students have the chance to write papers on topics as diverse as the building of English cathedrals, the English reformation, and, of particular interest, the roles of John Wycliffe, the Oxford martyrs, and the Oxford movement.
Theology seminar Led by Dr Matthew Kirkpatrick with the help of Dr Rosenberg and other tutors from Wycliffe Hall, the seminar addresses the question of how scripture, culture, and reason contribute to the formation of theology. Most importantly, it will concentrate on the relationship between theology as existence and as academic discipline.
Stan Rosenberg MA, PhD Executive Director Directing CCCU programmes in Oxford since 1999, Dr Rosenberg is a member of the Wycliffe Hall academic staff and the theology faculty at Oxford where he tutors in early Christian history and doctrine. His research interests and scholarly publications focus on Augustine’s works (the sermons in particular), Late Antiquity, early Christian cosmology and its relationship to Greco-Roman culture and philosophy, and the interplay between intellectual and popular thought during this period.H Caption
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Psychology PSYCHOLOGY HAS BEEN TAUGHT IN OXFORD since the nineteenth century, and the University of Oxford’s Department of Experimental Psychology now occupies an extensive modern building in which distinguished research and lively teaching take place. SCIO’s psychology courses offer advanced psychology students the chance to explore the analytical, philosophical, and theoretical bases of their subject, as well as its history and its influence on literature. Courses do not include laboratory work, clinical work, or classes on statistics, research design, or other technical matters. Students attend lectures in the Department of Experimental Psychology and work in Oxford’s extensive libraries in psychology and related subjects to further their understanding of various approaches to the subject, its philosophical underpinnings, and its wider cultural and theological applications.
H Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford
Psychology and the British landscape Psychology students can write on topics ranging from the treatment of the insane by society at large and the legal and medical systems in particular, to the relationship of madness and our understanding of the mind on writers and their works.
Philosophy of Psychology Seminar Students consider the difference in approach to psychology in their home schools and a major research university, and prepare to write their research-based seminar essay.
Tutorials (see pp. 8–9)
Psychological Disorders
Cognitive Neuroscience
Social Psychology
Developmental Psychology Developmental Questions in Science and Religion Individual Differences Language and Cognition Learning and Memory Perception Memory, Attention, and Information Processing Philosophy of science and philosophy of psychology and neuroscience Psychological Approaches to Literature
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Psychology of Religion
Related thematic concentrations (see p. 7) Gender studies History and philosophy of science Modern studies Philosophy and the human mind Philosophy of human morality Philosophy of Language Religion and society
Miguel Farias BSc (Lisbon), MA (Wales), DPhil (Oxon)
Lecturer and Director of Studies in Psychology Dr Farias is Reader in Psychology at the University of Coventry. He is an experimental psychologist with an interest in the study and modification of beliefs. He has been a postdoctoral research fellow at the Ian Ramsey Centre and a lecturer at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford.
Social sciences
Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO: Scholars’ Semester in Oxford
Modern Languages THE LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES of Britain’s European neighbours are the focus of well established and internationally recognised scholarship in Oxford. Students have the chance to study medieval as well as contemporary forms of each language and early literary forms as well as European cinema. The Language Centre provides resources in various media for independent language study, the Taylorian Institute had rich library resources, and proximity to Europe enables students to travel independently to practice their language skills among native speakers during the mid-term break. Tutorials provide individual tuition for students with substantial existing language competence, as texts and films are always studied in the original language, not in translation. Modern linguists will normally join the English language and literature seminar, but may consider
joining other seminars if that would be more appropriate for them. SCIO offers many tutorials on the language, literature and cinema of France, Germany, Italy, Russia and Portugal and the Lusophone areas. For a full list of tutorials please see the BestSemester website.
G SSO students and staff outside Wycliffe Hall’s library, Michaelmas term 2014
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO Oxford Summer Programme
Oxford Summer Programme THE OXFORD SUMMER PROGRAMME allows a broad range of students to undertake focused academic work while seeing the city at its most beautiful. Access to the Bodleian library and tutoring from from specialist academics make the programme stimulating and academically engaging. Most OSP students are undergraduates, but graduates, sabbatical, and non-traditional students are equally welcome and the programme is flexible enough to accommodate their special needs. OSP students are Associate members of Wycliffe Hall and not University of Oxford’s Registered Visiting Students. Students who wish to be full members of Wycliffe Hall and Registered Students of the University should apply to SSO.
Curriculum overview Each student takes two seminars and the Christian Tradition in the British Isles course and receives six credits. Two seminars: 3 + 3 semester credits The course is graded by participation in discussion classes and individual tutorials and by the submission of two papers. Graduate students will be required to submit longer papers than undergraduates and will receive graduate credit. Christian Tradition in the British Isles: the awarding of credit for the seminars is predicated on the successful completion of this course. Participation in all lectures and field trips is required.
Zachary Guiliano is a Kellogg Fellow and on the Episcopal chaplaincy staff at Harvard University. “OSP was a real turning point for me, and led me to take my masters at Harvard, as well as pursue the Oxford DPhil. The exposure to critical writing advice and the wealth of primary historical sources in the Bodleian Library catapulted my research to a new level. I’ve never been the same.”
G Magdalen College, Oxford
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Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO Oxford Summer Programme
Seminars and Tutorials ALL STUDENTS PARTICIPATE in two different seminars which comprise discussion classes, in some disciplines field trips, and individual tutorials. The seminars are paired with individual tutorials during the second two weeks of the programme. For each tutorial the student prepares an essay on a topic covered in the seminar and discusses it with the seminar leader.
Seminars have included: Evangelicalism and the Oxford Movement: protestant identity in Britain, 1800–2000
Intellect and Imagination: The Rational Religion and Theological Stories of C.S. Lewis
The Metaphysical Poets
Philosophy of religion during the Enlightenment
Celtic Christianity: myth and reality C.S. Lewis and the Classics
Oxford Fantasists Science and the Christian Tradition Reformation England: the Formation of a Culture in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England
Jane Austen and the rise of the Woman Novelists
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO Oxford Summer Programme
Lecture Series: The Christian Tradition in the British Isles THIS COURSE EXPLORES key moments in the development of Christianity in the British Isles, from the Celtic peoples of Britain under the Roman Empire to the development of modern society. Through studying the Christian tradition, central to British culture until the last few decades, participants also get a glimpse into the development of British culture as a whole across time. The course includes four field trips to sites of major interest.
The lecture series has included the following topics: WEEK I: FROM MEDIEVAL DEVELOPMENTS TO REFORMING TRADITIONS Celtic Christianity Anselm and his influence on medieval theology and literature Julian of Norwich and the late medieval English mystical tradition Medieval drama Reformation and Christianity Field trip: Stonehenge and Salisbury WEEK II: FROM THE ENLIGHTENMENT TO THE MODERN PERIOD Jane Austen and her literary antecedents The theology of the metaphysical poets The Oxford Movement English social justice in the nineteenth century Planet Narnia The theological imagination of C.S. Lewis Climate change, stewardship and mission Field trip: Glastonbury and Wells Field trip: Bath
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Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
H Salisbury Cathedral field trip
SCIO: Scholarship & Christianity In Oxford
The Oxford Experience AS WELL AS GIVING STUDENTS the opportunity to study at a leading university, the programme provides opportunity to engage with and learn from the Oxford community as a whole. SSO students on the programme are eligible to represent the University in most sports as well as participate in the many clubs and societies that are part of campus life. Outside the University, many students make new friends through the local churches in the city, and give something back to the community by volunteering for organizations that help the vulnerable and less advantaged, and improve the Oxford environment SCIO helps and encourages all students to develop a healthy balance between study and other things, and to that end holds weekly events that give students the opportunity to talk and share what has been happening over the week. SCIO also provides optional field trips, some close to Oxford and others further afield, that enable students to understand their place in Oxford in a larger historical and geographical context. Many students list their time at their home away from home as one of the greatest pleasures of the
programme, meeting students from other CCCU colleges and universities. Simon Lancaster BMus, GradDipMus., Cert Christian Counselling (CWR), MSc (Oxon) Associate Director and Tutor for Student Affairs Mr Lancaster has worked as a historical researcher and was an academic member of the modern history faculty at University of Oxford, working as the chief Bibliography Editor for the Oxford dictionary of national biography. He has trained as a professional Christian counsellor, is an Associate Tutor at Wycliffe Hall, and is reading for a DPhil in nineteenth-century church history.
F Outside the Radcliffe Camera
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO: Scholarship & Christianity In Oxford
Housing THE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE in one of the most beautiful cities in the world with like-minded people can be exciting, profound, and fun. SCIO places great significance on nurturing the student community that develops over the course of the semester. With SCIO’s emphasis on community, students live with their Junior Deans in either SCIO’s large Victorian house in Oxford or in Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford. All accommodation is fully equipped and has wireless broadband throughout, and large common spaces where students can study, laugh, and relax together. Both properties have substantial gardens where, weather permitting, students can relax and read. As members of Wycliffe Hall SCIO students share the library, chapel, dining facilities, and common space, developing community with Wycliffe’s other students as well as with fellow SCIO students. The programme is academically demanding, and the support network that develops between the students is essential in helping everyone remain on top of things. Every semester students become part of a vibrant community and many have formed some of their strongest and most enduring friendships while on the programme. G Reading outside The Vines
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Research projects: for more information and to apply visit www.scio-uk.org/research
SCIO: Scholarship & Christianity In Oxford
Excellence and Value for Money STUDYING AT ONE OF THE TOP five universities in the world inevitably has costs attached, and SCIO strives to minimize those costs. SCIO is not a business and is not run for profit. As a charity it operates with a financial policy of ensuring that its programmes are cost-effective, and so remain as accessible as possible to all students who can qualify.
Your fees include: • Access to the University’s Bodleian library • Unlimited access to hundreds of online academic databases and electronic journals and resources • One-on-one tutorials in two subjects and seminar classes • Field trips to historical destinations of academic interest • Professional and experienced academic and pastoral staff dedicated to helping you get the most out of your time in Oxford • Support for and training in graduate school applications • Accommodation in student houses, with free on-site laundry • Use of programme computers, unlimited wireless internet access, printing supplies for all university work • Social events including multiple weekly afternoon teas with staff and other funded student events
In addition SSO fees include: • Status of Registered Visiting Student at the University • University card with University email address • Borrowing rights at faculty libraries • Access to University lectures, the Oxford University Computing Service, the University Language Centre, the University counselling service, the University sport centre and team sports, and eligibility to join over 600 University clubs and societies • Transcript from Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford The staff are committed to ensuring that students on the programme get as good value for money as possible. This dedication helps explain how SCIO manages to charge SSO students up to 50% less than other comparable Oxford programmes. Many sending campuses allow a portion (and in some cases all) of campus-based aid and scholarships to contribute toward the cost: check with your financial aid office. As a program in an accredited institution, generally government-based aid can be used (funding support for OSP varies).
H The Vines
“The program changed the way I envision my future life”
Student programmes: for more information and to apply visit www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford
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SCIO Scholar ship & Christianity In
OX F O R D
For over 900 years Oxford has been a centre of academic life and is now one of the most prestigious research centres in the world. The University’s halls and colleges have housed some of the world’s greatest and most famous minds. Read, learn, and live in the “city of dreaming spires”. Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and SCIO invite you to study intensively in this historic seat of learning. Work with academic tutors to hone your skills and delve into the areas that interest you most. Broaden your thinking at one of the world’s major research universities. Enter Oxford’s rich libraries and museums, participate in tutorials (individual meetings with special tutors), and experience a programme that can accommodate your personal academic interests. www.scio-uk.org
©SCIO April 2016
DESIGN: THE BIG PICTURE
All course details are correct at time of going to print but may be subject to change. Picture credits: Cheli Creswell (25); Jonathan Kirkpatrick (front cover, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 17, 18, 20, 23, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33); Stan Rosenberg (inside cover, 6, 14, 21); Wycliffe Hall (2).