The course
This course is offered as a series of discussion classes, in small groups. You will focus on one topic of your choice, out of 14 ‘selected topics’ (see the list below).
You will develop your close reading skills with study of ‘gobbets’ (short pieces of text which epitomise an argument or illustrate a technique), and hone your writing skills by producing two essays, after extensive reading, reflection, and class debate.
In addition, you will join the whole student group on field trips to memorable sites in Oxford and the south of England. The field trips change from year to year, and in the past have included trips to Stonehenge and Salisbury cathedral, Winchester cathedral, Bath, Hampton Court in London, the HMS Victory moored in Portsmouth, and Cambridge.
The course is taught by specialists in each of SCIO’s major academic concentrations. Credit is offered in a number of disciplines, ranging from art and classics to history and philosophy. Each course will help you understand Britain and appreciate the rich past and present of the country where you live while on the programme. The full range of topics that you can choose from, and the disciplines you can get credit for, are listed below.
