Summer in Oxford Fellowships

This course provides an entry point into the study of global history through an intensive examination of the Glorious Revolution in England, its repercussions throughout the world, and its legacies and meanings over time. As an extension of the Kinder Honors “Revolutions and Constitutions” sequence, the course approaches the Glorious Revolution as a laboratory for place-based learning as well as a chance take a deep dive into the world-wide significance of a revolution often touted as a milestone in constitutional history. This 3-credit hour course is linked to an additional 1-credit hour experiential class, which offers a suite of intellectually complementary field trips and excursions to places of interest in Oxford and its surrounds.

Week 1: The English Civil War and Interregnum in Oxford

Oxford was a key location in the English Civil War– the base for several thousand royalist troops, the royal court, and the center of the Royalist government. The colleges became reluctant hosts to the King and his army, and earthworks and fortifications were constructed across central Oxford. The Royalist surrender of Oxford was also negotiated in a house in nearby Marston. Students will visit various sites in Oxford pertaining to the Civil War, and view artifacts relating to the republic period in the Ashmolean Museum.

Week 2: Paths of Power Tour of London

Many of the defining political events of the Civil War and Glorious Revolution eras took place in central London. Charles I was executed outside Whitehall Palace’s magnificent Banqueting House, William and Mary were crowned as joint monarchs at Westminster Abbey thirty years after Oliver Cromwell had been buried at the church, and key debates occurred within the Houses of Parliament. During this field trip, students will visit critical sites of action in the course, and examine the spaces, places, and built environment of the Civil War and Glorious Revolution.

Week 3: Hampton Court Palace

William and Mary eschewed many of the trappings of seventeenth century European monarchy. Not only did they accept limits on royal power through the Billof Rights, but they also remade the ceremonial and aesthetic trappings of English monarchy. Nowhere was this more visible than at their preferred residences: Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace. During this trip, students will visit Hampton Court Palace, and explore how–under the direction of the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren, the old Tudor palace and gardens were married with new baroque style elements. As will become apparent, the blending of the old and new was a phenomenon that extended far beyond constitutional arrangements in this era.

Week 4: Visit Bath 

In the wake of the Glorious Revolution, English society embrace the urban and the commercial. Towns played an increasingly important role in intellectual and political life and were held up as markers of Georgian politeness, and sociability. This was especially true in one of the boom towns of the eighteenth century: Bath. Students will spend the day in Bath exploring Georgian and Stuart sites. The visit will encourage students to think about how the social, cultural, and constitutional upheavals of the late seventeenth century led people to imagine themselves in new ways. At the same time, students will consider how events and trends in Britain informed events and trends elsewhere in Europe and North America.

The museums of the University of Oxford contain some of the world’s most significant collections, and have been sites of academic research, scholarly debate, and public learning for more than 400 years. The Ashmolean Museum, the world’s first public museum, opened in 1683 with an experimental laboratory in the basement. Nearly two hundred years later, the Bishop of Oxford, Samuel Wilberforce, and the scientist Thomas Huxley debated Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution in front of an audience of 500 on the first floor of Oxford’s Natural History Museum. Much more recently, in the 2020s, the Pitt Rivers Museum has reconsidered how to display and present its Victorian era collections, and discuss with visitors the histories of anthropology, and archeology as academic disciplines.

Students in this course will explore the history and development of these museums, and consider how museum objects are used for research, and as documentary evidence to communicate history to public audiences. The course will also introduce key scientific methods used in cultural heritage research, with visits to laboratories and the opportunity for supervised practicals with some techniques. Through sessions in museum galleries, expert lectures, hands-on object handling, and practical workshops, students will learn to ‘read’ objects and interpret their historical significance. Engaging with collections and specialists, students will develop skills to bring history to life through the things it left behind.

The University of Oxford has had close ties to world leaders, and geopolitics from the very beginning. Thirty-one Prime Ministers, and at least 28 other world leaders have studied or taught at the University. The famous Oxford Union debating society, meanwhile, has hosted speakers including Madeleine Albright, Jimmy Carter, Benazir Bhutto, Queen Elizabeth II, Henry Kissinger, Jawaharlal Nehru, Ronald Reagan, and Desmond Tutu. Researchers within the University also frequently collaborate with international organizations, and national and local governments across the world. A great deal of this knowledge and expertise sharing happens through thinktanks, geopolitical risk analysis organizations, professional commissions, or policy briefings.

Students in this course will consider how researchers engage with policymaking communities and bring their expertise to bear on present-day political and policy conversations. The course includes visits to important sites of political debate and policy exchange, and interactions with experienced practitioners. Students will learn how to communicate with policymaking communities locally, nationally, and internationally, and analyze complex geopolitical issues. Over the course of the month, students will create a real-world policy brief that assesses an aspect of contemporary geopolitical change. At the same time, they will develop skills to effectively shape policy through clear, informed, and neutral writing and research.