History, Politics and Society Summer School

Overview

Join us for a three-week immersive summer school to explore the issues and events that have influenced the contemporary world using a thematic approach.

You’ll take part in interactive seminars and will also enjoy a daily lecture programme given by leading scholars and distinguished speakers.

Seminar options for summer 2025:

  • British Political History: 1945-Present
  • Europe in Times of Polycrisis and Uncertainty
  • Gender, Power and Social Change: Western Perspectives from the 1950s to the Present
  • The Making Of The Modern Middle East
  • Modern Political Leadership: The Powers of the US President and the UK Prime Minister Compared
  • The Politics of Migration: Colonial Legacies, Nation-Making, and Cultures of Resistance
  • The Social Mind and Matrix.

The course takes place in the centre of Oxford at Exeter College, one of the University's oldest colleges, founded in 1314, with both residential and non-residential options available.

A range of optional social events, walking tours and excursions, will be provided so you can fully immerse yourself in the Oxford experience.

Programme details

Daily schedule

Academic timetable

A timetable will be available to view in January 2025.

The programme provides a minimum of 46.5 contact hours, comprising:

  • 24 hours of seminar meetings (12 hours per seminar)
  • 22.5 hours of talks (15 sessions, each lasting 1.5 hours).

Each seminar has two two-hour meetings per week, and classes typically contain no more than 15 students. 

Students are also expected to complete private study during the programme (eg reading, work in libraries, writing papers).

Meals and special dinners

All meals included in the programme take place in Exeter College's dining hall and are self-service, with a range of options available. The only exceptions are the summer school's opening and closing dinners, which are formal served set menu meals.

Details of which meals are included in the residential and non-residential options can be found in the 'accommodation' section.

Social programme

A range of optional social events* will be offered throughout the summer school. These usually take place in the evenings and weekends and are likely to include:

  • walking tour of Oxford
  • after-dinner talks and discussions
  • weekend excursions to sites of historical and/or literary interest.

Beyond the summer school, Oxford is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city with a busy cultural and social scene offering a wide variety of plays and shows, concerts, films and exhibitions.

*Please note that most of these activities incur additional costs.

Seminar options

The seminar timetable will be available to view in January 2025.

Applicants choose two seminars from the list below.

British Political History: 1945-Present

This course introduces students to the main themes of British political history in the post-war years. Starting with the reforming Labour Government elected in 1945 which brought in the National Health Service and nationalised major industries, it will take you through the onset of the Cold War, the dismantling of empire, the change from austerity to affluence, the impact of the 'swinging sixties' and the 'transforming' decades of the Thatcher and Blair governments, ending with the divisive years following the referendum on membership of the European Union. The focus with be on the ideas and movements that drove the political, social and cultural changes and the impact of key political figures on the important events of this period. Among questions addressed by this course will be: Was the idea of a 'People's War' behind the election of the 1945 Labour government? What role did the Cold War play in British politics? Did the 'swinging sixties' benefit the left or the right in the long-term trajectory of British politics? Was 'Thatcherism' Conservatism or something else? Is Britain more divided after 'Brexit' than it was in 1945?

Tutor: Dr Geoff Andrews is Senior Lecturer in Politics at The Open University. He has written widely on the history of political ideas and movements, including aspects of British and Italian history and the politics of the 1930s.

Europe in Times of Polycrisis and Uncertainty

The recent times have been the most challenging in the history of the European Union as it navigated from crisis to crisis - from the eurozone to the refugee, from Brexit to COVID, and from the war in Ukraine to energy crisis. Faced with economic, political, social and geopolitical challenges, the EU is adapting to a new reality of crises and unpredictability. This course looks at how the EU responds to crises and uncertainty within a competitive multipolar world, and seeks to understand whether all these consecutive critical events make it stronger or weaker internally as well as eternally in the world. As such, the course will look into the progress of European integration vis a vis main challenges in the fields of security and defence, climate and energy, migration and populism, as well as competition with other world powers.

Tutor: Dr Othon Anastasakis is Senior Research Fellow and Tutor in South East European Studies at St Antony’s College, Oxford. He supervises post-graduate students at Oxford's Department of Politics and International Relations and at the Faculty of History. He teaches at the Oxford School of Global and Area Areas Studies and at the Oxford Prospects Programme. He is Director of the European Studies Centre, Oxford, and Director of South East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX). He is an Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University in Canada, a Visiting Professor at the Prague School of Economics, and Region Head of Europe at Oxford Analytica.

Gender, Power and Social Change: Western Perspectives from the 1950s to the Present

Are sex and gender synonymous? Does gender power have an evolutionary explanation or is it socially constructed? How fluid is sexuality? This course will examine the main theories of gender utilised in evolutionary psychology and sociology with particular emphasis on the origins and perpetuation of a gendered power dynamic in modern Western societies. The course will explore gender and sexuality in the context of the family, personal relationships, employment, education, the media, criminality and the state.

Tutor: Dr Amanda Palmer is a Fellow of Harris Manchester College, Oxford, and the Director of Studies for Human Sciences at Harris Manchester College, Oxford. She is also Chair of Examiners for Human Sciences. She is the Director of the History, Politics & Society Summer School.

The Making of the Modern Middle East

This course will examine the key historical period - from the British and French defeat of the Ottoman Empire in 1916 to the end of the first Arab-Israel War in 1949 - that created today’s Middle East and its enduring complexity and conflict. This will set in context the modern and contemporary political, strategic and social realities in the region, allowing us at the end of the course to examine regional war and peace dynamics today, including studying maps that were used in the room at past Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, some of which the course tutor personally participated in.

Tutor: Hagai M. Segal is a multi-award-winning academic, consultant and analyst, specialising in geopolitics, international security, and the Middle East. A New York University London professor, he is twice a recipient of NYU annual teaching awards, and has previously helped plan and facilitate a round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Modern Political Leadership: The Powers of the US President and the UK Prime Minister Compared

This course will provide students with an insight into the study of political leadership in the executive branch of the US and the UK government. And, applying comparative politics tools to compare and contrast the US president and the UK prime minister, it will explore how executive leadership is enacted differently in presidential, federal political systems compared to parliamentary, unitary ones. The course will provide a means for students, irrespective of prior knowledge, to develop a set of skills to analyse the form and functions of contemporary political leadership. It will also provide an informed appreciation of the place of the presidency in US politics by a detailed comparison with the UK prime ministership. It offers some conceptual tools helping students appreciate the varied environments within which political actors operate, namely historical processes, political, party and electoral systems, electoral and public opinion, social, cultural and economic events, interest group activity, forms of political communications, and the impacts of the mainstream news media.

Tutor: Dr Richard Heffernan. Biographical information to follow.

The Politics of Migration: Colonial Legacies, Nation-Making, and Cultures of Resistance

This course explores global migration patterns with a particular focus on the UK. We will begin by understanding the causes of migration and methodological approaches to understanding these, which will be rooted in interdisciplinary approaches including but not limited to anthropology, geography, and sociology. We will then turn to considering the colonial legacies of migration, laying the foundations to understanding why migration is a highly politicised subject in contemporary society. We will focus on the way the politics of migration particularly employed in nation-making practices and the implications for lived experiences, including forms of discrimination such as Islamophobia. In later sections of the course, we will turn to examining cultures of migration and resistance. This course aims to provide a multi-dimensional and decolonial examination of migration in the 21st century. 

Tutor: Dr Suriyah Bi is a Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Bristol, and Lecturer in Islam in Britain at SOAS University of London. She has previously lectured at Oxford University and the University of Edinburgh. She also works to translate academic research into policy through the Equality Act Review, which she founded in 2018.

The Social Mind and Matrix

To properly understand the events that have influenced the contemporary world, it is important to understand the minds of the people who have been part of them. This course begins by introducing students to the scientific method used to examine some of the main mental principles guiding social behaviour and macro thought. We then explore how individuals change when in groups, crowds and cults, to better understand how seemingly evil acts can be committed by seemingly ordinary civilians. We end the course by exploring how best to utilise the powerful social forces within us for good, leading not only to individual thriving, but also societal and global thriving.

Tutor: Sabina Funk has a background in neuroscience and now works at Oxford University's Wellbeing Research Centre as a research associate. She is fascinated by the mechanisms of the mind and why we feel, think and behave as we do. She focuses on how this knowledge can be used to better understand the nature of events influencing the modern world.

Certification

All students who complete the programme will receive a certificate of attendance.

Those seeking credit at their home institution may request a detailed certificate which lists contact hours (for seminars and lectures), an assessment of their contribution to seminar discussions, grades achieved for written work, and the number of private study hours required. Certificates will usually be sent to students' home institutions within a month of the end of the summer school.

As Oxford University does not offer credit for this summer school, those wishing to obtain credit from their home institution for attending this programme must make appropriate arrangements with that institution in advance.

Fees

Description Costs
Non-residential (no accommodation) £2410.00
Residential en suite single (private bathroom facilities) £5095.00
Residential standard single (shared bathroom facilities) £4685.00

Funding

The Department is, unfortunately, unable to offer any scholarships, bursaries or reduction in fees for this summer school.

Payment

Programme fees

  • For residential students, the programme fee includes accommodation (Sunday 6 July to Friday 25 July 2025 inclusive) and meals in hall from dinner on Sunday 6 July to breakfast on Saturday 26 July 2025 (except lunch on all Saturdays and Sundays).
  • For non-residential students, the programme fee includes weekday lunches (Monday-Friday each week) and the programme's formal opening and closing dinners on Sunday 6 July and Friday 25 July 2025, respectively.
  • All activities planned as part of the optional social programme may incur an additional payment. Details of how to book any of these activities will be sent to you before the course starts.

Invoicing and payment

Successful applicants who accept their offer of a place on the summer school will be invoiced for the appropriate programme fee once they have been formally enrolled on the programme.

Invoices will be emailed to students together with full instructions for payment. Fees may be paid online with a credit or debit card, or by bank transfer.

Students are required to pay the full fee within 30 days of the date on which their invoice was issued. Late applicants (see 'application', below) are required to pay the full fee within 7 days of their invoice date.

When you have paid your fees

Your place on the summer school is confirmed as soon as your payment is received by the Department.

You will receive a receipt for your payment: an automated email from webpayments@conted.ox.ac.uk if paid online, or via email from historysummer@conted.ox.ac.uk if paid by bank transfer.

The Programme Administrator will provide all non-UK/Irish nationals enrolled on the summer school with a standard format pdf letter by email confirming enrolment and course details (see 'level and demands', below).

Important notes

  • Students need to purchase travel insurance to cover the programme fee, travel costs, and any other expenses incurred (see ‘cancellations’, below).
  • A student's place on the summer school is not confirmed until their fees have been paid in full.
  • Places will not be held for students whose fees are not paid in full by the due date.
  • In no circumstances will students be admitted to the summer school unless all fees have been paid in full.

Cancellations

1. Cancellation by you

If you wish to cancel your place on the summer school you must inform the Programme Administrator by email at historysummer@conted.ox.ac.uk

  • All enrolments are subject to the Department’s Short Selective Course Terms and Conditions.
  • By accepting your offer of a place on the summer school you enter into your contract with the University.
  • You have the right to cancel your contract at any time within 14 days, beginning on the day you accepted the offer. You will receive a full refund of any payments you have made within those 14 days.
  • If you cancel your place at any time after the expiry of the 14-day period you will not be entitled to a refund.

2. Cancellation by us

  • The Department reserves the right to alter details of any course should illness or any other emergency prevent a tutor from teaching, and to cancel a course or seminar if exceptionally low enrolment would make it educationally unviable.
  • In these circumstances, the Department also reserves the right to give you notice in writing at any time before the course is due to start. You will receive a full refund of any course fees you have paid. Please be aware that, if we cancel a course, our liability is limited to any course fees we have received from you; we will not compensate you for any pre-booked travel costs or any other expenses incurred.

3. Travel insurance

  • All participants must purchase travel insurance to cover the programme fee, travel costs, and any other expenses incurred. The Department cannot be held responsible for any costs you may incur in relation to travel or accommodation bookings as a result of a course cancellation, or if you are unable to attend the course for any other reason.

Teaching methods

Students will attend a lecture programme.

Elements of seminar teaching will normally include:

  • mini lectures by tutors;
  • tutor-led class discussions;
  • small group activities; and
  • individual student presentations.

Students will attend short (10-minute) tutorials with their tutors to receive feedback on their written work.

Assessment methods

Tutors will monitor and assess students’ contribution to class discussions.

Students are expected to submit an assignment of 2,500 words in length for assessment for each seminar taken.

Application

Before you submit your application

Please ensure you:

  • meet the admissions criteria (see 'selection criteria', below);
  • check the seminar timetable carefully to ensure that your first and second choice courses do not run at the same time;
  • make sure you have all the required supporting documents listed below;
  • ensure you are familiar with the terms and conditions of enrolment on the summer school, especially those relating to payment of fees and cancellations (see 'payment', above); and
  • read the 'Important information regarding immigration and visa requirements' below.

Application process

Application deadlines

This summer school operates a gathered field closing date system by which applications are reviewed fairly and equally in batches at specific dates throughout the admissions period.

There is a limited number of places available on every seminar within each gathered field, and in assigning successful applicants to seminar groups the admissions panel will pay particular attention to applicants' personal statements.

There are three deadlines for applications:

  • Gathered field 1 - 15 Febuary 2025
  • Gathered field 1 - 15 March 2025
  • Gathered field 2 - 15 April 2025

Subject to the availability of places, late applications may be considered on a first come, first served basis until 15 May 2025.

How to apply

Unless otherwise stated, all documents must be provided in PDF format.

To apply, the following must be submitted:

  • Application form. Please ensure all sections are completed fully, clearly, and in BLOCK CAPITALS. This form is an editable PDF and can be filled in and saved online. (Available to download in January 2025.)
  • A brief statement of purpose (250-300 words) detailing your academic reasons for wishing to attend the summer school. This should include what you hope to get out of the programme, and what you are likely to contribute to the intellectual life of the summer school. This may include details of history, politics, political or social science courses you have previously taken, or the relevance of the summer school to your present course of study or professional development. It is essential that you clearly state your reasons for wishing to enrol on specific seminars. Please ensure your name is printed at the top of your statement.
  • In the case of non-native speakers of English, official evidence of English language proficiency.
  • A portrait JPEG photograph (for your Bodleian Reader card). 

Applications should be emailed to: historysummer@conted.ox.ac.uk

After you have submitted your application

You will receive an email from historysummer@conted.ox.ac.uk confirming receipt of your application materials, and informing you when your application will be reviewed by the admissions panel.

Notification of the admission panel's decision

Applicants will normally be notified of the panel's decision by email from historysummer@conted.ox.ac.uk within 14 days of the relevant gathered field deadline.

Applicants who are offered a place on the summer school must respond in writing within 14 days to accept or decline the offer. In accepting an offer of a place applicants are committing to paying their programme fees in full by the due date.

Late applicants will be notified within 7 days of their materials having been received, and successful applicants will then have 7 days in which to accept or decline the offer of a place.

Enrolment

Students will be formally enrolled on the summer school once they have accepted their offer of a place.

The enrolment process includes the issuing of invoices, which will be emailed to students together with full instructions for payment (see 'payment', above).

Support for students with disabilities

The Department welcomes applications from students with disabilities or learning difficulties. Individual student needs are taken into account, and adaptations and assistance provided within the resources available. We ask that students advise us in advance where any special provision might be needed. For further information, see our support for students page.

When applying for the Department's college-based summer programmes, prospective participants with mobility difficulties or visual or hearing impairments (for example) may also wish to consult the University Access Guide. This includes specific information about University buildings, many of which are centuries old, and the extent to which modern adaptations have been made to support accessibility.

Prospective participants are also encouraged to contact the Programme Administrator at historysummer@conted.ox.ac.uk to make preliminary enquiries regarding access or disability support.

Any queries?

Please contact the Programme Administrator by email at historysummer@conted.ox.ac.uk

Immigration and visa requirements

The Department welcomes international students on all its courses. However, it is the responsibility of successful applicants to ensure that they conform to UK immigration law.

If you are not a UK or Irish national, you might need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa to study in the UK. We strongly recommend that you establish whether you will require a visa before submitting your application.

Information regarding visiting the UK to study is available on the UK Government’s website as well as Oxford University’s Student Immigration website.

If you will require a visa, you should ensure your summer school application is submitted as early as possible to allow yourself sufficient time to complete the visa application process (see current visa processing times).

The Programme Administrator will provide all non-UK/Irish nationals enrolled on the summer school with a standard format pdf letter by email confirming enrolment and course details once their fees have been paid in full.

For legal reasons the Programme Administrator is not permitted to provide any visa advice to applicants; any queries should be addressed to student.immigration@admin.ox.ac.uk.

The University takes no responsibility for a visa being denied at any point before or during a course. Please note that the standard cancellation policy applies in all cases. (See 'cancellations' in the 'payment' section, above.)

Level and demands

Participants are expected to:

  • undertake preparatory reading in advance of the programme;
  • attend all seminar sessions and lectures;
  • be actively engaged with their seminar topics;
  • submit an assignment of 2,500 words in length for each seminar taken; and
  • undertake approximately 96 hours of private study during the programme (elements of private study will include: reading and other preparation between seminar meetings, work in libraries, writing papers, etc).

Selection criteria

This is an intensive programme of study taught to an informed international audience. Applicants should be confident that they are academically and linguistically prepared for such a programme.

Academic requirements

Applications are welcomed from:

  • graduates with a subject-appropriate academic background;

  • teachers of history, politics, political or social science, economics or law in schools and colleges; and

  • senior undergraduates who have completed at least two years of a full-time university degree programme in a relevant academic discipline - ie history, politics, political or social science (eg government, international development, international relations, social policy or sociology), economics or law.

English language requirements

As students are expected to participate fully in seminar discussions and are required to produce written work it is important that applicants can demonstrate an appropriate level of proficiency in the four language skills - listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Applicants for whom English is not their first language must provide evidence of their proficiency in the form of an original certificate or a certified copy that is not more than two years old on the date the summer school starts. These applicants must satisfy one of the following requirements:

English language test waiver

The requirement to provide English language test scores may be waived in either of the following circumstances:

  • If you have completed a full-time degree-level programme at a recognised institution where teaching and assessment throughout the course was undertaken entirely in English, and the programme was completed with a gap of no more than two academic years to the course to which you are applying. If you studied this course in a country that is not majority English speaking, you will need to provide evidence that the course was taught in English. This can either take the form of a link to the appropriate page of the institution’s website or a statement from the institution confirming this.
  • If you have worked for a minimum of two years in a majority English speaking country where the main language for the role was English, and your role involved daily professional use of each of the four language components (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in person.

Accommodation

Residential options at Exeter College

For residential students, the programme fee includes accommodation (Sunday 6 July to Friday 25 July 2025 inclusive) and meals in hall from dinner on Sunday 6 July to breakfast on Saturday 26 July 2025 (except lunch on all Saturdays and Sundays).

The following types of accommodation are available:

  • Single bedroom with shared bathroom facilities
  • Single bedroom with private en suite bathroom facilities

Bedrooms are located up the four to nine floors of a staircase. Please note that only a limited number of rooms have private bathroom facilities and early application for these rooms is essential.

Students cannot be accommodated at Exeter College either prior to or beyond their programme dates. Family members and/or friends who are not enrolled on this summer school cannot be accommodated in college.

Please be aware that accommodation at Exeter College is limited and may not be available for those who submit their applications towards the end of the admissions period. Early application is advised.

Ground-floor accommodation

Exeter College does not have a lift and there are a limited number of ground-floor bedrooms. If you require a bedroom on the ground floor, or you have any access concerns, please contact the Programme Administrator at historysummer@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Non-residential option

For non-residential students, the programme fee includes weekday lunches (Monday-Friday each week) and the programme's formal opening and closing dinners on Sunday 6 July and Friday 25 July 2025, respectively.

Students who choose to attend the summer school on a non-residential basis are responsible for finding their own accommodation. Information on accommodation in Oxford is available at:

IT requirements

Although it is not required, most students bring a laptop to Oxford to assist them with their studies.

All students will be eligible to use the computers and printer in Exeter College's computer room, and wireless access is available in communal spaces of the college.

For residential students, wireless internet access is available in all bedrooms.