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British Studies at Oxford
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For Faculty and Advisers
Paying for Your Experience
Returning from Abroad
O'Dowd Hall, Room 328
586 Pioneer Drive
ie@oakland.edu
Alex Zimmerman, Director
azimmerman@oakland.edu
Susan Lynne Beckwith
beckwit2@oakland.edu
The British Studies at Oxford Program is designed to immerse students in the historical, cultural, and social milieu that has informed the ideas, events and works studied in our courses.
British Studies at Oxford will be offered Summer 2019 from July 26 - August 17.
For more information, view the British Studies at Oxford magazine or check out this video about British Studies at Oxford.
Founded in pre-Roman times between the Thames and the Cherwell rivers, the fabled city of Oxford has a history nearly as illustrious as England's.
As the city prospered, its university gained prominence through the distinction of its faculty and the achievement of its graduates. For centuries the scientific, political, literary, and cultural development of England has been shaped largely by Oxonians. The very word "Oxford" has become synonymous with age-old traditions and academic excellence. The city and university have developed a richly imagined collection of buildings designed by the best English architects over centuries, each of which is the repository of treasures of art and civilizations worldwide.
Today the university is composed of 43 loosely confederated colleges throughout the city. Nestled in the cluster of colleges at the heart of Oxford University are Brasenose College and Worcester College, our sponsors and hosts (in different years of the program).
Brasenose College & Worcester College
Founded in 1509, Brasenose College is, like the city that surrounds it, a gracious mixture of new and traditional. With its main gate opening onto Radcliffe Square and the Radcliffe Camera, diagonal from St. Mary's (the original University Chapel), it is often a 'location' for films and television series.
When we stay at Worcester College, we live in rooms in the oldest still-inhabited residential structures that date back to when Worcester was Gloucester College which was founded in 1283. At Worcester we have access to The Gardens, which are 26 acres of grounds and playing fields (complete with lakes, ponds, and fowl!).
Both colleges are ideally located just two blocks from the bustling pedestrian shopping streets. Centrally located, both colleges are one-minute walk from the famous Covered Market, a half-minute walk to the stop on High Street, from which buses to London depart every 20 minutes, and a 10-minute walk from the quiet English countryside dotted with cows and sheep.
Included in the program cost, student rooms are spacious and comfortably furnished; broadband internet access and a computer room are available 24 hours a day. Student rooms are located on stairwells, which share common bathrooms and a kitchenette. Many rooms are suites with separate living and sleeping rooms; "ensuite" rooms with private bathrooms are available for an additional cost.
Although Oxford University is not in session during our stay, Oxford students remain in residence and are eager to meet our program participants. Oxford students often organize pub crawls, host special events, and get to know each of our program participants. Included in the cost of the program, Breakfast is served daily, Lunch and Dinner are served Monday through Thursday, and students have Friday, Saturday and Sunday available to them for travel in the UK or local sight-seeing and dining.
Brasenose and Worcester Colleges and Oxford provide a fine academic, cultural, and social atmosphere with a most convenient home base from which to see England and the rest of the UK.
What you
What you will do
Around the City of Oxford
While in Oxford, we attend classes Monday through Thursday: class sessions are normally a little more than two hours in length and held in the late morning, followed by lunch in hall, after which we go on local excursions (included in the program cost) that pertain to the course material while allowing us to experience the richness of the city - from medieval sites (Chaucer) to more modern culturally relevant sites (Harry Potter film locations!). The schedule allows ample time for reading and research in College library and exploration of the area's many great museums and cultural venues. We also take numerous optional excursions, and classes are suspended on Fridays so students have a long weekend.
Throughout the week you will have plenty of time to enjoy various activities, all of which allow you to absorb a thousand years of Oxford history and legend. Browse bookstores like Blackwell's, shop at Oxford's unique Covered Market and the Farmer's Market in Gloucester Green, enjoy excellent drama and new/classic movies, enjoy clubs, cabarets, and scores of picturesque pubs steeped in lore. There is food for every pocketbook and palate. Recreational activities include cricket, jogging, bicycling, punting, and much more.
The colleges we stay in offer offer croquet, and sometimes lawn bowling. Professor Leneghan frequently organizes pick-up games of football (soccer) and is always eager to teach Americans how to play cricket. Museums offer artifacts from cultures around the world, including the only skeletal remains of a dodo bird. Great walking and running areas include green spaces like the University Parks and Christ Church meadows and the Magdalen walks, as well as the Port Meadow commons to the north of town and the canal.
Getting around is easy! Oxford itself is pedestrian-friendly, especially as the bicycle traffic drops off during the summer months, but bicycles are available to rent for the daring. For London, nearby villages and the Cotswolds, buses are excellent; for further travel in England the train is reasonable and efficient. It is also easy to travel by rail or air to distant cities like Edinburgh, Dublin, Amsterdam, and even Paris.
Oakland University is proud to cooperate with the Fellows of Brasenose and Worcester Colleges to offer our British Studies at Oxford Program. Our program is designed to immerse students in the historical, artistic, political, cultural, and commercial milieu that has informed literary and political works, communication and educational theory, and fine arts studied in our courses.
All courses consist of a combination of lecture and tutorial, most of them with course-related excursions. Tutors require either tests or essays, sometimes both.
Most courses are open to graduates and undergraduates as well as to those who can demonstrate university-level academic proficiency. All courses may be taken for university credit or may be audited, but auditors are expected to take seriously the academic responsibilities of the program.
Four-week, four-credit courses of study in British Culture (Global Perspectives), Literature, Medieval Studies (Western Civilization), Political Science, and History.
ENG 2900/HC 2040: The Medieval World (Western Civilization Gen Ed) (formerly ENG 200/HC 204)
ENG 2900/HC 2050: Introduction to Britain (Global Perspectives Gen) (formerly ENG 241/NC 202
ENG 2300/HC 2020: Potter-ing through British Literature (Literature Gen Ed) (formerly ENG 241/HC 202)
ENG 3620/HC 2020: Drama: Plays in Performance (Literature Gen Ed) (formerly ENG 306/HC 202)
HST 2910/PS 3940: Britain and World Affairs since 1900 (PS or HST elective) (formerly HST 298/PS 308)
Courses taught by local faculty incorporating local resources (archives, museums, guest speakers, performances, and field trips)
Residence at Brasenose or Worcester Colleges, Oxford University (Oxford, England)
Program and course excursions to London and the Globe Theatre; each course also organizes excursions to relevant local resources including the National Theatre, the British Museum, the Imperial War Museum, the British Library, and Christ Church College; we also offer optional excursions available to Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Avebury, Warwick Castle, Harry Potter Studios, and the city of Bath
As part of your pre-departure materials you will receive a comprehensive online magazine that gives specifics and offers more details on what you should consider while packing.
Besides the obvious essentials such as your passport, money, weather-appropriate clothing, prescriptions, pens/notebooks for class, etc., there are a couple of items unique to studying abroad in Oxford that you won't want to forget! Something to carry your stuff in as you walk around during the day or to take on the bus when touring is essential, as well as an extra bag to bring home anything you might purchase while abroad.
Think "preppy" as the norm for dress with "business casual" at the high end. You'll want a sweater, sweatshirt, for cool evenings; or shorts/capris, T-shirts and flip-flops for some warm afternoons. You'll want at least one somewhat formal outfit for our gala dinner – a simple black dress or a jacket and tie will suffice – just something so that you can "clean up nice."
You can buy your textbooks in England; Oxford has plenty of bookshops, and in a pinch amazon.com/uk can usually ship a used book to you in about 48 hours. We have a variety of books and maps for London and the Oxford area in storage.
The colleges provide bed linen, and changes the sheets weekly and sometimes more frequently. They will also provide towels and refresh your supply every two or three days. You will need to provide your own Ethernet cable; or you can purchase one from IT at BNC. Any American electronic appliance will require a plug adapter in order to plug into wall sockets. Most appliances will also require a voltage converter. Transformers are expensive and wildly unreliable. We suggest that you plan to rent or purchase hair blowers, electric kettles, and the like, in England.
Unless your cell phone is a GSM phone, it will be inoperable in England. If you want to use a local network while in England, it must also be "unlocked" so that a local SIM card can be inserted. You can buy a cheap phone from one of several shops in Oxford; BSOP also has several cheap, unlocked GSM phones for rent.
Anyone wishing to receive credit should have a cumulative average 3.0 or higher to apply to the program. Auditors are welcome and may bring spouses, but both parties must register for courses.
Shortly after acceptance, students will be billed for the balance of program costs. Students who have paid the full fees but who must withdraw from the program prior to the cancellation deadline, will receive a full refund, minus the non-refundable application fee. Refunds for cancellations after the deadline will be determined based on the expense to the program of the cancellation. This schedule of refunds reflects the program's own payment schedule; beginning in May, the program must pay, in advance, numerous fees to secure services in England, and the program cannot recover these monies.
Since all British Studies at Oxford tutors are familiar with the American marking systems, they compute grades using the American systems. For undergraduates the courses earn four credits, most graduate courses earn three credits.
The program is organized and sponsored by British Studies at Oxford, Oakland University. Oakland University holds itself free of responsibility for any damage occasioned from any cause whatsoever. Further, the right is reserved to accept or refuse any person as a member of the course at any time. By taking part in British Studies at Oxford members assume responsibility for any injury, loss or accident.
Upon acceptance into the program, participants should immediately check their passport expiration date to see if the passport will be good for the six months after the last day of the program. Students without a passport should apply IMMEDIATELY for a passport; students whose passports will be expiring should apply for renewal of their passports immediately.
July 26 -August 17
Number of Credits 4 (Tuition not included in program cost)
Program Cost $5,995
Application deposit Non-refundable deposit included in program cost
Meals not included Lunch Fri-Sun, Dinner Fri-Sun
Excursions Two to London and numerous local excursions relevant to the course courses are included
Airfare Not included
Books and supplies Purchase books in England at an additional cost (though many books are available as free e-texts through our BSOP library)
Extra costs Optional excursions; room with private bath (ensuite), Passport, Personal Incidentals; the Potter course and Drama course both have a $250 materials fee