Study Days 2011
We’re pleased to announce that a series of four study days will take place this summer at Univ! These events give students in Year 12 a taste of a subject at university level. Each day provides an exciting and enjoyable challenge for very able Year 12 students. Schools are invited to nominate pupils (maximum of 1 per event) to attend by completing a brief application form which is available for download at the bottom of this page.
The student you nominate should be seriously considering an application for the subject which the study day covers. They should have the strong academic profile which would enable them to make competitive application to Oxford or an equivalent institution in due course. It is important to emphasise that the activities will be at an advanced level and only the best students will cope and enjoy themselves. Please email or telephone (01865 286565) Anne-Marie Canning if you would like to discuss the events further.
Please read on for more information about the exciting study days we have on offer:
Modern Language Study Day with Dr Gerald Moore
(Friday 24 June)
Why read Laclos rather than Heat? or: An Introduction to the Novel.
It might seem strange to ask what novels actually do. Do they even do anything? When the modern novel emerged around the late 17th and early 18th century, authorities were highly suspicious of their alleged moral depravity and potential to cause political unrest. The form of the novel developed around authors’ attempts to say what they wanted to say without being censored. In the current political climate, however, there is perhaps an assumption that literature is merely there for pleasure, and that studying it is an increasingly irrelevant luxury that doesn’t really equip you with ‘useful’ skills and knowledge. This session will emphasise the enduring importance of literature, by encouraging participants to consider the kinds of unexpected and uncomfortable truths that novels reveal about society, and what role this creates for literary criticism. Participants will be presented with a range of extracts (in French, but with English translations if need be) from novels published in the 18th century and asked to consider the extent to which they can taken at face value, or require further interpretation.
Philosophy Study Day with Dr Bill Child
(Tuesday 28 June)
“If a lion could talk, we could not understand him”: Wittgenstein on Language and Meaning
Ludwig Wittgenstein was one of the most influential philosophers of the Twentieth Century. His Tractatus Logic-Philosophicus, published in 1922, set the agenda for philosophy in the 1920s and 30s. His Philosophical Investigations, published posthumously in 1953, continues to be debated today. But what were Wittgenstein’s key ideas? How and why did his views change over time? What is the point of his statement, “If a lion could talk, we could not understand him”? And what can students of philosophy learn from Wittgenstein today? We will be discussing these and other questions in an event hosted by Philosophy Fellow, Dr Bill Child. Participants will learn about some of the key ideas about language that Wittgenstein proposed in the Tractatus and Philosophical Investigations. They will have the chance to engage in philosophical argument, exploring the pros and cons of those ideas and gaining an appreciation of central issues in philosophy of language.
Maths Study Day with Dr Peter Howell
(Wednesday 29 June)
Playing to Win!
A day of games, puzzles and strategy led by Dr Peter Howell and our Maths PGCE student, Ms Kate Pulford, will illustrate key mathematical concepts that are pertinent to the current A-level syllabus. Difference equations, geometric series’ and our infamous Maths quiz will all feature in a challenging day designed to give participants a taste of what it is really like to study Maths at Oxford!
History Study Day with Dr Ben Jackson
(Friday 1 July)
The People’s War? Britain and the Second World War
The Second World War was a turning point in British history. How did conscription, evacuation, rationing and the threat of German invasion reshape British society? Was greater equality for women achieved through their participation in war work? Why did the War produce a landslide victory for the Labour Party and a new welfare state? Did the War push Britain into an inevitable ‘decline’? How do students at University study the social and political history of such an important period? These are the questions that will be addressed in an event hosted by History Fellow, Dr Ben Jackson, and current History students at University College. Participants will learn about the debates among historians about this period; will investigate diaries, publications and archives from the War; and will be encouraged to discuss and debate with each other in a series of facilitated break-out groups. By the end of the day, participants will have a new understanding of the impact of the Second World War on Britain.
Please click here to download the Study Day 2011 Application Form
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