The 21st Seminar at Oxford, ENGLAND
the era of revolution in britain, france and america and the making of the modern western world
Oxford, England
August 10-16, 2008
This program has concluded.
Click HERE to view photos from the 2008 program
Program Information | Faculty | Pricing and Registration
PROGRAM OVERVIEW:
The revolutions that rocked Europe and birthed America in the 18th and 19th Centuries tore apart the very fabric of the European political model, destroying and redefining the traditional parameters of the relationship between governments and their citizens. In their still-settling dust lays our modern understanding of democracy, challenged and forged as it continues to be throughout the world.
The 2008 Oxford Seminar provides an opportunity to join world-class historians in a dynamic exploration of the Revolutionary Era, and how its passion and desire for change forever recast our social, cultural, political and economic landscapes. You will examine the role these revolutions played in the evolution of some of the concepts that have defined and divided many societies, from slavery to the role of the middle class to the very notion of democracy itself.
Heading this year’s esteemed faculty for the seminar are Peter Onuf, University of Virginia Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History; and widely-published scholar Jeremy Black, an Oxford University alumnus and Established Chair in History at Exeter University.
The power of the Oxford Seminar lies not only in the subject matter and faculty but in the setting itself. Right in the heart of Oxford University, you are surrounded at every moment by the history you are exploring, walking in the literal footsteps of the people who changed the course of Great Britain, and by association, the world. It is a chance to live a scholar’s life in its purest form, from the medieval rooms (complete with private baths and a host of thoroughly modern conveniences) to meals in the traditional and stately dining halls, to priceless interactions with porters, gardeners, landscapers and others who are so instrumental to retaining its most unique sense of place.
And speaking of places, you will have the opportunity to visit the country homes of leaders charged with responding to both revolutions -- including George Washington’s ancestral home and the Washington library maintained there.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
- Enjoy rare and intensive interactions with some of the world’s most acclaimed historical scholars.
- Experience and participate in lively discussion and debate on the most important and enduring issues of how we live as citizens in a democracy.
- Live and dine "in college" at Oxford University’s Merton College, experiencing first hand the tradition of English intellectual life.
- Visit Sulgrave Manor, the ancestral home of the Washingtons in Britain. This manor house holds the largest UK collection of George Washington memorabilia demonstrating the British contribution to the origins of the United States.
- Follow in the footsteps of Frederick, Lord North, Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782, and a major figure in the American Revolution while you tour Wroxton Abbey, with its Jacobean house and its 18th century gardens.
- Explore West Wycombe, home of Sir Francis Dashwood, Chancellor of the Exchequer, one of England's finest theatrical and Italianate houses with superb rococo gardens, highlighted by the famous Hell-Fire caves, one of which is named after Benjamin Franklin, Dashwood's close friend.
- Discover the William Penn meeting house, Beaconsfield, where William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania prior to moving to America, joined the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) as a oung man and began to develop the visionary ideas which so influenced America's development.
- Experience the charming town of Oxford not as a tourist, but as a resident, taking in its famed pub scene as well as hearing unforgettable choral performances in its ancient churches.
- And more...
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This seminar is perfect for those with an interest in American and/or European 18th and 19th century political and social history as well as those who look for the roots of modern democratic ideology in our historical experience. It will also appeal to teachers, Anglophiles, Oxford University enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys travel and learning opportunities that provide intellectual stimulation in a welcoming and congenial environment.
This seminar offers unsurpassed value, rich content, and is part of an educational travel tradition with a long history of exceptional participant satisfaction.
PROGRAM LOCATION
Oxford, home to England's oldest University and smallest cathedral, is located on the north bank of the River Thames, fifty-six miles northwest of London. Frequent bus connections to Heathrow and Gatwick airports and extensive bus and train connections to London make it very easy to travel to and from Oxford. In advance of the program you will receive extensive information about getting to and enjoying Oxford.
Participants often comment on how much they enjoy feeling like residents, not tourists, during their week in Oxford.
PROGRAM LODGING
While "up at Oxford" both faculty and participants live, dine, and study "in college." Our home for the week is Merton College, where each participant will have a private single bedroom with a private bath.
Founded in 1264, it is one of three ancient Oxford colleges founded in the thirteenth century. Merton College is noted for the exceptional historical and aesthetic interest of its buildings. The Library is probably the oldest surviving working library in the United Kingdom, and the Hall, Chapel, Lodge and Mob Quadrangle also date from the College's early years.
The College's founder was Walter de Merton, Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Rochester. Walter's conception of a self-governing community of scholars, with its own statutes and endowment, residing in buildings laid out in staircases and quadrangles, created a model and precedent for Oxford and Cambridge colleges founded in the succeeding centuries.
Take an interactive photographic tour of Merton College - Virtual Merton
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Program Information | Faculty | Pricing and Registration
Program Faculty
Peter Onuf, Ph.D., Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History, Corcoran Department of History, University of Virginia. Mr. Onuf is author of Jefferson’s Empire: The Language of American Nationhood, and is co-editor of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: History, Memory, and Civic Culture and The Revolution of 1800: Democracy, Race, and the New Republic and editor of Jeffersonian Legacies. With his brother Nicholas G. Onuf, he has just published Nations, Markets, and War: Modern History and the American Civil War. Peter Onuf's list of extensive publications may be viewed on the web at www.virginia.edu/history/faculty/onuf.html.
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Professor Jeremy Black, MBE Royal Society of Arts, MA Cantab, MA Oxon, PhD Dunelm, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Jeremy Black studied at Queens' College Cambridge, St John's College Oxford, and Merton College Oxford before joining the University of Durham as a lecturer in 1980. There he gained his PhD and ultimately his professorship in 1994. He joined Exeter University as Established Chair in History in 1996. He is also a senior fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. His extensive list of publications may be viewed on the web at http://www.huss.ex.ac.uk/history/staff/black/publications.php.
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Program Staff
Joan Elias Gore, Ph.D., Director of Travel Programs at the University of Virginia's School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Jim Baker, U.Va. Seminar in Oxford Co-Director and Associate Director of U.Va. School of Continuing and Professional Studies University Center.
Chris Day, U.Va. Seminar in Oxford Co-Director and Lecturer in Local History/Fellow of Kellogg College at Oxford University.
Cynthia Smith, U.Va. Program Administrator.
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Program Information | Faculty | Pricing and Registration
PRICING AND Registration
Per Person Program Fee: $3,425 (Reserve your spot with a $350 deposit)
We regret that due to insufficient advance enrollment for the Paris extension, that option is no longer available.
Oxford Seminar Program Fee Includes:
- Six nights lodging at Merton College, Oxford.
- All meals and refreshment breaks.
- A special guided tour of Merton College and Oxford.
- Program tours and trips to Wroxton Abbey & Sulgrave Manor, William Penn Meeting House, Beaconsfield, and West Wycombe Park.
- Program sessions led by Peter Onuf of U.Va. and Jeremy Black of Exeter University.
- An Oxford guidebook and specially prepared instructional materials.
Airfare to the program and ground transportation to and from Oxford are not included in the program fee.
Printable Registration Form
• If you register prior to June 13, 2008, please return the registration form with a $350 per person deposit (or the full fee if you choose). The balance of your program fee is due by June 13, 2008.
• If you register after June 13, 2008, please return the registration form with full program fee.
We encourage early registration as space is limited. If space is available after July 25, a late registration fee may apply.
Register by fax, 434-982-5297, or by telephone, 800-346-3882 or 434-982-5252, using VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover; or by sending us your downloadable form by mail with a check (payable to U.Va.) or credit card information to:
Oxford Seminar
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400764
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4764
WITHDRAWAL & OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
If you withdraw in writing within 14 days of registration you will receive a full refund (if not within final payment date.) If you withdraw in writing before June 13, 2008, you will receive a full refund, minus the $350 deposit. In the event withdrawal is necessary after June 13, 2008, there will be no refund but you may substitute another person to attend the program in your place.
There will be no refund for unused portions of the program, including but not limited to, missed meals, lodging nights, and sightseeing.
We highly recommend you purchase travel cancellation insurance (and confirm what it may cover). Useful travel insurance information can be found at www.TripInsuranceStore.com or 888-407-3854. You may also wish to check with your local travel agency for recommended sources.
Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters, a registered travel vendor with the state of Virginia and a full-service travel agency, has worked with our participants in the past to guide them through booking appropriate travel insurance to fit their needs, including insuring expenses for the Travel&Learn program itself. They can also book airfare and arrange car rental, rail tickets/passes, hotel bookings and other excursions. If you wish to work with them, contact them at:
Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters, 434.977.1415, 1145 Emmet Street, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
Information about other travel resources including airport safety and security, currency, health care, packing, passports, personal safety, telephoning, and other useful information can be found on our travel resources page.
Each participant must be covered by a health insurance policy while on this program.
Important information for Teachers: Many licensed teachers in the state of Virginia use their participation in Travel & Learn programs to earn professional development points applicable to meeting the requirements for the renewal of their teaching license. (http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Compliance/TeacherED/remanual.pdf). Out-of-state teachers may also be able to use their program participation for similar license renewal or professional development requirements and should check with their schools or state policy for requirements. Upon request, we will provide teachers with documentation describing their participation in this program.
For students: Travel & Learn seminars are noncredit adult learning programs. Some students use their participation in our Travel & Learn seminars as a foundation for a research paper in a course or independent study program they have arranged at their home university. Upon request, we will provide documentation describing your participation in this program for you to present to your home school faculty.
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