Results for OSPOXFRD

This course will examine how writers and artists have imagined and represented British society in fiction and film from 1848 to the present. The "condition of England" novels of the mid-nineteenth-century famously advanced the idea that a work of literature could aim to capture the nature of society as a whole, and, in particular, to convey the relationship between different social classes within England. Is it possible for a single novel, or film, or painting to represent society as a whole, or to show a nation to itself? What are the opportunities, and the pitfalls, of this kind of artistic project? We'll look at how this kind of project develops across two hundred years of British culture, from Victorian realism to contemporary multicultural fiction and film. Possible authors include Elizabeth Gaskell, Charles Dickens, George Orwell, Virginia Woolf, Mike Leigh, Stephen Frears, Zadie Smith.

Entrepreneurship is often understood as venture capital-backed, high-growth, Silicon Valley-style venture creation. However, entrepreneurship is a more diverse phenomenon with many forms and shapes in very different contexts. By including different motivations and goals for entrepreneurial activities, such as family entrepreneurship in small and medium enterprises or necessity entrepreneurship in micro-businesses and non-US contexts, we can broaden our understanding of what entrepreneurship is and the societal and economic role it plays in our world today.

This course will equip students with academic and professional skills necessary for understanding crisis management in the 21st century. This will be approached by drawing on a series of case studies, from the perspective of both firms and public policy actors. Case studies will cover topics spanning fiscal stimulus, monetary policy, welfare policy, strategy, and risk management, and deal with pertinent issues such as COVID-19, the climate emergency, and cyber warfare. It will include excursions and opportunities for student-led interviews which will draw on Thomas's access to public and private sector actors involved in decision making.

The word philosophy literally means a love of wisdom. This suggests that philosophy is not a collection of theories, but an emotional attitude toward a certain way of being. A philosopher is a person who is emotionally committed to becoming wise. The maxim Know Thyself! is regarded a main guiding principle in the philosopher's search for wisdom. It points us back towards ourselves, and presents our own personality as a subject to be studied and examined critically. Many have argued that this is not optional for those who wish to live well: as Socrates put it, the unexamined life is not worth living! Over the next ten weeks, we'll ask what it means to lead an examined life. We'll start by considering the opposite attitude, of the unthinking person who no longer cares to know truth from falsehood. We'll then ask how knowing oneself may differ from knowing others. Is there anything only you can know about yourself? Are there special, introspective means of coming to know yourself? If so, are they immune to error, or can you be mistaken about yourself? How can there be self-deception, where you're both the deceiver and the deceived? We cannot know ourselves fully without knowing our moral character, our virtues and vices, in addition to our thoughts and feelings and wishes. Knowing oneself is arguably a moral obligation, therefore, and thoughtlessness the hallmark of evil. Yet there is another pitfall to avoid, as self-reflection must not collapse into narcissistic self- preoccupation. This distinction will take us into the realm of the Unconscious, which by definition is not accessible to conscious reflection and thus limits how much we can know about ourselves. Despite our best efforts, it may be that we will ultimately remain a mystery to ourselves.

Human rights concepts through their emergence in literary form(s), using creative writing, including nonfiction, fiction and poetry, to explore empathy and the most effective ways of inducing it in readers.

In this course we will study and discuss examples of the gothic, sensation, and detective fiction that flooded the literary market during the Victorian period. Like their eighteenth-century gothic predecessors, many of these texts lacked literary respectability, though they achieved best seller status. Far beyond simply providing a jaded reading public with scandalous and suspenseful narratives loaded with sex, crime, mystery and even the supernatural, these texts attempted to expose not only the secrets of their protagonists, but also the seamy underbelly of outwardly respectable Victorian society, epitomized by the family with its angel of the house. Topics for discussion will include the literary and moral value of these sub-genres of the novel and what they reveal about Victorian society's anxiety over transgressive - and therefore prohibited - elements in the domestic and public sphere.

Did Globalization Fail Britain?This course investigates the causes and effects of the British backlash to globalization. The course is organized into two distinct parts. In part one we look at the dynamics of globalization and why it is so disruptive in most nations. In this section of the class, we look at the early years of the global regime, at the role of international institutions, the welfare and job shift over time and then finally, on the political-populist backlash. In the second half of the course, we look specifically at Britain and the origins and effects of Brexit. We review the history and politics of Britain and the EU and then the political campaign for exit. To better understand popular support for Brexit, we will look closely at public opinion polls before and after the vote. The class meets twice a week for 90-minute sessions. Students will write two papers, one for each section of the course.

The political system of the United Kingdom; contemporary scholarly debates about UK politics and the UK constitution; and critical analysis of these debates and of current issues in UK politics (including constitutional reform), using contemporary political science and political theory.

What kinds of evidence exists to allow contemporary students to evaluate a country's history of human endeavor? What different roles do buildings, monuments, and records play in forming collective memory? What other kinds of cultural objects - like art, music, and literature - create and augment varying identities within political borders? What role does a nation's established record and its interpretations play in perpetuating particular perspectives?This course asks how and why British communities and institutions preserve and sustain their material record asking how monuments were built, used, and described. We shall explore how (the potentially collective) memories of Britain are gathered, categorized, described, made accessible and felt. We shall investigate how to read the traces of landscapes layered through time, and inquire about the work archives, museums, public monuments, and tourist sites do to testify to a past that was glorious for some and deeply oppressive and violent for others. The course will introduce students to the fundamental skills and methodological framework required for working with an informed humanities expertise; a professional expertise that is critical, recognizing complexity, different viewpoints, and open-ended interpretation. Students will learn to read and interpret archival sources, and to practice the description, analysis, and public-facing discussion of primary materials. Among the places we may visit are the Bodleian Library, Oxford History Centre, and the museums in Oxford; the British Library and the British Museum in London; Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire; Offa's Dyke (Shropshire); and a variety of monuments and preserved features in the local landscape.

This course engages with the work of most prominent English feminist thinkers (including founders of British feminist thought who were pioneers of feminism in the English speaking world), and will stage 'conversations' between them and influential feminist thinkers in the U.S.

Rich history of Oxford, the place in which students are studying; skills to become aware of the profound influences the experience of living and studying abroad can have on self-conceptions. Appreciation of study in a town with such a marvelous tradition of scholarship through understanding of the history of learning in Oxford. How Oxford came to be the university town it is today.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform society in a way that has not been seen before. AI can bring many positive benefits, such as allowing ideas to more flexibly cross language barriers, improve medical outcomes, and enhance the safety and efficiency of our transportation systems. However, as with the introduction with other technologies, there is the potential of negative consequences, such as job insecurity and the introduction of vulnerabilities that come with greater levels of automation. We will delve deeply into the core issues at stake that comes with the greater integration of AI into society. The course will be composed of discussion and guest lectures from industry leaders and academics associated with Oxford. Assignments include readings, class presentations, individual research projects, and essays. Field trips will include visits to London and Edinburgh.

The role of archaeological sites, expeditions and archaeologists in the intrigues of war from Britain's occupation of the Middle East, two world wars, through the Suez Crisis to the current conflicts involving ISIS and its destruction of heritage sites. Focus specifically on the historic Oxford connection using university archives and collections, as well as exploring current initiatives by Oxford scholars to document and preserve heritage during recent conflict in the Middle East. How have the British empire and British interests been served by archaeology, in the past and present, and how has that mission been entangled with struggles over religion, sovereignty, territory, oil, and antiquities.

This course is inspired by the ongoing pandemic and the interplay between the complex science of vaccine and drug development, science communication, and public policy. We will discuss the history of vaccines and pandemics/epidemics, the science and engineering of vaccine and therapeutic technologies, the regulatory process for development of novel vaccines and therapeutics, public policy related to medical and non-medical interventions. We will also touch on biotechnology entrepreneurship covering invention, business models, and business partnerships (e.g., BioNTech/Pfizer and Oxford/AstraZeneca). In addition to the infectious disease focus, we will briefly cover how core discoveries in immunology have led to critical advancements in the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disorders. Throughout the course we will discuss how interdisciplinary collaboration is critical in the effective and equitable translation of scientific advancements. The course will be composed of discussions, guest lectures, and field trips integrating the unique local resources. Assignments will include readings, class presentations, individual research projects, and writings.

Introduction to contemporary analytic philosophy of language, examining some of its central concepts, including reference, meaning, and context. Students explore these concepts, by studying some of the major questions in the field, including: How do expressions esp. names secure their referents? What are the connections and differences between literal meaning and speaker meaning? What is the role of context in language? How philosophy of language impacts other areas in philosophy, by covering such topics as Meaning Externalism (metaphysics), Contextualism about 'know' (epistemology), and Propositional Attitudes (philosophy of mind).

How English democracy developed historically. How did the "Mother of Parliaments" first get going? How did it survive repeated attempts by the monarch to make it subservient, ultimately turning the latter into a figurehead? How did laws, which were once royal decrees enforced by judges who served "at royal pleasure," become parliamentary statutes enforced by judges who held their offices "during good behavior." How did elections transform from affairs in which less than 10% of adult men could vote into mass elections with universal suffrage?

Contemporary life is hard to imagine without migration and mobility. As an almost constant topic in our political discourse, the movement of people across borders is not one of the most policed areas of modern life. This course will introduce you to some of the topics central to understanding the global migration regime and help you to understand how it fits into the broader framework of human rights protection. We will consider various aspects of migration and mobility, including forced displacement, securitization, border controls, immobility, climate change, and queer displacement.

Story of semiotic exploration, its contributions to literary critical theory, Marxist critique and feminist critique, in development of twentieth century thought. Close look at principle authors and circumstances that engendered their writings. Questions about the relationship between thought and environment, and between ideology and action raised by looking at the way twentieth century events influenced thinkers to consider the purposes of language in society, in identity , and in authority.

The generation of transgenic animals - including worms, fruit flies, mice, sheep, or humans - is celebrated cornerstone of modern biological research, and has revolutionized medicine. This course focuses on teaching the scientific principles enabling animal transgenesis, including genetics, molecular and cell biology and animal husbandry, through directed reading - including primary scientific papers discussed in tutorials - and through lively in-class presentations and discussion. These activities will prepare students for hands-on activities in student-directed independent research projects in the latter half of the course, and enable students to produce and characterize transgenic fruit flies. The course will emphasize the ground-breaking contributions of scientists in the U.K., including those trained or currently at Oxford, to the principles and practice of animal genetics. These contributions will be highlighted through field trips to the Oxford Natural History Museum and British Natural History Museum. We will also discuss important ethical issues raised by transgenesis in animals, and recent controversial examples in humans. This course has no prerequisites.

Development of British economic policy making from 1945, focusing on political economy including: ideological motives of governments; political business cycle; and the influence of changing intellectual fashions. Policy areas: attitude to the pound; control of the business cycle; and the role of the state in the economy. Prerequisite: ECON 50.

The ability to reason about what might have been is one of the most central aspects of intelligence, and is a key part of what enables people to generalize from prior experience to inform their future decisions. This issue has captivated multiple communities and also is central to areas from healthcare to economics. In this course we will introduce the dominant approaches in machine learning and AI, with also reference to statistics and econometrics. Classes will combine lectures and discussions. Assignments will involve reasoning about the alternate frameworks and the questions they can address, using presented approaches to infer treatment effects in existing datasets, and essays arguing in favor of one of the particular frameworks for causal and counterfactual reasoning.

Economic dimensions of environmental policy with an emphasis on experience in the UK and EU, particularly in the context of climate change. Topics include: positive and normative perspectives in environmental economics; market failure; regulation theory and practice; asymmetric information; and the valuation of environmental goods and services. Both lecture and seminar formats with visits from local scholars and regulators and a field trip to Parliament and London regulatory agencies. An introductory economics class is recommended prior to taking the class. Oxford University students are welcome.

This course will provide an introduction to the illuminated world of William Blake - poet, prophet, mythmaker, and visionary artist. Blake was also a critic of capitalist modernity writing in an age of industrialization and urbanization, political revolution, religious doubt and doomsdayism, scientific breakthroughs in fields like chemistry and biology, the making of feminism, the birth of animal rights, agitation for the abolition of slavery, challenges to class hierarchy, and the commodification of life. Students will gain familiarity with Blake's illuminated poetry, including The Songs of Innocence and Experience; The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; The Book of Thel; Visions of the Daughters of Albion; The Book of Urizen; America a Prophecy; and Europe a Prophecy. We'll visit places important to the development of these artworks in London, including St. Paul's Cathedral and the Royal Academy of Arts. We'll also have a private tour of Blake's work in the Tate Britain. Students will gain familiarity with Blake's symbolic artwork, the basic principles of his belief system and ideology, and the unique method of illuminated printing peculiar to him as a poet, visual artist, engraver, and bookmaker.

This class is designed to enhance students' understanding of Shakespeare's place in the UK performance (and political landscape) through analysis of landmark productions on British stages and screens. We will apply range of scholarly approaches to these works and their lives on film and in the theatre, including close reading, performance studies, critical race studies, queer studies, and gender studies. Students will be introduced to these methodological frameworks early in the course, and are free to apply any of them in their assignments. Throughout our exploration of these canonical works, we will consider how today's theatre and film makers, as well as their audiences, engage with these plays to make new meanings and interventions in contemporary culture. Central to our discussion will be an interrogation of the place of Shakespeare in contemporary British culture, chiefly through analysis of performances of his plays and those of his contemporaries in major national institutions: Shakespeare's Globe, the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the BBC, and the mainstream film industry. At the same time, however, we will be equally concerned with how marginalised groups, including minority ethnic and queer artists, have turned to Shakespeare's plays in order to reposition his works, and themselves, on the global and political stage. These in-class discussions, supported by study-group preparation, will prepare students for the written assignments, which are designed to allow students to interpret these plays and their theatrical/filmic afterlives, with a particular focus on the social and political implications of staging and screening these plays in today's diverse British society. Each week, students will be expected to have read the set text (a play by either Shakespeare or his contemporaries) and, in one of three 'study groups,' to have engaged with a critical or interpretative response to that text based on assigned reading or viewing (usually a scholarly reading, or a film or theatrical adaptation).

What is it like to start your own company? Creative industries and arts consulting are often overlooked by those with an entrepreneurial spirit. Changemakers, meanwhile, look onto big arts institutions with exasperation. This course teaches the fundamentals of starting an arts business from the ground up, and offers students a chance to meet successful entrepreneurs in the UK and learn from their experiences

Includes all of the sessions and requirements of the seminar Digital Technology in the UK, with an additional hour per week of meeting time focused on more technical readings from British computing pioneers. Please note that students can take this seminar or OSPOXFRD 63, but not both

A seminar focused on the British experience with computer and informational network technologies, and their social context and impacts. The course covers the development of computing from Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, to Alan Turing, to the present. The emphasis will be on broader social lessons and applications beyond the UK, including the role of gender and cultural norms in shaping the experience of technology's contributors, and uses of digital technology in democratic institutions. Please note that students can take this seminar or OSPOXFRD 62, but not both

This course builds on the concepts explored in 'A Model Island' with cultural engagement activities in Oxford and UK and an individual enquiry into the culture as you experience it on the BOSP Oxford Programme.

A pandemic is a biological and medical event, but it is also a social one. Medical anthropology studies these intersections and the biosocial and cultural dimensions of health, illness, and disease. This course uses anthropological theory, social science research methods, writing across the humanities, and visual representations to help us understand infectious disease. We will explore broad debates in medical anthropology, though the focus will remain on recent pandemics. In this course, we will explore and unpack many large questions which shape our lives: what is it to be ill? To be healthy? How do we experience and narrate pain and illness, and how might others do so differently? How might health disparities and outcomes be culturally created? In probing these questions, this course will provide students with a framework for critically engaging with discourse on infectious diseases, as well as approaching the social challenges illuminated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Through this course we will learn to approach disease and illness within their specific cultural, political, economic, and ecological contexts.

This course's main objective is to present and discuss contemporary issues and challenges to democratic governance and political institutions. In particular, it seeks to identify and assess these challenges by comparing different political systems and observing the differences/similarities among them. The comparative nature of this course will examine: (i) the structure and dynamics of different political systems; (ii) some of the challenges that modern democracies face; and (iii) the benefits and limitations of comparative analysis.

The lives and selected fantasy literature of famous Oxford alumni William Morris (Exeter College), Lewis Carroll (Christ Church), Oscar Wilde (Magdalen), C.S. Lewis (University and Magdalen), and J.R.R. Tolkien (Exeter, Pembroke, and Merton), looking at each writer's unique take on the fantasy genre. To place readings in context, this course will also explore and compare selected source materials used by these writers, including examples of classic "high" and "low" fairy tales, selections from Norse and Welsh mythology, and Arthurian romance.

The value of writing as a form of self expression and self analysis has been highlighted in recent months. In this course students will embark on an exploration of the practical uses of writing (journalism, therapy, communicating policies) while also cultivating their own writing skills. In this small seminar students will be able to grow their own writing skills with a variety of assignments tailored to their interests, meet other writers and learn how recent global events have changed the employment landscape for a burgeoning wordsmith.

Each object we come in contact with over the course of any given day brings with it its own accumulation of significances and histories, and helps us to shape our identities. The study of things and their constituent materials is a means to examine exchange, power, identity, and the practices through which things become meaningful. Through the close inspection of a single good we can see the complex accumulation and contestation of themes, meanings, and global connections. Issues of access, inequality, and social capital as explored through the world of goods, beginning with a globally-traded commodity with a rich local history: coffee.

Understanding and managing human behavior dynamics in the negotiation process. Topics include understanding and influencing leverage, communicating effectively, differentiating interests from positions, using effective table tactics, and optimally closing the deal. Pedagogical goal: systematic understanding of the dynamics individuals typically use in negotiations. Lectures, followed by simulations to combine theory with practice. Intellectual and experiential learning integrated through combination of readings, presentations, and simulations.

In Europe, Twentieth Century population movements brought about by war and destruction, and enabled by unifications and peace. Using the methods of cultural history, examine the memoirs and biographies of European academics and intellectuals, with a special focus on those who relocated to Oxford University, as they reflect on the meaning of these relocations for their sense of self.

AI has attracted significant attention in the last year, initially due to the release of ChatGPT, followed by backlash and efforts at creating effective regulation. Questions of ethics underlie every aspect of AI, beginning with the question of whether it is even coherent to speak of an intelligence other than humans. This course presents current ethical issues in the development and application of artificial intelligence through a series of recent case studies. We will spend the first part of the course studying major ethical frameworks (consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics) and closely-linked research areas within AI and machine learning. In the second part of the course, we will apply these principles to case studies from major areas of debate in AI, with a focus on the translation of ethical principles into practical decisions.The first examples from AI we will cover are existential risks in the context of utilitarianism, the "hidden" labour force of AI in the context of deontology, and the problem of replacing humans in the context of virtue ethics. For the case studies, we will first study fairness and bias in the training and deployment of machine learning models. We will ask what it means for an AI system to be "fair", and how to regulate models which are not interpretable. This is followed by the problems of copyright and large scale training datasets for generative AI models, where we will ask what constitutes unfair use of existing material when it is only being used to train. We continue in a more hypothetical lens with a discussion of whether or not an AI system could be a moral agent or patient, and what rights a non-human intelligence might have. Finally, we conclude with the alignment problem, where we focus on the practical challenges of value alignment and the plausibility of finding a set of values which could be universally accepted. In the last week of the course, students apply their learnings with group presentations on published academic research, unpacking the ethical questions underlying technical developments

This course would focus on the Thames River, at least since Roman times arguably the most important waterway in Britain. The basis of the class would be an exploration of the Thames from different angles both scientific and historical. The science side of the course would consider the following topics: the geology/geographic setting that gave rise to the Thames; its hydrology including a history of its floods and droughts as well as climate change trends; aspects of the hydrodynamics of tides and the estuarine environment of the Thames; the effects on the Thames of human modification such as loss of wetlands associated with building of the Docklands in the 18th and 19th centuries; sea level rise and the Thames including the design basis of the Thames Tidal Barrier. The history side of the course would consider how the Thames has played a role in the history of Britain, e.g., as an inland transportation corridor, as a barrier between states, as the site of the signing of the Magna Carta, as the heart of the global trade enterprise that built the British Empire, as a challenge to important engineering feats in Victorian London, as a subject for landscape painters like Turner, and as a spur of public policies of environmental protection and restoration.

The art, science, and culture of the creation, transmission and collection of valuable, useful and informative objects and texts before the twentieth century, and the associated theories, purposes, and methods for collecting `worldly' goods and other valuables. Means by which local academic practices engaged with global developments in the arts and sciences through examination of primarily early modern material and intellectual culture in and around Oxfordshire. Assessments of quality, meaning, usage, cultural significance and the reception of material ¿treasures¿ in the storage rooms, vaults, and on display in museums, galleries, and libraries.

Engage with material cultural theory debates of the late 20th century and examine the impact of the digital revolution on the way we exhibit culture two decades into the third millennium. Reflect upon the transformation of the politics and poetics of museum display analysing readings and exhibitions from the 1990s to the present day. Digital interfaces in our daily lives have altered the way we seek information and the way we communicate with each other. What have we learned about representing cultures in museum spaces and what have we put into practice? Examine contemporary issues and contentions relating to cultural display in relation to exhibits in Western art and anthropology museums.

The past year has presented serious challenges to those who work in cultural heritage, not only has tourism and site attendance been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, but social justice movements have raised critical awareness of these sites. What is the purpose of the museum? This course explores the ways the British museum sector has adapted and responded to criticism, and analyses the underlying purpose of cultural sites. This course invites students to learn about british history while also learning about objections to its typical portrayal in the public spaces of britain.

Human history is a story of violence and its effects. Scholars have theorized on violence with little agreement. Debates range from definitions of violence to its causes and effects. Scholar or not, every individual has their own conceptualization of violence, which they employ in their daily lives. For many, violence is a harm to be avoided. Depending on the person, this threat can be distant or close. To others, violence is a tool to be used for an objective. Those who use violence intentionally often publicly justify their action. As such, there is a normative element to violence, evidenced in that it is considered something to condemn.Instructor: Samuel Ritholtz

Changes in the social institutions, attitudes, and values in Britain over the past 20 years with specific reference to shifts in gender relations. Demographic, economic and social factors; review of theoretical ideas. Men's and women's shifting roles in a fast-moving society.

Course may be repeated for credit

OSPOXFRD 195A - Tutorial in Anthropology

OSPOXFRD 195B - Tutorial in Biology

OSPOXFRD 195F - Tutorial in Economics

May be repeat for credit.

OSPOXFRD195J - Tutorial in Law

May be repeated for credit.

OXPOXFRD 195N - Tutorial in Human Biology

OSPOXRD 195R - Tutorial in International Relations (Introduction)

OSPOXFRD 195S - Tutorial in Computer Studies

OSPOXFRD 195T - Tutorial in Literature

OSPOXFRD 195 U - Tutorial in Music

OSPOXFRD 195V - Tutorial in Philosophy

OSPOXFRD 195W - Tutorial in Physics

OSPOXFRD 195Z - Tutorial in Political Science

OSPOXFRD 106A - Tutorial in Political Science

OSPOXFRD 196B - Tutorial in Theology - Course may be repeated for credit.

OSPOXFRD 196C - Tutorial in Sociology - Course may be repeated for credit.

OSPOXFRD 196E-- Tutorial in History - Course may be repeated for credit.

OSPOXFRD 196G - Tutorial in Chemistry - Course may be repeated for credit.

Course may be repeated for credit.

Course may be repeated for credit.

Tutorial in Education

Course may be repeated for credit.

Course may be repeated for credit.

Course may be repeated for credit.

May be repeated for credit.

May be repeated for credit.

Course may be repeated for credit.

OSPOXFRD 196V

Course may be repeated for credit.

Course may be repeated for credit.

Course may be repeated for credit.

Course may be repeated for credit.

Course may be repeated for credit.

May be repeated for credit.

May be repeated for credit.

May be repeated for credit.

May be repeated for credit.

May be repeated for credit.

May be repeated for credit.

Course may be repeated for credit.

Course may be repeated for credit.

Course may be repeated for credit.

Earth Sciences

May be repeated for credit

May be repeated for Credit