Oxford University Summer Programme in History, Politics & Society 2009

Courses and Provisional Timetable

The Changing Face of Britain - COURSE FULL

Britain has recently seen immense social change and life in the 21st century is very much unlike life in Britain a generation ago. This class will explore the main and most recent social shifts and examine both legislation and government policy that has sought to either accommodate or combat these changes. Main areas for discussion will be family life; educational shifts; trends in employment, poverty and affluence; crime and social order; and religious commitment. Where social problems are identified the class will include evaluation of recent policy and discussion of potential solutions.

Tutor: Dr Amanda Palmer is Director of Studies for Human Sciences at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, and Lecturer in Sociology at St Catherine's College, Oxford; she is also a public sector training consultant.

The Contemporary Middle East - COURSE FULL

During the past few decades, especially since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the Middle East has been a focus of world attention. The Middle East is a mosaic of different religious, national and ethnic groups, including the Arabs, the Iranians, the Turks, the Israelis, the Kurds, etc. Its modern history has been shaped by the end of the period of Western colonialism and the emergence of independent states. The course will study various factors that have shaped the contemporary Middle East, including Islam, Islamic fundamentalism, nationalism, Arab-Israeli conflict, oil, invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and Western influences.

Tutor: Dr Farhang Jahanpour teaches Modern History for Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. He is a former Fulbright senior research scholar at Harvard University, and has taught online courses for Oxford, Yale and Stanford Universities.

Empire and Decolonisation in the Twentieth Century - COURSE FULL

Over the course of the twentieth century the largest empire in history, that many expected would last for a thousand years, all but disappeared. Britain ceased to be the global superpower that had been the arbiter of affairs from the Mediterranean to the South China Sea, and America rose in its place. This course seeks to explain the reasons for the fall of the British Empire and its consequences for the world today, examining major factors precipitating British decline, such as the Second World War, and applying a regional approach to the study of the retreat from empire.

Tutors: Dr Ashley Jackson is Senior Lecturer in Defence Studies, King's College, London, at the UK Defence Academy. Dr Andrew Stewart is Lecturer in Defence Studies, King's College, London, at the UK Defence Academy.

The European Union in Perspective - COURSE FULL

In 2007 the European Union (EU) increased by 2 states to 27, with applications from 4 others. Its population (480 million) makes it the world’s third largest market. It is also the world’s most comprehensively integrated trading bloc, some of its institutional actors driving forward the process of economic expansion and political integration. This course will explore the EU’s complex evolution. It will examine topical issues affecting the EU in the twenty-first century, specifically the single market and the single currency, the efficacy of the eastwards enlargement, and the EU’s role as a global economic and political actor.

Tutor: Dr Stuart Kewley is Project Manager for the Europaeum at Oxford University, and Managing Director of the Eurasia Consortium.

Globalisation – Evolution or Revolution? - COURSE FULL

To what extent do we live in a ‘globalised’ world, and how helpful is the concept of ‘globalisation’ for understanding the contemporary international system? This course will introduce students to the discipline of Global Political Economy (GPE) which allows us to address these and other key questions about the world today. Through an historical approach, this course moves beyond the examination of the dominant and classical theoretical perspectives of political economy: mercantilism, liberalism, Marxism. It offers a framework of analysis and addresses contemporary political, economic and societal developments including ongoing controversies surrounding such notions as ‘globalisation’ and ‘global governance’.

Tutor: Dr Christian Glossner is a tutor and lecturer at Oxford University, and is currently the acting Chairman of the European Business Circle (EuBC), a pan-European association of successful entrepreneurs and distinguished personages from business, politics and society.

Human Rights in Perspective - COURSE FULL

Human rights are supposed to be universally applicable to all human beings. Critics, however, insist that they are political and not universal. This course considers the evidence in support of these conflicting views. It suggests that while most rights are not universal, the general principles underpinning them are. These principles first emerged within the doctrine of natural rights and gave rise to a diversity of specific rights in different countries. We will consider how these specific rights influenced the development of human rights codes, and how this affects the supposed universality of human rights.

Tutor: Dr Christopher Nock has taught British Politics for Oxford University Department for Continuing Education for over 10 years, and is a member of Kellogg College, Oxford. He recently participated in an international research project on human rights based at the University of Bordeaux.

Post-Communist Europe - The Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe since 1989 - COURSE FULL

The collapse of Communism across Eastern Europe, and then in the Soviet Union itself, brought dramatic changes to a Europe moving beyond Cold War divisions. This course will concentrate on what happened to the old Eastern bloc after 1989. This will involve understanding interactions between east and west, as well as the influence of the United States. What has changed and what has not since the fall of the Berlin Wall? The course will consider the legacy of the Communist past and how different societies have tackled the issues raised by it. Post-Communist conflicts will be considered, as will the implications of the influences of the EU and NATO on the post-Soviet space.

Tutor: Mark Almond has taught history at Oriel College, Oxford, for more than 20 years and is a Visiting Professor of International Relations at Bilkent University, Ankara.

Warfare in the Modern World - COURSE FULL

The twentieth century has undoubtedly been the most sanguinary in recorded human history. This course will examine the origins, course and results of several regional and civil wars and will set them in their political, economic, religious and ideological contexts. It will also explore the phenomena of guerrilla insurgencies and various military responses to this type of warfare. Clausewitz remarked that “every age had its own kind of war”: we will pick out the threads of our present kind of war – asymmetric or fourth generation warfare - and explicit comparisons will be drawn, where appropriate, with the contemporary situation in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tutor: Dr Mark Radford teachers Modern History for Oxford University Department for Continuing Education and is a Senior Researcher in Irish History for Melbourne University. He has served in a number of counter-insurgency roles as a soldier and paramilitary policeman.

Provisional Seminar Timetable

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Session overviews; reading lists; tutor biographies

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Notes on reading lists; assignments; libraries; IT facilities; credit and certificates; timetables

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Information on Oxford; preparing to travel; getting to Oxford; accommodation, meals and facilities at Exeter College; non-resident students; social programme; contacts; key programme staff; the start and close of the summer school - frequently asked questions; map of Oxford

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Page created: 12 December 2008
Last updated: 21 April 2009