Global Challenges of the 21st Century

Hosted by University of Oxford
4 July - 29 July, 2011
Students must arrive by: Sunday 3 July (depart Saturday 30 July)

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• Course Description
• Target Audience
  
• Delivery Method, Exams & Learning Outcomes
  
• Where You Will Stay
  
• Costs
• Further Information

Course Description

The 2011 Oxford Global Summer Program will offer IARU students the opportunity to explore the most urgent challenges and opportunities for humanity in the 21st century. There are two strands:

1) The 21st Century and
2) History, Politics and Society

21st Century (Oxford Martin School)

Students will have tutorials and seminars with research faculty and staff from the Oxford Martin School. This is a unique collaborative research institution which seeks to foster innovative thinking, interdisciplinary scholarship and collaborative activity in order to address the most pressing risks and opportunities of the 21st century contributions from all four research groupings are expected, i.e. from:

• Health & Medicine
• Energy & Environment
• Technology & Society
• Ethics & Governance
  

History, Politics and Society (Oxford Summer School)

Students will attend lectures offered through the Oxford University Summer School in History, Politics and Society (HPS). They will also take an HPS course, choosing either

• Globalization – Evolution or Revolution? or
• International Development: Challenges in a Changing Climate
  

This is an intensive program of study taught at Master's level to an informed international audience.

Participants are expected to:

• undertake preparatory reading in advance of the program
• attend all lectures and relevant seminars and presentations
• be actively engaged with the seminar topics and submit all assignments set
  

Target Audience

Graduate students and senior undergraduates with at least 2 years' study at university level.

Delivery Method, Exams & Learning Outcomes

21st Century Strand

Tutorials: Students, normally in groups of three, will attend three tutorial meetings. Each meeting will last an hour. Students will write a total of three short essays, one of 1,500 words and two of 2,000 words, and these will be assessed and returned with comments by their tutor.

Total contact time in tutorials: 3 x 1 hour = 3 hours

Presentations: Student will attend five presentations / informal lectures by researchers drawn from the Oxford Martin School. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the content with the researcher. Each session will last for a total of 90 minutes.

Total contact time in presentations: 5 x 1.5 hours = 7.5 hours

Student Projects: In groups of three or four, the GSP students will prepare a project for presentation to the entire group in the final week. Each presentation will be followed by questions from the entire group and the project itself will be assessed by the program directors. The maximum number of projects will be five and the minimum time allowed for each presentation will 45 minutes.

Total time in Project Presentations: 5 x 0.75 hour = 3.75 hours.

Lecturers & tutors:
Dr David Bonilla, Oxford Martin School
Dr Moshe Givoni, Oxford Martin School
Seminar Presenters Members of the Oxford Martin School

History, Politics & Society Strand

Students will attend 15 lectures offered through the Oxford University Summer School in History Politics and Society (HPS). Each lecture is followed by a Q&A period, so each session lasts 90 minutes.

Total contact time in lectures: 15 x 1.5 hours = 22.5 hours

Students will also take an HPS course, choosing either

• Globalization – Evolution or Revolution? or
• International Development: Challenges in a Changing World

Classes will meet twice a week for two hours in groups of around 12 students. Students' contributions to class discussion will be assessed by the tutor.

Total contact time in classes is 6 x 2 hours = 12 hours

Students will prepare one essay of 2,000 – 3,000 words for submission in the final week. This will be assessed by the tutor and returned before the end of the School.

Total contact hours (both strands) = 48.75 hours

Lecturers & tutors:
Dr Christian Glossner, University of Oxford and Université de Fribourg, Switzerland (Globalization – Evolution or Revolution)
Dr Emmeline Skinner, UK Dept for International Development (International Development - Challenges in a Changing Climate)
Guest Lecturers Lecturers from Oxford and other UK Universities, plus other experts.

Grading:

Marking:

Where You Will Stay

Accommodation is provided in Exeter College in central Oxford. The college is one of the University's oldest and details can be found on its website at http://www.exeter.ox.ac.uk/

Participants will have a single study-bedroom, with shared bedroom and toilet facilities. The college buildings are mainly 4 storeys high and access to bedrooms is by stairs only. (Applicants with mobility problems should contact us (ipIARU@conted.ox.ac.uk) at an early stage to discuss arrangements.)

Meals are provided in the college dining hall. The first meal is dinner on Sunday 3 July and the last is breakfast on Saturday 30 July. No lunches are provided at weekends.

Please note that the program cannot be attended on a non-resident basis.

Costs

Tuition fee: £985

Accommodation: £2,345

Estimated visa cost: £70

Estimated text book costs: £100

Estimated living expenses: £100 per week x 4 weeks = £400

Further Information

For further information about this course, visit http://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/OxfordGSP