New Perspectives

Open your eyes to the study of planets, stars, galaxies and the universe through observation models and real data. First, examine how different civilisations including our own have observed the night sky throughout history. You will then explore modern space science including gravity, the Sun and Solar System, and current missions to the Moon, Mars and asteroids. Finally, you will examine how stars form and die, and evidence for other galaxies, dark matter and the expanding universe. Rather than relying on advanced mathematics, you will learn through methods that real astronomers use: building scale models, analysing light curves and images, and critically evaluating current research. The course is designed as a beginners’ introduction to this fascinating science.

Dive into the decision-making process of global businesses on this course, designed for beginners to the business world. Starting inside the customer’s mind, you will learn how people make choices and put your skills into practice by conducting a customer-research survey on your own classmates. Using this data, you will build your own brand. By studying how global brands use marketing to guarantee success and adapt their campaigns for different countries, you will gain a foundation to complete a team challenge in Week 2. You will design a campaign for a client brief, pitching it to your class and keeping in mind the changing roles of AI and social media in the marketing world.

Think like a journalist on this course, which embraces digital platforms and questions the influence of AI while giving you a grounding in the skills of traditional journalism. You will start with the fundamentals of journalism: sourcing stories, structuring news reports, interviewing and fact checking. Through case studies and practical exercises you will examine how the same story is presented differently across platforms. You will turn your classroom into a newsroom, pitching ideas, editing stories and producing professional-standard pieces across media forms. Nothing will be posted online, instead you will complete written and project assignments to show off your new skills.

This course takes you on a journey from the world’s first cities in ancient Mesopotamia to the skyscrapers of the modern world, stopping at the development of numbers in India, the creation of the Gutenberg press, the philosophy workshops of the Ancient Greeks and more. In each period, you will ask three questions: what happened, what did people think, and what did they write? You will draw connections between history, philosophy and literature as you move through the course. You will learn the basics of historical enquiry before practicing your new skills on studies of the ancient world, medieval trade routes, the industrial revolution and more. You will study events from across the globe and continuously link history to the present. In class, you will analyse sources, debate, role play and perform in groups, drawing your learning into the present and considering the routes that the humanities might take you down in the future.

Find out how politics shapes the way people interact on every level, from small communities to global relations. You will start by exploring the concepts of power, authority and legitimacy, and critically comparing the political systems used in different parts of the world. You will investigate how different systems transform votes into seats. Looking at the international system, you will examine what makes a state, why states cooperate (and fall out) and how international law functions without a central world government. You will act like real politicians by negotiating and simulating responses to real-world international scenarios. The course culminates in a Model United Nations-style international relations simulation. Teams will represent fictional states to negotiate an agreement on a shared global challenge such as climate change or water insecurity. Looking towards the future, you will also explore new areas of global cooperation including AI, outer space and the oceans, and careers available to graduates in politics and international relations.

Dive into the exciting world of economics, and understand how it influences everything from politics to the cost of a loaf of bread. As an introduction to economics, this course starts with the basics while teaching you to think like an economist. You will explore how markets set prices and the disparities between theories and people’s real choices. Later, you will apply these ideas to national and international economies. You will examine what money is and how innovations like Bitcoin are changing this. You will explore international trade and national economic progress. Finally, you will examine how international relations and factors like climate change are changing global economics. You will learn actively by engaging in classroom market simulations, economic experiments and strategy games, and apply your knowledge to case studies from all over the world. You will also gain transferable skills in writing, speaking and presenting during classes and assignments and find out where economics might take you, from university courses to careers in research, finance, policy and international organisations.

This course is a unique chance to study architecture while surrounded by some of the world’s most beautiful buildings in the iconic libraries, colleges and halls of Oxford. You will get to grips with the basics of form, function, scale, context, materiality and precedent and apply your new learning to the questions which inspiring buildings make us ask: why do I feel so small? Why does this space make me feel happy? On this course, you will stroll through Oxford with your expert tutor, practicing observational drawings and creating annotated observations. Looking internationally, you will consider how buildings are adapted to location and climate, and how climate change and new technology are influencing architectural change. All the way through, you work on your own design for a client brief. You explain your thinking in writing and present your design to the class in university-style crit, building your confidence and gaining transferable skills.

This course is your chance to make a difference to the natural world. You will get to grips with how scientists collect and test evidence about the changing climate, learning how to create and use climate models. You will explore the interconnected systems that humans rely on globally: energy, food, water, biodiversity, materials, waste and cities. Exploring each topic through case studies taken from all over the world, you will learn both to describe problems and provide solutions, weighing the benefits and consequences and new tech and natural approaches to solving the climate crisis. Every lesson involves a practical task, and by voicing your opinions and sharing your ideas you will become a confident, empowered climate activist. Working in teams, you will create a proposal to solve a sustainability challenge and present it to your class. Finally, you will hear about the potential futures that studying sustainability can lead you to.

Dive headfirst into the study of psychology, the science of the mind and behaviour. In the first week of the course, you will gain the skills that real psychologists use to investigate concepts like perception, memory, learning and emotions. You will learn how to make an experiment fair, the ethical considerations needed to protect participants, and how to turn results into usefully presented findings. You will work in small teams to conduct experiments and analyse the results, producing individual write-ups to show off your skills. Each class connects your learning to real-world practical uses and the future careers psychology might lead you down. You will test your own senses with illusions, explore how groups shape individual choices, how scientists can tell what babies are thinking and even how to spot misleading online advertising. By the end of the second week, you will have the skills to work in teams to research a psychology question and present your research to the whole class.

Take your passion for creative writing and turn it into a true skill on this course. The course gives you an opportunity to hone your craft with constructive feedback from experts and learn the techniques to take your stories, plays and poems to the next level. You will read short stories, extracts and poems by authors from all over the world, critically evaluating what they do well and adopting these techniques in your own writing. You will begin by conceptualising exciting new ideas before studying writing techniques including character, point of view, structure, description, figurative language and more. Iconic writers across a range of forms including Oscar Wilde, John Keats and Percy Shelley have found inspiration in the colleges of Oxford, and you will also be inspired by its stunning buildings and unique atmosphere. Throughout the course, you will work on a unique Project Assignment and enjoy constructive writing workshops. After completing your assignment, you will have the chance to present your work to your classmates and tutor, explaining your creative choices. Finally, you will evaluate how new technologies including generative AI are changing how stories are being created and read, and the changes this is creating in writing industries.

Building your confidence in iconic Oxford venues, you will gain the rhetorical skills and personal style to compel any audience.

Founders will join you to explore enterprise, leadership and strategy. You will learn through case studies and live pitches, gaining the skills for success in the Business world.

The beauty of Oxford will be your subject for this practice-based course. You will learn how to compel audiences through photography and sketching under the guidance of creative practitioners.

Starting you on the pathway to academic success, this course will develop your argumentative skills. With personal feedback on every piece, you will be empowered to write with confidence and clarity.