Study Politics Oxford Summer Courses
Oxford is a hot-bed for politics both in terms of political activism and academic study. Countless world-leaders have studied here and some of the most eminent political theorists were Oxford academics. Our politics courses give students the opportunity to explore this compelling subject within the most incredible of settings – take a look at our courses for 10-24 year olds below.
Courses
At Oxford Summer Courses we are committed to the best academic experiences and to the personalised learning that has made Oxford a global academic force. So while all of our tutors are at the top of their fields depending on your age you'll be taught in slightly different ways. We use small group seminars to ensure that you get greater attention than you could elsewhere. On top of that if you're aged 16-17 or 18-24 then you'll receive weekly tutorials from leading academics mirroring the teaching method that makes Oxford a world-renowned university. Choose your Politics course below:
18-24 years
- 2 and 4 weeks courses available
- Oxford/Cambridge University accommodation
- Tutorials & group seminars
- Breakfast & Dinner included
Politics is studied in three main areas, dealing with questions that are fundamental to our existence in society, and to understanding the contemporary arguments and debates students encounter every day in the press:
- Political History is the study of what institutions were like and how this affected life in the past. It looks at how institutions contributed to wars, revolutions, famine and social reform.
- Political Institutions is the study of what institutions are like now in the present, and how parties, individuals and the media affect what gets done in the world of politics. You might choose to debate the political constraints facing Barack Obama’s health reforms or the barriers to the Middle East peace process.
- Political Theory deals with questions about how institutions should be set up. What would be a just distribution of society’s resources? What does it mean for an individual to be free in a society with laws to protect the liberties of all citizens? Political Theory engages with these normative questions in order to enlighten contemporary debate.
16-17 years
- 2 and 4 weeks courses available
- Oxford/Cambridge University accommodation
- Tutorials & group seminars
- Breakfast & Dinner included
Our Politics course for 16-17 year olds takes students on a journey into some of the most topical and debated areas of modern politics. You'll have the chance to look at the Digital Age, and how the growth of the internet is changing the legal, economic and political landscape in today's world. You'll also take a step back into the history surround political institutions and frameworks, and the theories that have helped many establishments evolve and grow into the 21st century. With a blend of group seminar discussion and one-to-one tutorials, this is the perfect course to develop your political understanding in the most amazing of settings.
13-15 years
- 2 and 4 weeks courses available
- Oxford/Cambridge University accommodation
- Around 8 students per class
- All Evening Meals, many at local restaurants along with lunch every teaching day
Are you interested in the institutions and countries that govern modern society? If so, our International Relations and Politics course is designed to introduce you to the fascinating relationships that exist between the different states and the institutions of government that run them. We introduce you to the study of politics with an investigation of the differring political structures and powers that have governed modern society and have shaped the world we live in. You'll learn how to recognise a democractic institution from dictatorship, how Marxism differs from capitalism, and how liberalism differs from conservatism.
The course also focusses on the way in which these political concepts have been applied to international society through looking at the way in which globalisation has increasingly shaped the modern world. Our tutors will guide and inspire you to understand the most important theories of International Relations and the way in which they have determined the course of modern history. We'll introduce you to the theories behind International Relations and we'll ensure that you understand them with lots of practical study groups and seminars.
In previous years we have used these practical workshops to highlight the differing interests of states through a model UN, we've also looked at the ways in which diplomats help governments pursue their aims. We supplement this with visits from people who've experienced the real world of politics and international relations and visits to some of the most important sites that have helped shape today's political landscape.
Testimonials
Bridget Cantrell, 2016 Politics student
The teaching aspect of the course was amazing, the seminars were small and very much discussion oriented, with a lot of applied current events and classical political literature. The one-on-one tutorials were though, by far, my favourite part. Not only do you discuss what you have written about in your essay, but you are given the opportunity to discuss personal interests with someone very knowledgeable in their subject. In this setting you are challenged to think critically and are pushed to see things in ways you never had before. Coming away from it, you learn to look at your own political assumptions and learn to be more critical of them.
Staff
Dr Dana Mills
Dana Mills completed her doctorate in political theory at the University of Oxford. Her thesis looked at the relationship between dance and politics. She is a lecturer in political theory at Hertford College, University of Oxford and also teaches feminist political theory for the Women's Studies MST at the University of Oxford. Her research is interdisciplinary and covers topics from International Relations, to philosophy, to classics, to cultural theory.
Udit Bhatia
Udit Bhatia is a doctoral candidate in politics at the University of Oxford. His research interests lie at the intersections of democratic theory, political representation and social epistemology. He is currently examining the exclusion of persons from democratic citizenship on the basis of epistemic inferiority. He is also interested in methodological debates on ideal theory, comparative political theory, and the relationship between normative political theory, history and the social sciences. Before coming to Oxford, he completed an MPhil in Politics and Education (Distinction) at the University of Cambridge, and an MA in Legal and Political Theory (Distinction) at University College London. His first degree was in Philosophy (First Class Honours) from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi.
Lofred Madzou
Lofred Madzou interests lie at the intersection of technology, philosophy and entrepreneurship. He recently completed an MSc in Social Science of the Internet at the Oxford Internet Institute (University of Oxford). His thesis investigated the impacts of Big Data on the British consumer credit markets through comparative approach. Beforehand, he completed his MSc in International Relations at the University of Montreal (Summa Cum Laude), worked a policy analyst at the European Commission and founded the Start-up Propind. His passion for political philosophy led him to become a politics tutor tutor at Oxford Summer Courses.
Prices and Dates
Select your Age Range
| Course start date | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courses – 09-10s | 30/06/2019 | 07/07/2019 | 14/07/2019 | 21/07/2019 | 28/07/2019 | 04/08/2019 |
| 1 Week – Wycombe Abbey | £1,495 | £1,495 | £1,495 | £1,495 | £1,495 | |
| 2 Week – Wycombe Abbey | £2,795 | £2,795 | £2,795 | £2,795 | – | |
| 3 Week – Wycombe Abbey | £3,995 | £3,995 | £3,995 | – | – | |
| 4 Week – Wycombe Abbey | £5,195 | £5,195 | – | – | – | |
| 5 Week – Wycombe Abbey | £6,295 | – | – | – | – | |
| 6 Week – Wycombe Abbey | – | – | – | – | – | |
Included in this price is:
- All Teaching, in class sizes of 15 or less
- Accommodation
- All Meals, including lunch
- A Graduation Ceremony
- All Activities and Excursions
The price does not include flights/travel or medical insurance
| Course start date | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courses – 11-12s | 30/06/2019 | 07/07/2019 | 14/07/2019 | 21/07/2019 | 28/07/2019 | 04/08/2019 |
| 1 Week – Wycombe Abbey | £1,495 | £1,495 | £1,495 | £1,495 | £1,495 | |
| 2 Week – Wycombe Abbey | £2,795 | £2,795 | £2,795 | £2,795 | – | |
| 3 Week – Wycombe Abbey | £3,995 | £3,995 | £3,995 | – | – | |
| 4 Week – Wycombe Abbey | £5,195 | £5,195 | – | – | – | |
| 5 Week – Wycombe Abbey | £6,295 | – | – | – | – | |
| 6 Week – Wycombe Abbey | – | – | – | – | – | |
Included in this price is:
- All Teaching, in class sizes of 15 or less
- Accommodation
- All Meals, including lunch
- A Graduation Ceremony
- All Activities and Excursions
The price does not include flights/travel or medical insurance
| Course start date | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courses – 13-15s | 23/06/2019 | 30/06/2019 | 07/07/2019 | 14/07/2019 | 21/07/2019 | 28/07/2019 | 04/08/2019 | 11/08/2019 |
| 2 Weeks – Cambridge | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | – | – | – |
| 2 Weeks – Oxford – Standard (shared bathroom) | – | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 |
| 2 Weeks – London – Standard (shared bathroom) | £4,195 | – | £4,195 | – | £4,195 | – | – | – |
| 4 Weeks – Cambridge | £7,895 | £7,895 | £7,895 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4 Weeks – Oxford – Standard (shared bathroom) | – | £7,895 | £7,895 | £7,895 | £7,895 | £7,895 | – | – |
| 4 Weeks – London – Standard (shared bathroom) | £7,895 | – | £7,895 | – | – | – | – | – |
Included in this price is:
- All Teaching, including small group seminars (8 students or less) and subject related workshops
- Accommodation and All Meals, every day, including evening meals at local restaurants
- A Three-Course College Banquet, on Friday evening (this may differ for London programme students)
- A Graduation Ceremony
- 3 Full Day Trips and All Activities
The price does not include flights/travel or medical insurance
| Course start date | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courses – 16-17s | 23/06/2019 | 30/06/2019 | 07/07/2019 | 14/07/2019 | 21/07/2019 | 28/07/2019 | 04/08/2019 | 11/08/2019 |
| 2 Weeks – Cambridge | – | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | – | – | – |
| 2 Weeks – Oxford – Standard (shared bathroom) | – | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 |
| 2 Weeks – London – Standard (shared bathroom) | £4,195 | – | £4,195 | – | £4,195 | – | – | – |
| 4 Weeks – Cambridge | – | £7,895 | £7,895 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4 Weeks – Oxford – Standard (shared bathroom) | – | £7,895 | £7,895 | £7,895 | £7,895 | £7,895 | – | – |
| 4 Weeks – London – Standard (shared bathroom) | £7,895 | – | £7,895 | – | – | – | – | – |
Included in this price is:
- All Teaching, including tutorials and small group seminars and subject related workshops
- Accommodation and Breakfast, every day
- All Evening Meals, including those at local restaurants
- A Three-Course College Banquet, on Friday evening (this may differ for London programme students)
- A Graduation Ceremony
- 3 Full Day Trips and All Activities
The price does not include flights/travel or medical insurance
| Course start date | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courses – 18-24s | 23/06/2019 | 30/06/2019 | 07/07/2019 | 14/07/2019 | 21/07/2019 | 28/07/2019 | 04/08/2019 | 11/08/2019 |
| 2 Weeks – Cambridge | – | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | – | – | – |
| 2 Weeks – Oxford – Standard (shared bathroom) | – | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 | £4,195 |
| 4 Weeks – Cambridge | – | £7,895 | £7,895 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4 Weeks – Oxford – Standard (shared bathroom) | – | £7,895 | £7,895 | £7,895 | £7,895 | £7,895 | – | – |
Included in this price is:
- All Teaching, including tutorials and small group seminars and subject related workshops
- Accommodation and Breakfast, every day
- All Evening Meals, including those at local restaurants
- A Three-Course College Banquet, on Friday evening (this may differ for London programme students)
- A Graduation Ceremony
- 3 Full Day Trips and All Activities
The price does not include flights/travel or medical insurance
Christ Church, the most magnificent college in Oxford was re-founded by King Henry VIII in the 16th century, it has educated 13 British Prime Ministers and was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland but today it offers our students modern en-suite rooms in a grand setting.
If you stay at Christ Church this summer on either the 2nd or 16th July you’ll have:
- A superior quality en-suite room
- Breakfast in the same dining hall Harry Potter was filmed in each morning
- A special 4 course banquet each Friday in Christ Church’s magnificent banqueting hall
- A graduation ceremony in the Old Library which houses numerous historical artefacts including Cardinal Wolsey’s 16th century hat
If you are looking for a unique experience this grand setting offers our students a chance to live and study in a historical environment that has played host to inquiring minds for nearly 500 years.