Oxford
Academic Program
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Academic Prerequisites
| AUTUMN QUARTER | WINTER QUARTER | SPRING QUARTER |
|---|---|---|
| No language or academic prerequisites. | No language or academic prerequisites. | No language or academic prerequisites. |
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Since Oxford is a strictly English-language program, instruction in foreign languages is not offered through the program, nor is it included in the tutorial program. Students who wish to study a foreign language at Oxford may do so at their own expense. |
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Course Credit
The Oxford Program offers courses that provide credit toward Stanford graduation and most classes also count toward an undergraduate major. Students must enroll in a minimum of twelve units from the courses offered through the program. For a list of all classes and information on which ones earn departmental credit or fulfill General Education Requirements, students should consult the BOSP course database or Axess.
Top of pageCultural Events and Trips
Each quarter, all students in the program enjoy group outings to the theater, musical performances, dinners, and trips to other cities in England. The Bing Grant for Cultural Enrichment enables the program to welcome you to Oxford with a formal dinner held in the Dining Hall of one of our three affiliate colleges, to cook Thanksgiving Dinner for yourselves, to enjoy a small taste of the enormous theatre and concert offerings available in Oxford, London, Stratford, and other cities close by, and to visit areas of the British Isles which you might not otherwise think to see. Weekend trips have included visits to Edinburgh, Cardiff, Dublin, York, Durham, Chester, and Cornwall, to name but a few amongst many destinations.
In addition to the Bing Grant, a Stanford alumna who attend the Stanford-in-Britain Program at Cliveden, has endowed the program so that you have the opportunity to visit buildings, museums and galleries of specific architectural merit. Recent visits have included the city of Bath and the Dulwich Picture Gallery — the first gallery built specifically for public access.
Top of pageTutorial Program
The tutorial system is the characteristic form of undergraduate instruction at Oxford University. A tutorial course involves studying an agreed syllabus in-depth on a one- (or two-) to-one basis, under the supervision of a tutor who is a specialist in the field. A tutor may be a graduate student, a post-doctoral researcher, a fellow (professor) of a college, or a free-lance scholar living in Oxford.
Tutorials for Stanford students involve writing a paper of between 2500-3000 words each week, over the 8 weeks of Oxford term, based upon a substantial amount of reading assigned by the tutor. Once written, a paper (‘essay’) is submitted to the tutor, and the hour-long tutorial is devoted to discussion, often based on the Socratic Method. It is a method of teaching that encourages quick thought, the ability to master large quantities of information in a short space of time, and articulation both verbally and in writing.
Tutorials are an ideal way for students to deepen their knowledge of a subject in which they are already well prepared and, in some cases, tutorials are a useful preparation for departmental honors work.
Tutorials are NOT a suitable introduction to a new field of study, nor are they a vehicle for completing sequence course requirements. As a general rule, tutorials will fall under a student’s major or minor and the student should have substantial academic background in the subject.
How do I Select a Tutorial?
Before applying to the Oxford program, you need to have a clear idea of what you wish to achieve in a tutorial and the flexibility to define a topic that can be addressed by an Oxford tutor. Tutorials for Oxford students are taught according to a prearranged syllabus, and, although the Stanford-in-Oxford program tries to offer as wide a range of choices as possible, Stanford students should not expect tutors to teach subjects outside the range of topics that are normally taught to Oxford undergraduates.
Choosing a possible tutorial subject requires preparation and forethought — for your own benefit, this process should not be approached casually. We encourage you to schedule an advising appointment well in advance of the application deadline if you would like to discuss the tutorial in more depth. As a starting point, think about selecting a particular field of interest within one of the offered subject areas, lists of which can be reviewed in the BOSP office. You are also strongly encouraged to explore the Oxford University website (click on ‘Departments A-Z’, bearing in mind that some of these departments only offer graduate-level courses). This should enable you to find out the topics (‘papers’) that are offered to Oxford students in each discipline.
Although substantial, Oxford’s academic resources are limited. Certain tutorial topics simply CANNOT be arranged, and others may be better pursued at the Stanford home campus. These might include:
- Communications
- Computer Science
- Interdisciplinary Studies (i.e. Feminist Studies, CSRE)
- Medical Biology
- Science, Technology and Society
If a student is strongly interested in taking a tutorial course in one of these areas, they should email the Director of the Oxford program before submitting an application.
Tutorials Using Foreign Texts:
Tutors are often unwilling to teach foreign literature in translation. They expect you to read it in the original language.
Tutorial Proposal As Part of Application
As part of your personal statement for Oxford, you should describe your proposed tutorial subject thoughtfully and with considerable detail.
We strongly encourage you to consult with your Academic/Major Advisor(s) to discuss your possible tutorial topics. As well, take some time to look through the tutorial syllabi archive, which contain descriptions of tutorials completed by past Stanford participants. They demonstrate what types of tutorials are possible as well as help generate ideas for your own tutorial proposal. Hard copies are available in the BOSP office.
NOTE: Acceptance into the Oxford Program does not guarantee the availability of a proposed tutorial subject.
Finalizing a Tutorial Plan
If accepted into the Oxford program, a student will complete the Tutorial Section of the on-line orientation form in which two choices of tutorial topic should be proposed. On this basis, the Director arranges individual tutorials during the quarter prior to students’ arrival in Oxford. Once a tutorial has been arranged, it is not possible to change it except in exceptional circumstances.
All tutorials are offered for a minimum of 6 units, with the possibility of adding an extra unit once you are in Oxford.
Academic department policies vary with respect to the number of units that may be applied for credit towards a major or minor. These issues should be discussed with departmental advisors prior to departure.
Second Tutorials
Second tutorials, for a maximum of five units, are available in a limited number of subjects, which are listed below. You will be asked to indicate whether you wish to take a second tutorial on your on-line tutorial form.
Second Tutorials will be limited to the following topics:
Literature:
English literature in one of the following periods: 1500-1640, 1640-1740, 1740-1830, 1830-1900, the C20.
History:
British or European history in one of the following periods: 1500-1700, 1700-1815, 1815-1914, the C20.
Politics/ IR:
British government and politics since 1900 Government and politics of Western Europe.
International Relations during the Cold War.
International Relations since 1990.
Political theory: Plato to Rousseau, or Bentham to Weber.
Economics:
British economic history since 1870.
Economics of the European Union.
Sociology:
British Society in the C20.
Social change in Modern Britain.
Philosophy:
History of philosophy, Descartes to Kant.
Ethics.
Theory of politics.
Jurisprudence.