Non award bearing

Learning outcomes:

1. Familiarity with collecting practices in the late Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Enlightenment periods.
2. Knowledge of the role of patrons, both religious and secular, in the development of collecting practices in Europe.
3. Awareness of how to research and and preserve historic collections.

Session titles:

1. Late Gothic traditions of collecting
Today we will focus upon a range of religious and secular collections intended for public and private devotional contexts. Decorative metalwork and manuscript illuminations will be discussed as we consider perceptions of value in the later Middle Ages and beyond.

2. Renaissance learning 
In today's session we will examine the changes in collecting practice that are associated with the spread of Renaissance learning across Europe. In particular, we will focus upon the desire to create 'cabinets of curiosities', and explore the impact of the printing press upon the priorities of private collectors. 

3. Baroque opulence
The art chamber (Kunstkammer) and the treasure chamber (Schatzkammer) are at the core of today's session. We will assess how private collectors in the Baroque period modified long-standing collecting practices to curate lavish collections of fine art and art objects.

4. A European Enlightenment

In today's session we will investigate how classical learning and pan-European artistic tastes shaped the development of new collections. We will discuss how fresh interest in Ancient Greek and Roman culture brought about a fashion for commissioning casts of classical sculptures, and establish how the collecting practices of a Polish king resulted in the establishment of the Dulwich Picture Gallery.

5. Preserving historic collections
In the final session of this course, we will reflect upon what we have learnt about European collections in 1400-1800 by thinking about how art and artefacts can be preserved for the future. We will discuss the difference between preventive conservation and restoration, and consider the importance of restitution as a means of maintaining the integrity of historic collections.

All course content will be delivered online via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded talks (which may be audio and/or video), designed to help you address different aspects of the main topic. You will normally have access to a range of useful resources and suggested activities.

There will also be an element of interactive work, and the opportunity for you to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director via the Course Forum. The Course Director will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis.

Some courses may also have elements of optional live discussions via Zoom.

There are no pre-requisites for courses, unless specified, and all are open to adult learners over 18 years old. Courses are taught at approximately first-year undergraduate level.

Content will be made available on each day of the course, Monday to Friday, from 8.00am BST. Course content will normally amount to c 1.5hrs per day across the 5 days, comprising of material delivered by the Course Director and activities/reading set, which would include discussions via the course forum. You may also need to complete reading or other preparation suggested in advance of the course.

We therefore suggest that you set aside approximately 1.5 hours of study per day to complete each day’s content and activities. However, this does not need to be done in one sitting, and you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish. Each course runs for one week and content will remain available to access on the VLE for 2 weeks after the course has finished.

A Certificate of Participation for the course(s) will be sent electronically, upon request via email, after the end of the Summer Festival. Details will be provided on the VLE.

English Language:

To ensure that all participants on our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning are able to enjoy studying with us, you will need to be confident understanding and following arguments presented in written and spoken English at University level. You will need to satisfy yourself that you have an appropriate level of English language proficiency.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read our English language recommendations and are satisfied that you have the appropriate level of English to benefit from the course.

For details of our English language recommendations, see Booking information.

Technical requirements:

All courses will be delivered via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that allows you to study and learn online, access learning resources, and interact with your tutor and fellow students.

You will need to have access to:

- the internet via a computer or smart device

- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available

- speakers or headphones in order to hear pre-recorded material provided by the Course Director

This course explores Dante’s writing, focusing on the Divine Comedy. The texts will be discussed in translation and particular attention will be paid to medieval culture and Dante's influence on English literature, including Chaucer. The final session will examine the impact of Dante’s writing upon modern authors, including Samuel Beckett.

Learning outcomes:

1. Introduce students to Dante’s writing with particular focus on the Divine Comedy;
2. Enhance critical appreciation of the texts discussed by close reading and practical criticism;
3. Encourage awareness of the diversity and complexity of texts from the period, including attention to theological and philosophical perspectives, literary innovations and the wider European context within which the texts were written.

Session titles:

1. Dante Amongst the Poets 
2. Love, Loss & Reading Dangerously 
3. Suffering in Hell 
4. Pity or Piety Down Below? 
5. Dante's Ugolino and Chaucer's Hugelyn

All course content will be delivered online via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded talks (which may be audio and/or video), designed to help you address different aspects of the main topic. You will normally have access to a range of useful resources and suggested activities.

There will also be an element of interactive work, and the opportunity for you to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director via the Course Forum. The Course Director will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis.

Some courses may also have elements of optional live discussions via Zoom.

There are no pre-requisites for courses, unless specified, and all are open to adult learners over 18 years old. Courses are taught at approximately first-year undergraduate level.

Content will be made available on each day of the course, Monday to Friday, from 8.00am BST. Course content will normally amount to c 1.5hrs per day across the 5 days, comprising of material delivered by the Course Director and activities/reading set, which would include discussions via the course forum. You may also need to complete reading or other preparation suggested in advance of the course.

We therefore suggest that you set aside approximately 1.5 hours of study per day to complete each day’s content and activities. However, this does not need to be done in one sitting, and you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish. Each course runs for one week and content will remain available to access on the VLE for 2 weeks after the course has finished.

A Certificate of Participation for the course(s) will be sent electronically, upon request via email, after the end of the Summer Festival. Details will be provided on the VLE.

English Language:

To ensure that all participants on our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning are able to enjoy studying with us, you will need to be confident understanding and following arguments presented in written and spoken English at University level. You will need to satisfy yourself that you have an appropriate level of English language proficiency.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read our English language recommendations and are satisfied that you have the appropriate level of English to benefit from the course.

For details of our English language recommendations, see Booking information.

Technical requirements:

All courses will be delivered via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that allows you to study and learn online, access learning resources, and interact with your tutor and fellow students.

You will need to have access to:

- the internet via a computer or smart device

- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available

- speakers or headphones in order to hear pre-recorded material provided by the Course Director

Hamlet was written in 1599 and shows a shift in Shakespeare’s art towards a greater complexity of characterisation, plot and language. The play lasts a staggering 4 hours and could never have been performed in its entirety. It is dominated by an exhausting number of lengthy soliloquies which put on show the character’s interiority to a far greater extent than in Shakespeare's earlier writing. No wonder Hamlet has been the subject of psychoanalysis. 

In this course we will look at several sections of the play in an effort to get a grasp on this figure that has come to define the greatness of Shakespeare’s art.

Learning outcomes:

1. an understanding of various ways in which Hamlet is characterised
2. an understanding of the structuring devices

Session titles:

1. Denmark and Hamlet’s father
2. Fathers and procreation
3. Hamlet’s peers
4. Hamlet and actors
5. Avengers, soliloquies and madness

All course content will be delivered online via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded talks (which may be audio and/or video), designed to help you address different aspects of the main topic. You will normally have access to a range of useful resources and suggested activities.

There will also be an element of interactive work, and the opportunity for you to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director via the Course Forum. The Course Director will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis.

Some courses may also have elements of optional live discussions via Zoom.

There are no pre-requisites for courses, unless specified, and all are open to adult learners over 18 years old. Courses are taught at approximately first-year undergraduate level.

Content will be made available on each day of the course, Monday to Friday, from 8.00am BST. Course content will normally amount to c 1.5hrs per day across the 5 days, comprising of material delivered by the Course Director and activities/reading set, which would include discussions via the course forum. You may also need to complete reading or other preparation suggested in advance of the course.

We therefore suggest that you set aside approximately 1.5 hours of study per day to complete each day’s content and activities. However, this does not need to be done in one sitting, and you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish. Each course runs for one week and content will remain available to access on the VLE for 2 weeks after the course has finished.

A Certificate of Participation for the course(s) will be sent electronically, upon request via email, after the end of the Summer Festival. Details will be provided on the VLE.

English Language:

To ensure that all participants on our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning are able to enjoy studying with us, you will need to be confident understanding and following arguments presented in written and spoken English at University level. You will need to satisfy yourself that you have an appropriate level of English language proficiency.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read our English language recommendations and are satisfied that you have the appropriate level of English to benefit from the course.

For details of our English language recommendations, see Booking information.

Technical requirements:

All courses will be delivered via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that allows you to study and learn online, access learning resources, and interact with your tutor and fellow students.

You will need to have access to:

- the internet via a computer or smart device

- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available

- speakers or headphones in order to hear pre-recorded material provided by the Course Director

The Boy Who Lived still does, and pretty richly, but even so, he looks a little different in retrospect. It is now 23 years since we first met him, and 13 since the last novel was published, so what might now be clearer in retrospect? Or less clear?

One thing is that there is more to consider than the novels. The film franchise ran later, with its merchandising, and there are Cursed Child, with the retconning of Hermione as of colour, and the ‘Magical Creatures’ films. Like it or not, the Boy’s also a major franchise.

Hero(in)es and villains also look a little different, maybe. Does Ron’s appalling insensitivity grate less on rereading? Or Harry’s dimmer moments with girls? Does Snape improve with time? And what of Dumbledore and his retconning? And if Voldemort can seem quite a mouldy Dark Lord sometimes, Umbridge seems ever worse, and with the larger pattern of anti-racism clear with the completion of the sequence the finger points as hard at her and Fudge as at anyone.

Finally, there is also what Rowling herself has been doing with her time and all that money, as well as effects on publishing practices, particularly affecting YA authors ; and an open question about what the effects of sustained Potteritis on the generation forcibly submerged in it might be.

No prior reading is required, though if you don’t know the seven Potter books you will be confused! The course is about the books, not the films (save as consequences of the books and a part of the phenomenon and franchise).

Learning outcomes:

1. To put the Potter phenomenon in context and perspective;
2. To reassess Rowling’s hero(in)es and villains in the light of the series as a whole; 
3. To assess Rowling’s moral uses of her writing and profits.

Session titles:

1. The Potter Phenomenon
2. The Good: Hero(in)es and Heroisms
3. The Bad and the Ugly: Villains
4. An Overarching Anti-Racism
5. Plenary: Real-World Effects

All course content will be delivered online via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded talks (which may be audio and/or video), designed to help you address different aspects of the main topic. You will normally have access to a range of useful resources and suggested activities.

There will also be an element of interactive work, and the opportunity for you to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director via the Course Forum. The Course Director will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis.

Some courses may also have elements of optional live discussions via Zoom.

There are no pre-requisites for courses, unless specified, and all are open to adult learners over 18 years old. Courses are taught at approximately first-year undergraduate level.

Content will be made available on each day of the course, Monday to Friday, from 8.00am BST. Course content will normally amount to c 1.5hrs per day across the 5 days, comprising of material delivered by the Course Director and activities/reading set, which would include discussions via the course forum. You may also need to complete reading or other preparation suggested in advance of the course.

We therefore suggest that you set aside approximately 1.5 hours of study per day to complete each day’s content and activities. However, this does not need to be done in one sitting, and you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish. Each course runs for one week and content will remain available to access on the VLE for 2 weeks after the course has finished.

A Certificate of Participation for the course(s) will be sent electronically, upon request via email, after the end of the Summer Festival. Details will be provided on the VLE.

English Language:

To ensure that all participants on our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning are able to enjoy studying with us, you will need to be confident understanding and following arguments presented in written and spoken English at University level. You will need to satisfy yourself that you have an appropriate level of English language proficiency.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read our English language recommendations and are satisfied that you have the appropriate level of English to benefit from the course.

For details of our English language recommendations, see Booking information.

Technical requirements:

All courses will be delivered via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that allows you to study and learn online, access learning resources, and interact with your tutor and fellow students.

You will need to have access to:

- the internet via a computer or smart device

- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available

- speakers or headphones in order to hear pre-recorded material provided by the Course Director

Learning outcomes: 

1. An appreciation of the many different areas of mathematics used for cryptography.
2. An understanding of the different types of cryptography, such as monoalphabetic ciphers, polyalphabetic ciphers.
3. An understanding of cryptanalysis techniques to decode messages.
4. An appreciation of the application of cryptography and cryptanalysis in WWII and internet encryption.
5. An introduction to mathematics and proof.

Session titles:

1. Introduction and Modular Arithmetic
A quick introduction to cryptography and monoalphabetic ciphers. Followed by an introduction to modular arithmetic.

2. Monoalphabetic Ciphers
We meet various different kinds of monoalphabetic ciphers, such as additive ciphers, multiplicative ciphers, affine ciphers and general substitution ciphers.

3. Polyalphabetic Ciphers
A more advanced cipher, why they are more difficult to break and how to break them.

4. Enigma
One of the most famous cipher machines of all time. The World War II German Enigma Machine. What it is and how it was broken.

5. Public Key Cryptography
Current ciphers we use today on the internet.

All course content will be delivered online via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded talks (which may be audio and/or video), designed to help you address different aspects of the main topic. You will normally have access to a range of useful resources and suggested activities.

There will also be an element of interactive work, and the opportunity for you to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director via the Course Forum. The Course Director will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis.

Some courses may also have elements of optional live discussions via Zoom.

There are no pre-requisites for courses, unless specified, and all are open to adult learners over 18 years old. Courses are taught at approximately first-year undergraduate level.

Content will be made available on each day of the course, Monday to Friday, from 8.00am BST. Course content will normally amount to c 1.5hrs per day across the 5 days, comprising of material delivered by the Course Director and activities/reading set, which would include discussions via the course forum. You may also need to complete reading or other preparation suggested in advance of the course.

We therefore suggest that you set aside approximately 1.5 hours of study per day to complete each day’s content and activities. However, this does not need to be done in one sitting, and you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish. Each course runs for one week and content will remain available to access on the VLE for 2 weeks after the course has finished.

A Certificate of Participation for the course(s) will be sent electronically, upon request via email, after the end of the Summer Festival. Details will be provided on the VLE.

English Language:

To ensure that all participants on our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning are able to enjoy studying with us, you will need to be confident understanding and following arguments presented in written and spoken English at University level. You will need to satisfy yourself that you have an appropriate level of English language proficiency.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read our English language recommendations and are satisfied that you have the appropriate level of English to benefit from the course.

For details of our English language recommendations, see Booking information.

Technical requirements:

All courses will be delivered via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that allows you to study and learn online, access learning resources, and interact with your tutor and fellow students.

You will need to have access to:

- the internet via a computer or smart device

- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available

- speakers or headphones in order to hear pre-recorded material provided by the Course Director

Learning outcomes: 

1. To assess methodologies for investigating humour in a philosophical way. 
2. To develop philosophical skills in argumentation and analysis.
3. To gain a deeper understanding of humour, a fundamental human trait. 

Session titles:

1. Philosophy and Humour: A Double Act? 
2. Theories of Humour 
3. A Martian Perspective 
4. The Tragic, the Comic and the Absurd 
5. Humour and Violence

All course content will be delivered online via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded talks (which may be audio and/or video), designed to help you address different aspects of the main topic. You will normally have access to a range of useful resources and suggested activities.

There will also be an element of interactive work, and the opportunity for you to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director via the Course Forum. The Course Director will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis.

Some courses may also have elements of optional live discussions via Zoom.

There are no pre-requisites for courses, unless specified, and all are open to adult learners over 18 years old. Courses are taught at approximately first-year undergraduate level.

Content will be made available on each day of the course, Monday to Friday, from 8.00am BST. Course content will normally amount to c 1.5hrs per day across the 5 days, comprising of material delivered by the Course Director and activities/reading set, which would include discussions via the course forum. You may also need to complete reading or other preparation suggested in advance of the course.

We therefore suggest that you set aside approximately 1.5 hours of study per day to complete each day’s content and activities. However, this does not need to be done in one sitting, and you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish. Each course runs for one week and content will remain available to access on the VLE for 2 weeks after the course has finished.

A Certificate of Participation for the course(s) will be sent electronically, upon request via email, after the end of the Summer Festival. Details will be provided on the VLE.

English Language:

To ensure that all participants on our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning are able to enjoy studying with us, you will need to be confident understanding and following arguments presented in written and spoken English at University level. You will need to satisfy yourself that you have an appropriate level of English language proficiency.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read our English language recommendations and are satisfied that you have the appropriate level of English to benefit from the course.

For details of our English language recommendations, see Booking information.

Technical requirements:

All courses will be delivered via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that allows you to study and learn online, access learning resources, and interact with your tutor and fellow students.

You will need to have access to:

- the internet via a computer or smart device

- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available

- speakers or headphones in order to hear pre-recorded material provided by the Course Director

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this course students should be able to:

• Describe the main characteristics of disruptive technologies
• Differentiate between disruptive and gradual technological revolution
• Describe the science and technology that drives current disruptive technologies
• Systematically evaluate the practical potential of a number of disruptive technologies

Session titles:

1. A definition of disruptive technologies
2. Devices
3. Materials
4. Industrial and scientific methods
5. Systems

All course content will be delivered online via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded talks (which may be audio and/or video), designed to help you address different aspects of the main topic. You will normally have access to a range of useful resources and suggested activities.

There will also be an element of interactive work, and the opportunity for you to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director via the Course Forum. The Course Director will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis.

Some courses may also have elements of optional live discussions via Zoom.

There are no pre-requisites for courses, unless specified, and all are open to adult learners over 18 years old. Courses are taught at approximately first-year undergraduate level.

Content will be made available on each day of the course, Monday to Friday, from 8.00am BST. Course content will normally amount to c 1.5hrs per day across the 5 days, comprising of material delivered by the Course Director and activities/reading set, which would include discussions via the course forum. You may also need to complete reading or other preparation suggested in advance of the course.

We therefore suggest that you set aside approximately 1.5 hours of study per day to complete each day’s content and activities. However, this does not need to be done in one sitting, and you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish. Each course runs for one week and content will remain available to access on the VLE for 2 weeks after the course has finished.

A Certificate of Participation for the course(s) will be sent electronically, upon request via email, after the end of the Summer Festival. Details will be provided on the VLE.

English Language:

To ensure that all participants on our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning are able to enjoy studying with us, you will need to be confident understanding and following arguments presented in written and spoken English at University level. You will need to satisfy yourself that you have an appropriate level of English language proficiency.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read our English language recommendations and are satisfied that you have the appropriate level of English to benefit from the course.

For details of our English language recommendations, see Booking information.

Technical requirements:

All courses will be delivered via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that allows you to study and learn online, access learning resources, and interact with your tutor and fellow students.

You will need to have access to:

- the internet via a computer or smart device

- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available

- speakers or headphones in order to hear pre-recorded material provided by the Course Director

This course will examine five important events in the recent history if the United States. Some, like the Great Depression, involved long-term social disruption. Others, such as Watergate, were largely political crises. But all of them were generally perceived as both significant in themselves, and as indicating something important about the way in which the world’s foremost superpower was developing. Those who lived through these events, or survived them, were well aware that they were ‘living through history’. And historians, who differ about almost everything else, have generally agreed with this view.

Learning outcomes:

• A clearer understanding of some of the key events in the recent history of the United States;
• An understanding of why these events were significant;
• A fuller knowledge of the context in which these crises took place.

Session titles:

1. The Great Depression 
2. Pearl Harbor
3. The Assassination of John F Kennedy
4. Watergate 
5. 9/11

All course content will be delivered online via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded talks (which may be audio and/or video), designed to help you address different aspects of the main topic. You will normally have access to a range of useful resources and suggested activities.

There will also be an element of interactive work, and the opportunity for you to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director via the Course Forum. The Course Director will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis.

Some courses may also have elements of optional live discussions via Zoom.

There are no pre-requisites for courses, unless specified, and all are open to adult learners over 18 years old. Courses are taught at approximately first-year undergraduate level.

Content will be made available on each day of the course, Monday to Friday, from 8.00am BST. Course content will normally amount to c 1.5hrs per day across the 5 days, comprising of material delivered by the Course Director and activities/reading set, which would include discussions via the course forum. You may also need to complete reading or other preparation suggested in advance of the course.

We therefore suggest that you set aside approximately 1.5 hours of study per day to complete each day’s content and activities. However, this does not need to be done in one sitting, and you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish. Each course runs for one week and content will remain available to access on the VLE for 2 weeks after the course has finished.

A Certificate of Participation for the course(s) will be sent electronically, upon request via email, after the end of the Summer Festival. Details will be provided on the VLE.

English Language:

To ensure that all participants on our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning are able to enjoy studying with us, you will need to be confident understanding and following arguments presented in written and spoken English at University level. You will need to satisfy yourself that you have an appropriate level of English language proficiency.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read our English language recommendations and are satisfied that you have the appropriate level of English to benefit from the course.

For details of our English language recommendations, see Booking information.

Technical requirements:

All courses will be delivered via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that allows you to study and learn online, access learning resources, and interact with your tutor and fellow students.

You will need to have access to:

- the internet via a computer or smart device

- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available

- speakers or headphones in order to hear pre-recorded material provided by the Course Director

Learning outcomes:

1. An understanding of the historical context(s) in which this text was produced;
2. An appreciation of the continuities and distinctions in the thematic content of this work;
3. An understanding of the relationship between form and content in literary texts;
4. An ability to articulate a critical analysis that includes close reading of texts.

Session titles:

1. Introduction: The Making of Modern Childhood
2. Pilgrim’s Progress: Religion, Transcendentalism and Alcott
3. Hospital Sketches: Little Women and the Civil War
4. Jo’s Stories: Louisa May Alcott and Woman Artists
5. Adapting Girlhood: Little Women at 150

All course content will be delivered online via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded talks (which may be audio and/or video), designed to help you address different aspects of the main topic. You will normally have access to a range of useful resources and suggested activities.

There will also be an element of interactive work, and the opportunity for you to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director via the Course Forum. The Course Director will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis.

Some courses may also have elements of optional live discussions via Zoom.

There are no pre-requisites for courses, unless specified, and all are open to adult learners over 18 years old. Courses are taught at approximately first-year undergraduate level.

Content will be made available on each day of the course, Monday to Friday, from 8.00am BST. Course content will normally amount to c 1.5hrs per day across the 5 days, comprising of material delivered by the Course Director and activities/reading set, which would include discussions via the course forum. You may also need to complete reading or other preparation suggested in advance of the course.

We therefore suggest that you set aside approximately 1.5 hours of study per day to complete each day’s content and activities. However, this does not need to be done in one sitting, and you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish. Each course runs for one week and content will remain available to access on the VLE for 2 weeks after the course has finished.

A Certificate of Participation for the course(s) will be sent electronically, upon request via email, after the end of the Summer Festival. Details will be provided on the VLE.

English Language:

To ensure that all participants on our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning are able to enjoy studying with us, you will need to be confident understanding and following arguments presented in written and spoken English at University level. You will need to satisfy yourself that you have an appropriate level of English language proficiency.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read our English language recommendations and are satisfied that you have the appropriate level of English to benefit from the course.

For details of our English language recommendations, see Booking information.

Technical requirements:

All courses will be delivered via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that allows you to study and learn online, access learning resources, and interact with your tutor and fellow students.

You will need to have access to:

- the internet via a computer or smart device

- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available

- speakers or headphones in order to hear pre-recorded material provided by the Course Director

All course content will be delivered online via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded talks (which may be audio and/or video), designed to help you address different aspects of the main topic. You will normally have access to a range of useful resources and suggested activities.

There will also be an element of interactive work, and the opportunity for you to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director via the Course Forum. The Course Director will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis.

Some courses may also have elements of optional live discussions via Zoom.

There are no pre-requisites for courses, unless specified, and all are open to adult learners over 18 years old. Courses are taught at approximately first-year undergraduate level.

Content will be made available on each day of the course, Monday to Friday, from 8.00am BST. Course content will normally amount to c 1.5hrs per day across the 5 days, comprising of material delivered by the Course Director and activities/reading set, which would include discussions via the course forum. You may also need to complete reading or other preparation suggested in advance of the course.

We therefore suggest that you set aside approximately 1.5 hours of study per day to complete each day’s content and activities. However, this does not need to be done in one sitting, and you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish. Each course runs for one week and content will remain available to access on the VLE for 2 weeks after the course has finished.

A Certificate of Participation for the course(s) will be sent electronically, upon request via email, after the end of the Summer Festival. Details will be provided on the VLE.

English Language:

To ensure that all participants on our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning are able to enjoy studying with us, you will need to be confident understanding and following arguments presented in written and spoken English at University level. You will need to satisfy yourself that you have an appropriate level of English language proficiency.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read our English language recommendations and are satisfied that you have the appropriate level of English to benefit from the course.

For details of our English language recommendations, see Booking information.

Technical requirements:

All courses will be delivered via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that allows you to study and learn online, access learning resources, and interact with your tutor and fellow students.

You will need to have access to:

- the internet via a computer or smart device

- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available

- speakers or headphones in order to hear pre-recorded material provided by the Course Director