Cambridge, United Kingdom

Visions of the Future Summer Programme

when 5 July 2020 - 1 August 2020
language English
duration 4 weeks

This new, four-week programme will immerse participants in a series of lectures and seminars designed to address a wide range of topics related to our future. Visionaries, philosophers, politicians, scientists, engineers and writers all try to anticipate the future. This programme draws on specific examples. Topics are planned to include artificial intelligence, biodiversity, bio materials, cancer research, climate change, currency, existential risk, international business, the international order, medicine, security, sustainability and visual culture. Debate will focus on current ‘visions’, but will also be enriched by past literary, historical and political predictions.

Academic Programme
- Seminar
- Two-three plenary lectures per day
- Evening talks
- Supervision
- Seminars

You choose one seminar subject, and meet with the seminar leader and fellow seminar participants five times, on specific afternoons across the four weeks. The following have been invited to teach seminars:

Vf1 - The future of money Mr Andrew Hatcher
Vf2 - Social media’s global challenge Dr Calum Nicholson
Vf3 - Catastrophe and collapse: exploring societal failures, extinction and existential risk Dr Luke Kemp
Vf4 - Imagining intelligent machines Dr Kanta Dihal

Supervision
Each seminar group will be split in the final week, to allow for a Cambridge-style small group supervision, addressing the topics you have chosen for your written work.
This four-week programme is designed to allow students time to engage with the topics, to reflect on their learning, to write on a topic set by their seminar leader, and to discuss those written pieces within their supervision group.

Evaluation
In addition to the supervision assessment you can opt in to write an evaluation paper to be submitted a week after the programme ends for an additional £55.
Please note evaluation paper must be on a different subject to the supervision assessment.

Target group

We expect that most students will be current undergraduates, with a high GPA (cumulative score) in their home institution, who want to earn credit toward their home degree. A minimum GPA would normally be 3.2/4 on a 4-point marking scale, or 4/5 on a 5-point marking scale. So as a guide, a minimum cumulative mark would be 80%.

We welcome applications from all adults including university students, professionals and those with other experience, regardless of educational background. Gap year students (ie those who will already have finished high school by the start of the programmes) will be considered for admission. Due to the nature and location of the programmes, gap year students under 18 will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian acting as a chaperone. The chaperone will need to live in College in a room adjacent to the participant, and to attend classes with the participant. Chaperones are charged for accommodation and meals.

Credits info

The University of Cambridge does not use a credit system for the awarding of its internal degrees, and cannot award credit directly for its International Summer Programmes. Students wishing to obtain credit as a result of our evaluation should consult their own institutions in advance about the acceptability of the Summer Programmes evaluation for credit purposes.

Fee info

GBP 0: See official website