Interdisciplinary Summer Programme

The three terms of the Interdisciplinary Programme offer courses covering a wide variety of subjects, including philosophy, economics, international politics & relations, art & architecture, literature, history and science.

The academic programme
• Two or three courses (one from each group)
• Series of plenary lectures: Turning-Points
• Evening talks
• Contact hours: up to 56.5 hours per term

Programme description
Each two-week term is independent, for an immersive experience, we suggest you study for four or six weeks, combining two, or all three terms. However, you may enrol for just one term if you prefer. You can focus your studies on two or three courses in the same discipline, or choose courses in differing subjects. With hundreds of possible course combinations, you can devise your own personalised study programme.

"A great opportunity for cross-disciplinary study: the wealth and breadth of these courses reflect Cambridge at its very best." Sarah J Ormrod, Programme Director, Interdisciplinary Summer Programme

Courses

Select two or three courses per term. Teaching takes place on weekdays; the maximum class size for all courses is 25 participants, except for International politics in a global age which is 40. You can write one essay per course for evaluation. The following have been invited to teach courses:

TERM I (5 – 18 July)

Group A: 9.00am - 10.15am
A11 - Russia: from Lenin to Stalin, 1917-53 Dr Jonathan Davis
A12 - Britain and its Empire, 1763-1919 Dr Seán Lang
A13 - Fantasy, faith, and attitude: JRR Tolkien and Philip Pullman (cannot be taken with A33 in Term III) Dr John Lennard
A14 - International development (cannot be taken with A23 in Term II) Dr Calum Nicholson
A15 - British politics and political thought, 1600-1800 Dr Graham McCann
A16 - Medieval science: the not-so-Dark Ages? (cannot be taken with A26 in Term II) Dr Seb Falk

Group B: 11.45am – 1.00pm
B11 - Russia: from Stalin to Putin (cannot to be taken with La5 in History) Dr Jonathan Davis
B12 - Childhood in literature, from Shakespeare to Alice and beyond Mr Simon Browne
B13 - Great Ancient and medieval philosophers Dr Karim Esmail
B14 - An introduction to animal behaviour Dr Paul Elliott
B15 - Catastrophe and collapse: exploring societal failures, extinction and existential risk Dr Luke Kemp
B16 - Governing markets: contemporary trade law and policy and its challenges Mr Toby Fenwick

Group C: 2.00pm – 3.15pm
C11 - Metropolis: Rome and the Aztecs Dr Nicholas James
C12 - An introduction to international business (cannot be taken with C32 in Term III) Dr Sooter Nomhwange
C13 - Britain and its film makers Mr Simon Browne
C14 - British culture and traditions (cannot be taken with C22 in Term II) Dr Karen Ottewell
C15 - Exploring cultural history: arts and science, 1880s -1930s Dr Allegra Fryxell

TERM II (19 July – 1 August)

Group A: 9.00am – 10.15am
A21 - Imagining intelligent machines Dr Kanta Dihal
A22 - The art of looking Ms Jo Rhymer
A23 - International development (cannot be taken with A14 in Term I) Dr Calum Nicholson
A24 - The philosophy of mind Dr Jon Phelan
A25 - British politics and political thought, 1800 to the present Dr Graham McCann
A26 - Medieval science: the not-so-Dark Ages? (cannot be taken with A16 in Term I) Dr Seb Falk

Group B: 11.45am – 1.00pm
B21 - The making of the modern Middle East, 1914-67 Dr Michael Talbot
B22 - Modern art: Impressionism to Abstract Expressionism Ms Jo Rhymer
B23 - The nature of knowledge Dr Karim Esmail
B24 - Making sense of international migration (cannot be taken with A31 in Term III) Dr Calum Nicholson
B25 - Three great Shakespeare Comedies: A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night Dr Paul Suttie
B26 - Understanding the Earth and its history Dr Peter Sheldon

Group C: 2.00pm – 3.15pm
C21 - The future of the European Union with(out) the United Kingdom Mr Julius Rogenhofer
C22 - British culture and traditions (cannot be taken with C14 in Term I) Dr Karen Ottewell
C23 - Great modern philosophers Dr Karim Esmail
C24 - The medicinal properties of plants Dr Patrick Harding
C25 - Pride, prejudice and persuasion: Jane Austen revisited Mrs Ulrike Horstmann-Guthrie

TERM III (2 – 15 August)

Group A: 9.00am – 10.15am
A31 - Making sense of international migration (cannot be taken with B24 in Term II) Dr Calum Nicholson
A32 - The landscape history of Britain Dr Nicholas James
A33 - Fantasy, faith, and attitude: JRR Tolkien and Philip Pullman (cannot be taken with A13 in Term I) Dr John Lennard
A34 - The human mind: the 'normal' and beyond (Double course: to be taken with B34) Dr John Lawson
A35 - Materials and our environment: striving for sustainability Dr Darshil Shah

Group B: 11.45am – 1.00pm
B31 - English houses and gardens - personal expressions Mrs Caroline Holmes
B32 - Rome and China Dr Nicholas James
B33 - An introduction to Ancient Greek lyric poetry Dr Charles Weiss
B34 - The human mind: the 'normal' and beyond (Double course: to be taken with A34) Dr John Lawson
B35 - An introduction to Milton's Paradise Lost Dr Paul Suttie

Group C: 2.00pm – 3.15pm
C31 - Designing Georgian Britain -18th-century consuming passions Mrs Caroline Holmes
C32 - An introduction to international business (cannot be taken with C12 in Term I) Dr Sooter Nomhwange
C33 - Greek and Roman epic heroes: Achilles, Odysseus and Aeneas Dr Charles Weiss
C34 - British politics at the dawn of a new era Miss Carina O'Reilly
C35 - An introduction to Creativity Theory Dr Alex Carter

Plenary lectures
All participants also attend the morning plenary lecture series, this year the theme Intelligence is applied across politics, scientific discovery, literature, art, economics, conflict, climate change and a wide variety of other topics.

Evening talks
Eminent speakers will present a variety of general interest talks. These are shared with students on our other programmes.

Course leader

Sarah J Ormrod

Target group

We welcome applications from all adults including university students, professionals and those with other experience, regardless of educational background.

Course aim

This programme is particularly useful for those with an interest in, or currently studying, a number of subjects, or those wanting to expand the range of subjects they might study in future. Many courses offer introductions to the subject, others are a little more specialised. The International Politics courses, for example, are fully immersive, meeting three times a day. Unless otherwise specified, no courses require prior learning, but there is usually required and/or supplementary reading which should be undertaken before you arrive in Cambridge.

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