Our interdisciplinary programme offers over 60 courses covering a wide variety of subjects including archaeology, politics, philosophy, psychology, economics, education, literature, history of science and international relations. You can select courses in the same discipline or study more widely by choosing courses in differing subject areas.
The academic programme
- Two or three special subject courses
- Plenary lecture series: Influence and Illumination
- Evening lectures
Special subject courses
Courses consist of classroom sessions held on weekdays. Almost all are limited to 25 participants. You choose either two or three courses, each from a different group: A, B, C in Term I, II or III.
Term I:
Group A: 9.00am – 10.15am
A11 - International politics in a global age I
A12 - The British people and their Empire, 1600-1900
A13 - Russia in the 20th century
A14 - The English Renaissance I. Myth, magic and make-believe
A15 - A history of British political thought I. 1600-1800
A16 - How do fossils record evolution?Cancelled
A17 - History of art I. Politicising art, 1500-1970
A18 - Shakespeare and the course of true love: As You Like It and Othello
Group B: 11.45am – 1.00pm
B11 - International politics in a global age I
B12 - International development: key issues in today's world
B13 - Britain and the world since 1900
B14 - The English Renaissance II. Religion, revenge and revolt
B15 - History of science I. Ancient scienceCancelled
B16 - Fairy tales and visions: the Romantics and Jane Austen
B17 - Winds of change: post-war Britain, 1945-65Cancelled
B18 - Introduction to philosophy I. Philosophy of religion
Group C: 2.00pm – 3.15pm
C11 - International politics in a global age I
C12 - Archaeology I. The Ancient Aztecs and Maya
C13 - History of art II. About face: portraiture from Titian to Lucien Freud
C14 - Crises in world politics since 1945
C15 - An introduction to animal behaviour
C16 - "The hell where youth and laughter go": The Great War and literature
Term II:
Group A: 9.00am – 10.15am
A21 - International politics in a global age II
A22 - The British people and their Empire, 1900-97
A23 - Economics of public policy
A24 - The English Renaissance III. Guns and garters
A25 - A history of British political thought II: 1800 to the present dayCancelled
A26 - Understanding poetry
A27 - Introduction to philosophy II. Philosophy of literature: understanding other minds through fiction
A28 - Conflict archaeology: an introduction
Group B: 11.45am – 1.00pm
B21 - International politics in a global age II
B22 - Raj: the rise and fall of Britain’s Indian EmpireCancelled
B23 - Introduction to philosophy III. The philosophy of mind
B24 - History of art III. Art and power: how value is made
B25 - Living film - a life in pictures?
B26 - History of science II. Technology to astound: engineering feats of the ancient world
B27 - Greek heroes and gods, in literature, history and the imagination
B28 - Shakespeare and the serious business of comedy: The Merchant of Venice, Henry IV Part I, and Twelfth Night
Group C: 2.00pm – 3.15pm
C21 - International politics in a global age II
C22 - 20th-century country house fiction: Howards End, Brideshead Revisited, and Atonement
C23 - An introduction to macroeconomics
C24 - History of science III. Science and the Renaissance
C25 - Making film - not just shooting pictures. A course in media theory and practice
C26 - J R R Tolkien and modern fantasy
Term III:
Group A: 9.00am – 10.15am
A31 - History of art IV. Going Dutch: a history of C17th Dutch painting
A32 - The modern novel: one hundred years of experiments in narrative
A33 - Archaeology II. Rome and China
A34 - The English Renaissance I. Myth, magic and make-believe
A35 - Religion in the 16th-century Reformations
A36 - Governance of Britain today
A37 - Education in Britain, 1870 – presentCancelled
A38 - Introducing psychology: mind, mental process and behaviour
Group B: 11.45am – 1.00pm
B31 - History of art V. Painting Paris: French painting, 1860-90
B32 - Wordsworth and Coleridge, Lyrical Ballads: a new start in English poetryCancelled
B33 - Archaeology III. Britain before historyCancelled
B34 - The English Renaissance II. Religion, revenge and revolt
B35 - History of science IV. The Scientific Revolution
B36 - English houses and gardens I. Defining 'Englishness' from 1130 to 1970
B37 - Milton and the idea of freedom: Paradise Lost in context
B38 - The abnormal mind: an introduction to psychopathology
Group C: 2.00pm – 3.15pm
C31 - Children, teachers and education: contemporary issues, historical perspectives
C32 - English houses and gardens II. Esoteric, eclectic and egotistical
C33 - Archaeology IV. History everywhere: Roman and medieval Britain
C34 - Crises and international relations since 1945
C35 - History of science V. The invention of the modern world: mathematics, 1200-1700
C36 - Loves in literature from Shakespeare to Seamus Heaney
Plenary lectures
The morning plenary lecture series focuses on Influence and Illumination. Talks will consider significant literary, artistic, historical and scientific influences.
Evening lectures
Invited speakers and members of the University will present a varied evening lecture programme, covering a wide range of subjects.
A typical day
If you have opted to do three special subject courses, each weekday morning you attend a class from Group A, followed by a plenary lecture, followed by a class from Group B. In the afternoons you attend a class from Group C. General interest lectures are offered in the evenings.
College accommodation
Accommodation is available for participants who want to stay in a Cambridge College. Please see the accommodation options available for this programme.
Non-residential attendance is also available if participants prefer to find their own lodgings.
Information for applicants
Programme calendar (available in December)
Who can apply
How to apply
Download
The quickest way to apply is by using our secure online booking system. You can also apply by downloading an application form (pdf) and sending it by post or fax.