Short course
A History of Social Class in Great Britain, 1642-2026
Course status:
Closed to new applications
Dates:
11/07/2026 - 18/07/2026
Study format:
Summer schools
Fees:
From £1,375.00 to £2,310.00
Exploring the shifting culture, ideologies and politics of the class system in modern English history from 1650 to the present day.
It has been claimed that ‘the most fundamental structural characteristic of English society was its high degree of stratification’ (Keith Wrightson, English Society, 1580-1680). We will consider the extent to which this remained valid through the following centuries and up to the present day.
Throughout modern English history social hierarchies have been promoted and challenged in a wide variety of ways, reflecting the changing cultural, philosophical and political perspectives of the times.
Our subject will be explored through a variety of historiographical approaches: cultural and social, economic, political and literary.
Areas of especial focus will be the impacts of war and religious conflict during the later 17th century, the 18th century Enlightenment and urbanisation, 19th century Chartism and socialism and, finally, transformations of the 20th century which precipitated by its end a degree of social mobility which challenged the continued relevance of class as a way of understanding English society. We will conclude the series with an investigation into the condition of class in Britain as a whole into the 21st century and ask, is it really dead as some authorities have claimed?
This course is part of the Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) programme.
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Programme details
Seminars
Participants are taught in small seminar groups of up to 10 students, and receive two one-on-one tutorials with their tutor.
Course aims
This course aims to:
- Provide students with an overview of how English society has understood social class over the period.
- Offer insights into how and why class identity became politicised and why in the 21st century it has declined in importance.
- Provide opportunities for students to further develop their research and academic writing skills.
Accommodation
Residential options are outlined below.
Please see the ‘application’ section above for guidance on how to book or request the right accommodation for you.
Residential option
This includes accommodation and all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner).
View full details of Rewley House accommodation.
Non-residential option
We also offer places on a non-residential basis whereby participants can take classes and have meals (lunch and dinner) at Rewley House, having arranged their own accommodation elsewhere.
Location: Rewley House 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA
Programme details
Seminars
Participants are taught in small seminar groups of up to 10 students, and receive two one-on-one tutorials with their tutor.
Programme details
Seminars
Participants are taught in small seminar groups of up to 10 students, and receive two one-on-one tutorials with their tutor.
Sunday
Seminar 1:
An introductory overview of the class system in modern English history and historiography: tracing its rise and supposed decline by the end of the 20th century. The problematic nature of ‘class’ in the Celtic British nations.
Seminar 2:
Seventeenth century challenges to the social hierarchy in England were largely inspired by the tenets of Christianity and as critiques of the institutions of monarchy, aristocracy and the established church. The civil wars provided rich ground for the spread of sects promoting social and gender equality.
Monday
Seminar 3:
The ‘making’ of the English working class. E. P. Thompson’s classic analysis of the eighteenth-century dawn of class consciousness among the English labouring population forms the starting point for a survey of the historical debates over the validity of class as a form of historical explanation.
Seminar 4:
The rise of the middle classes: the enormous wealth flowing into the country from empire and the rapid expansion of home industries created a consumer society, served by innumerable small businesses. Through the political power property owners gained through the franchise reform acts of the nineteenth century, they became an important political voice in the nation. Those who had already achieved status as middle class through their professions and wealth aspired to join the upper classes, and even the aristocracy, through honours or marriage.
Tuesday
Seminar 5:
Class and the Victorian novel: from Benjamin Disraeli and Charles Dickens to Thomas Hardy. Novelists of the nineteenth century both reflected their society and introduced their readers to new ways of understanding it.
Seminar 6:
‘Toffs’, 1880 – 1914. Late Victorian and Edwardian society featured a new breed of aristocrat encouraged by the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII: commercial, sporting, of relatively modest family origins, and liberal in their political views. Their wealth drove the formation of a new political oligarchy, unsympathetic to the old aristocracy but resistant to further democratisation.
Wednesday
Seminar 7:
The politicisation of the working class. From the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, the working classes found an increasingly powerful political voice, owing to successive voting franchise reforms, improved education and collective bargaining through strike action. By the 1920s outright class warfare seemed imminent.
Seminar 8:
War socialism 1914 – 1918 and 1939 – 1945: during both world wars social distinctions became blurred as men and women from all backgrounds occupied positions according to the demands of total war rather than of peacetime requirements.
Thursday
Seminar 9:
Class and the twentieth century novel: from H. G. Wells, D.H. Lawrence and Kenneth Grahame to Virginia Woolf, Ian Fleming and Martin Amis novelists explored the shifting complexities of class identities and relations.
Seminar 10:
1945-1990: From the middle-class paradigm to the Thatcher revolution, ‘one-nation’ Toryism sought to redefine British society as a unity of patriotic, aspirational individuals. Margaret Thatcher’s government promoted the notion of a new entrepreneurial class, open to anyone with initiative. Working class radicalism was tempered by growing affluence. Meanwhile, a homeless ‘underclass’ grew in numbers and were largely ignored.
Friday
Seminar 11:
Tony Blair and ‘Cool Britannia’: dawn of a classless society? The whole concept of class was largely abandoned by the generation that grew up from the 1960s to the 1980s. Broadly cynical about established authority, many accepted the idea that Britain was ‘a messy, muddled collection of peoples, united only by a lack of unity’ (Alwyn Turner, A Classless Society).
Seminar 12:
Social class in the 21st century. The series concludes with an assessment of the relevance, if any, of social class in the present century. Have claims of its demise been premature?
Programme timetable
The daily timetable will normally be as follows:
Saturday
14.00–16.30 – Registration
16.30–17.00 – Orientation meeting
17.00–17.30 – Classroom orientation for tutor and students
17.30–18.00 – Drinks reception
18.00–20.00 – Welcome dinner
Sunday – Friday
09.00–10.30 – Seminar
10.30–11.00 – Tea/coffee break
11.00–12.30 – Seminar
12.30–13.30 – Lunch
13.30–18.00 – Afternoons are free for tutorials, individual study, course-related field trips or exploring the many places of interest in and around Oxford.
18.00–19.00 – Dinner (there is a formal gala dinner every Friday to close each week of the programme).
A range of optional social events will be offered throughout the summer school. These are likely to include: a quiz night, visit to historic pubs in Oxford, visit to Christ Church for Evensong and after-dinner talks and discussions.
Teaching methods
The teaching methods used during this course may include:
- Short lectures/presentations
- Physical handouts
- Seminars/group discussions
- Student presentations
- Video Recordings
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be expected to understand:
- A variety of factors, cultural, economic, and political, which drove awareness of class identity.
- How class relations changed over the period.
- Why class as a model for understanding English society has declined in utility since the later twentieth century.
Assessment methods
Participants are required to undertake preparatory reading and complete a pre-course assignment of 1,500 words. Although this does not count towards credit, it is seen as an important way of developing your ideas and is mandatory. The pre-course assignment is typically due in the first week of June.
You will be assessed during the summer school by either a 1,000 word written assignment or a presentation supported by individual documentation. To successfully gain credit (10 CATS points) students should attend all classes and complete the on-course assignment.
Participants will attend two one-on-one tutorials with their tutor during the week.
Please see the ‘certification’ section for more details about CATS points.
Kees Windland – Tutor
Kees Windland is a graduate of St Cross College, University of Oxford. His research and teaching interests range from Victorian art, architecture and aesthetic theory to the cultural history of modern Britain and twentieth century ideologies. He has offered a variety of courses for Oxford Lifelong Learning over the past twenty years while working concurrently as a teacher and educational consultant in Eastern Europe and India.
Certification
Certificate of Attendance
All participants who complete the course will receive a physical Certificate of Attendance.
Digital badge
You will also be issued with an official digital badge of attendance. After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download this. You will be able to share this on social media and add to your email signature if you wish to do so.
Academic credit
OUSSA is an accredited summer school taught at undergraduate level; each one-week course carries 10 CATS (Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme) points at FHEQ (Framework for Higher Education Qualification) Level 4.
CATS points will be awarded to students who attend all classes and complete the on-course assignment to the required standard. Please see the ‘assessment methods’ section below for more details.
Certificate of Higher Education
Credit (CATS points) earned from OUSSA can be transferred towards our flexible Certificate of Higher Education. This part-time, award-bearing course lets you decide what, how and where you study by gaining credit from short courses, including short online courses, in-person weekly classes and OUSSA.
For full details, including transfering credit gained from OUSSA to the programme, see our Certificate of Higher Education programme page.
Accommodation
Residential options are outlined below.
Please see the ‘application’ section above for guidance on how to book or request the right accommodation for you.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Fee Option 1 (Single en suite – inc. Tuition and Meals) | £2205.00 |
| Fee Option 2 (Double en suite – inc. Tuition and Meals) 1 person | £2310.00 |
| Fee Option 3 (Twin en suite – inc. Tuition and Meals) per person | £1850.00 |
| Fee Option 4 (No Accommodation – inc. Tuition, Lunch & Dinner) | £1375.00 |
Most courses fill quickly so early registration is strongly recommended. If your preferred course is fully booked, you may wish to add yourself to the waiting list and the Programme Administrator will contact you should a place become available.
Please note, the programme is only open to those over the age of 18.
Online enrolment (single person accommodation and non-residential)
Single accommodation, double room for 1 person and non-residential places should be booked online by clicking on the ‘Book now’ button at the top of this page.
Online enrolments require payment in full at the time of registering.
Enrolment form (multi-occupancy or accessible accommodation)
Those requiring twin, double or accessible accommodation (including ground/lower floor accommodation) should complete an enrolment form as these rooms cannot be booked or requested online.
Please send the completed enrolment form to the email address below. Both the PDF and Word option of the form below are editable, so you can complete them online before saving and sending to us as an email attachment. You do not need to print and scan them. (Please use these forms only if you are making a twin or double booking for two people.)
- Enrolment form – editable PDF
- Enrolment form – Microsoft Word
Those who have specific requirements (eg an accessible bedroom) should contact the Programme Administrator directly at oussa@conted.ox.ac.uk or OUSSA, University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education, 1 Wellington Square, OXFORD, OX1 2JA, UK.
Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA)