Week 3 Seminars OUSSA

Join us in Oxford for a study holiday
Week 3: Saturday 25 July - Saturday 1 August 2026
The Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) is a residential summer programme held at Rewley House central Oxford, offering more than 60 week-long accredited courses for adult learners (18 years and over) covering a wide range of subjects in Literature, Archaeology, Architectural History, Creative Writing, History of Art, Philosophy, Biological Sciences, Theology and Psychology.
A selection of courses taking place during week 3 can be previewed below. To view all week 3 courses please select 'full listing'.
To learn more about this summer programme, and to browse courses taking place during other weeks, see full details of the OUSSA programme.
Upcoming courses
Summer schools • Short courses
Charles Dickens’s autobiographical novels David Copperfield (1850) and Great Expectations (1861) reflect elements of the author’s childhood, upward mobility and romantic hopes. Compare Dickens’s changing recollections & reformulations of his fictive past.
- Sat 25 Jul 2026 – 01 Aug 2026
- 9:00am – 12:30pm
Summer schools • Short courses
The astonishing history and complex legacy of Captain James Cook. With three Pacific voyages in just eleven years, he helped shape the modern world through pioneering cartography, navigation and science.
- Sat 25 Jul 2026 – 01 Aug 2026
- 9:00am – 12:30pm
Summer schools • Short courses
With the reopening of the magnificent post-fire restoration of the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris we will look at the impact which French medieval architecture had on the cathedrals of England including Canterbury, with a study visit to Lichfield.
- Sat 25 Jul 2026 – 01 Aug 2026
- 9:00am – 12:30pm
Summer schools • Short courses
From The Prince to Discourses on Livy, we explore, interpret and assess the key ideas and enduring significance of 'the father of modern political philosophy', Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527).
- Sat 25 Jul 2026 – 01 Aug 2026
- 9:00am – 12:30pm
Summer schools • Short courses
This course will introduce the techniques of group coaching, including: understanding processes that a group and its members are experiencing; managing evolving dynamics between members, and with the 'task'; maintaining focus without leading.
- Sat 25 Jul 2026 – 01 Aug 2026
- 9:00am – 12:30pm
Summer schools • Short courses
This is a thrilling exploration of a high-stakes digital battlefield where every insight gained could make the difference in the fight against hidden yet powerful criminal organisations.
- Sat 25 Jul 2026 – 01 Aug 2026
- 9:00am – 12:30pm