Week 1: Inspiring Oxford summer school

Stay and study in historic Brasenose College
Week 1: Sunday 6 July - Saturday 12 July 2025
Elevate your summer by exploring your passion in a dynamic and world-renowned university environment at our Inspiring Oxford summer programme.
All week-long courses are pitched at an introductory level for non-specialists aged 18 and above, and no prior knowledge is required. You will study in small groups, of up to 16 participants, taught by highly experienced tutors.
The below 2025 courses are now all closed, but give a good indication as to what type of courses may be on offer for summer 2026. To stay informed of when our 2026 summer schools open to registrations, including Inspiring Oxford, please sign up to receive email updates.
Upcoming courses
Summer schools • Short courses
A practical and discursive creative writing course which encourages you to use your own life experience as a springboard for the creation of original fiction. Absolute beginners and practising writers are equally welcome.
- Sun 06 Jul 2025 – 12 Jul 2025
Summer schools • Short courses
Explore Digital Diplomacy with case studies and expert insights. Topics covered will include evolution, social media use, ethical challenges and future trends. Ideal for all interested in diplomacy, technology and our changing world.
- Sun 06 Jul 2025 – 12 Jul 2025
Summer schools • Short courses
Dive into psychological functions such as memory and forgetting, learned behaviour and its consequences, and personality and social behaviour. You can expect to learn a little about yourself, and quite a lot about human behaviour.
- Sun 06 Jul 2025 – 12 Jul 2025
Summer schools • Short courses
You will look at a selection of cantos from Dante’s Divine Comedy’s ‘Inferno,’ in a parallel Italian-English edition, and uncover the text’s rich cultural background while learning how to interpret such masterpiece of Italian medieval literature.
- Sun 06 Jul 2025 – 12 Jul 2025
Summer schools • Short courses
This course will look at Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings, drawings and notebooks within the interdisciplinary framework of art and science. It will offer a viewing of key drawings in Oxford collections.
- Sun 06 Jul 2025 – 12 Jul 2025
Summer schools • Short courses
Explore the origins of Lewis Carroll’s 'Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking-Glass'. Discover the hidden histories, controversies, and kaleidoscopic afterlife.
- Sun 06 Jul 2025 – 12 Jul 2025