Daily schedule
After registration on Sunday afternoon, we invite you to a welcome meeting in the Amersi Lecture Theatre in New Quad, where you will meet your tutors. Join us in Deer Park afterwards for our opening drinks reception, followed by dinner in Brasenose’s historic dining hall (informal dress).
Seminars take place on weekday mornings. Most afternoons are free, allowing you time to explore Oxford, enjoy a variety of optional social events (see details below), or to sit back and relax in one of the college's atmospheric quads.
Your course culminates on Friday evening with a closing drinks reception and gala farewell dinner at which Certificates of Attendance are awarded. For this special occasion smart dress is encouraged (no requirement to wear dinner suits or gowns).
Social programme
We warmly invite all Inspiring Oxford students to take part in our optional social programme, with all events provided at no additional cost. Events are likely to include:
- Croquet on the quad
- Chauffeured punting from Magdalen Bridge
- Expert-led walking tours of Oxford
- Optional visit to an Oxford Library or the Ashmolean Museum
- River Thames afternoon cruise
- Quiz night in the college bar
- Scottish country dance evening (where you do the dancing!)
Seminars
Monday
An Introduction to P G Wodehouse’s Life and Work
Begin your week in Wodehouse’s world and discover how this master of comic fiction built a dazzling career, spanning novels, Broadway musicals, and MGM screenplays. We’ll explore his life and times, focusing on the vibrant interwar years that shaped his distinctive humour and characters.
Although the day includes some introductory lectures, rest assured there will be plenty of time for group discussion as we read and reflect on a short Wodehouse story.
Tuesday
P G Wodehouse and 'Englishness'
What does it mean to be English, and how did Wodehouse define (or parody) that idea? Today, we unpack concepts like Englishness, the English gentleman, and the country house world that form the backdrop to his stories.
Through guided discussion and examples from his fiction, we’ll explore whether Wodehouse’s world is affectionate nostalgia or subtle social satire.
Wednesday
Wodehouse and British Fascism
Step into the complex politics of the 1930s as we explore the rise of the British Union of Fascists (BUF) under Oswald Mosley and discuss how Wodehouse’s The Code of the Woosters reflected (and mocked) some of the anxieties of its time. Together, we’ll consider how satire can both engage with and distance itself from political movements.
Thursday
Wodehouse and WWII
Today we examine Wodehouse’s internment in a Nazi civilian camp, his controversial radio broadcasts from Berlin, and the fallout that ensued. Using original transcripts and historical accounts, we’ll explore how these events reshaped his reputation and his life.
We also take a broader look at the social history of internment through the experiences of others held at Camp Tost in Upper Silesia.
Friday
Wodehouse: Beloved Writer or National Traitor?
We close the week with reflection and debate. Has your view of Wodehouse changed in any way? Was he a harmless humourist, a political innocent, or something more complicated?
In our final sessions, we’ll bring together all that we’ve learned and end with an engaging creative writing exercise to give you an opportunity to channel Wodehouse’s sparkling style for yourself!
