An Oxford Experience

Summer Study at Oxford University Program Application
In partnership with the San Diego State CES-Travel Study Division,
Texas State University and Virginia Commonwealth University
July 19 - August 8, 2009
Cost $2,685 (includes 6 units of SDSU residence credit) exclusive of airfare and most meals.

Description of the Program

C.S. LewisThis program is an intensive three-week study in residence at Oxford University, with assigned readings and online assignments/discussions prior to departure. The courses are connected, integrated, experiential, and team-taught, and involve students and faculty from three different university honors programs. The program is geared for honors students and those that are prepared for a rigorous academic experience. Students will select two courses.

Courses:

  1. GENS 450: Life and Culture Semester Abroad [GE]- Quest for Meaning in Life, Literature and Art
    Profs. Hulsey (VCU) and Frost (SDSU) will team teach this interdisciplinary seminar which examines various ways that humans have attempted to make meaning of the human experience.  Rather than taking the traditional approach of attempting to explain the process of making meaning, we will read books (novels), watch films and take trips that are, in themselves, an attempt to make meaning, of life, of tragedy, of love, of what it is to be human.  In this way we will try to engage directly the process of making meaning that lies at the core of what it is to be human.

  2. GENS 410: Civilization Through Travel Study- Religion, Science and the Quest for Meaning
    FreudThis course will be built around Nicoli's book on the Freud - Lewis debate, plus primary material from Freud & Lewis. (There will be a provision for graduate students, and/or special needs honors students to undertake an Independent Study, arranged with instructor, in lieu of this course.) The course will feature material not included in the other two courses, but it will "anticipate and connect" to both of them. Additionally, the course will not adhere to a normal class structure in terms of "seat time." Instead, each day we will set in play "an intellectual experience" that might be 2 hours, or might be the rest of the day, or might be an entire weekend (Fri - Sun), such as:

The program is open to all SDSU honors students and to students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, regardless of classification.

Additionally, students will discuss nationally competitive scholarship programs and work on applications for a program of their choice during the course of the program. Note: Preference for registration in the Oxford Program will be given to students who intend to apply for one of the programs (e.g., Fulbright, Rhodes, Truman, Goldwater, Rockefeller, etc.) at the appropriate juncture of their undergraduate career.

SDSU Student Registration

Students from San Diego State University program will register for General Studies 410 ("Civilization Through Travel-Study") and General Studies 450 ("Life and Culture Semester Abroad"), for a total of six units. All six units will count as Honors credit hours, and participation in the program will also fulfill the University Honors Study Abroad requirement.

Highlights of the Program

As part of the course, there are several tours scheduled in and around the rich historical and intellectual Oxford surroundings; C.S. Lewis sites; Freud's London office; Blenheim Palace; the London art scene; Stonehenge; the Isle of Wight; and more. The goal of the program will be to connect experiential components of the trip directly to the intellectual content of the integrated courses.