This summer settle in comfortably at Trinity College, in the heart of Oxford, and examine new perspectives on the causes, the course, and the consequences of the American Revolution.  With cool August days and beautiful surroundings providing the backdrop, you will join a bright, witty, and engaging faculty in thought-provoking discussions, small group conversations, and lively tours focused on the revolution that led to the birth of modern democracy. 

This seminar is a rare opportunity for you to study the American Revolution from both British and American perspectives. 

In the company of leading American and British experts, you will: 

• trace the evolving political and philosophical dilemmas faced by leaders on both sides of the Atlantic and examine the series of events that led to the declaration of American independence. 
• explore the underlying political, diplomatic, and constitutional issues of the Revolution and investigate the impact of the conflict on the society and culture of both countries. 
• assess, with the author of a book on the subject, the military campaign for America in colonial and European contexts. 
• focus on loyalists, Native Americans, slaves, and women, and see ways of life irrevocably altered as a consequence of the Revolution. 
• watch, as hostilities draw to a close in 1783, the United States labor to devise an effective government and define an international role while England extends its territories worldwide. 
• see how unresolved economic, political, and ideological issues set the stage for continued conflict with Britain that led to the War of 1812. 

By week’s end you will have a broader, richer understanding of the revolution that led to the birth of modern democracy. Return to top

PROGRAM FEATURES

The week is a lively mix of activities.  There are:  •interactive sessions led by experts 
• small group discussions with faculty• an evening video and discussion session• guided walking tours of Oxford and Trinity College• a trip to Bowood House in Wiltshire (a perfectly proportioned Georgian home with ties to the American Revolution)• a meal at a country pub • a concert by renowned pianist Jack Gibbons in Oxford's beautiful Holywell Music Room• and more. . .

The special emphasis placed on small group conversations with faculty members and fellow participants will provide opportunities for stimulating exchanges and the making of new friendships.Return to top

You will dine "in Hall" at Trinity College for most meals, with the college silver in use for the closing dinner as a highlight.  The free time built into the schedule allows you to relax in the gardens and courtyards of Trinity College and to explore the many attractions of Oxford.  Participants often comment on how much they enjoy feeling like residents, not tourists, during their week in Oxford.

The program begins with check in from 10:00 am – 12:00 noon on Sunday, August 12, and concludes Saturday morning, August 18.

One of the most common, and heartfelt, recommendations from past participants is that you arrive a day or two before the program.  This will give you a chance to settle in, get over jet lag, and begin to explore and enjoy the many attractions of Oxford and the surrounding countryside (Blenheim Palace, London, Stratford-upon-Avon, and much more is within easy reach) before the program starts.  If you would like to arrive early, extra nights of lodging at Trinity College will be available at an attractive rate (c. $50 per person per night).  This year pre program lodging will be available at Trinity College on Friday, August 10 and/or Saturday, August 11.  Post program lodging will be available for the evenings of Saturday, August 18, and Sunday, August 19.  Return to top

  Before the program begins, you will be sent an Oxford guidebook along with useful and comprehensive information to make it very easy for you to get to and enjoy Oxford.  You will also receive specially prepared program materials and a copy of program faculty member Jeremy Black’s book, "War for America - The Fight for Independence 1775 - 1783."

  Dress for the week is casual.  You will want to bring comfortable walking shoes and a sweater or jacket for cool evenings.  Check the Oxford weather.Return to top

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

You, if you are seeking intellectual stimulation in an informal, collegial environment and are interested in American and English history.  This program is perfect for those who would like to develop a broader understanding of the extraordinary political, social, cultural, and military transformations occasioned by the American Revolution and how they unfolded.

Past participants have represented a wide range of experiences, ages, and educational backgrounds.  Join us and discover that, as one past participant wrote, "spending a week with
an extraordinary faculty in a beautiful Oxford college studying a stimulating topic is a transcendent experience, and downright fun." Return to top

THE PROGRAM FACULTY INCLUDES

• Jeremy Black: Professor of History, University of Exeter (UK), one of Britain's most respected historians.  Among his 35+ books are War for America - The Fight for Independence 1775-1783 and A New History of England. 

• Jan Ellen Lewis: Professor of History at Rutgers University, Newark, and author of The Pursuit of Happiness: Family Values in Jefferson's Virginia and coeditor of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: History, Memory, and Civic Culture

• Peter Onuf: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor of History at the Corcoran Department of History, University of Virginia.  He is author of Jefferson's Empire: The Language of American Nationalism and is coeditor of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: History, Memory, and Civic Culture and editor of Jeffersonian Legacies. 

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

• University of Virginia:  Tom Dowd, Senior Director of Program Development, School of Continuing and Professional Studies, Center for University ProgramsReturn to top

PROGRAM SCHEDULE(subject to change)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 12

10:00 am - Noon: Check-In
12:30 pm: Lunch 
1:30 - 2:30 pm: Session 1, Program Introduction and Orientation
2:45 - 4:00 pm: Session 2, The Eve of Revolution, Jeremy Black & Peter Onuf 
3:30: Afternoon Tea 
4:15 - 5:45 pm: Tour Trinity College 
5:45 - 7:00 pm: Free Time
7:00 pm: Opening Reception & Dinner Return to top

MONDAY, AUGUST 13 

7:30-9:00 am: Breakfast 
9:00 - 10:30 am: Session 3, One Society, Divided by a Pond, Jan Lewis 
10:30 am: Morning Coffee 
11:00 am - 12:30 pm: Session 4, The Political & Constitutional Crisis, Jeremy Black, Jan Lewis, Peter Onuf 
12:30 pm: Lunch 
1:30 - 2:15 pm: Session 5, Georgian Oxford, Christopher Day 
2:30 - 4:30 pm: Session 6, Guided Walking Tours of Oxford
4:30: Afternoon Tea 
5:00 - 7:00 pm: Free Time or 
5:00 - 6:00 pm: Optional Session: A Revolution of Ideas: Natalie Bober
7:00 pm: Dinner, Trinity Hall 
8:15 pm: Video & Discussion  Return to top

TUESDAY, AUGUST 14 

7:30-9:00 am: Breakfast 
9:00 - 10:30 am: Session 7, The Decision for Independence, Jan Lewis 
10:30 am: Morning Coffee 
11:00 am - 12:30 pm: Session 8, British Identity - Society & Politics in an Age of Revolution, Jeremy Black 
12:30 pm: Lunch 
1:30 - 2:30 pm: Free Time
2:30 - 4:00 pm: Session 9, American Identity - Society & Politics in an Age of Revolution, Peter Onuf 
4:00 pm: Afternoon Tea 
4:30 - 6:00 pm: Session 10, Small Group Discussions
6:00 - 7:00 pm: Free Time
7:00 pm: Dinner 
Free Evening  Return to top

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15 

7:30-9:00 am: Breakfast 
9:00 am - 12:30 pm: Session 11, The Many Faces of the American Revolution: 1. War 1500 - 1815: Jeremy Black; 2. American Revolutionaries & the Changing World Order, Peter Onuf; 3. The American Revolution as a Civil War - The Political & Social Impact on Loyalists, Slaves, Native Americans, & Women, Jan Lewis 
12:30 pm: Lunch 
1:30 - 2:30 pm: Free Time
2:30 - 4:00 pm: Session 12, The Two Georges, Jeremy Black & Peter Onuf 
4:00 pm: Afternoon Tea 
4:30 - 6:00 pm: Session 13, Small Group Discussions
6:30 pm: Dinner
8:00 pm: Jack Gibbons in Concert  Return to top

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16

7:30-9:00 am: Breakfast 
9:00 - 10:30 am: Session 14, Could the British Have Won the American Revolution? Jeremy Black, Jan Lewis & Peter Onuf 
10:30 am: Morning Coffee 
11:30 am: Depart for Wiltshire 
12:30 pm: Lunch, Country Pub 
2:00 - 5:00 pm: Session 15, Tour Bowood House.  Bowood House, in Wiltshire, was owned by the Earls of Shelburne.  The 2nd Earl, prime minister from 1782 to 1783, was created Marquess of Lansdowne for negotiating peace with America after the War of Independence. 
5:00 pm: Return to Oxford 
7:00 pm: Dinner 
Free Evening  Return to top

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17 

7:30-9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 - 10:30 am: Session 16, The Long View: U.S. - Constitution, 1812, moving away from Europe, Peter Onuf; BRITAIN - Growth of Empire, French Revolution, Treaty of Ghent/Congress of Vienna, Jeremy Black 
10:30 am: Morning Coffee 
11:00 am - 12:30 pm: Session 17, Should the British Have Won the American Revolution? Jeremy Black, Jan Lewis & Peter Onuf 
12:30 pm: Lunch, Trinity Hall 
Free Afternoon, or optional Tour of Trinity College Gardens
7:00 pm: Closing Reception and Dinner
After Dinner Soiree Return to top

SATURDAY, AUGUST 18

8:00-9:30 am: Breakfast 
Enjoy a leisurely morning 
Check out time is noon Return to top

THE SETTING - TRINITY COLLEGE

 Your home for the week is Trinity College, the most central of Oxford's colleges, where you will live, study, and dine.  Founded in 1555, Trinity is noted for the excellence of its architecture,  gardens, and food and its pleasant atmosphere for living and learning.  Among Trinity's "old boys" (women were first admitted in 1979) are Lord Baltimore, the Prime Ministers William Pitt and Lord North, John Henry Cardinal Newman, and Lord Kenneth Clark. 

While "up at Oxford" both faculty and participants live "in college." Each person has a private single bedroom with a refrigerator and a sink with hot and cold taps.  Many feature an attached sitting room.  Bathrooms are shared.  There are a limited number of double occupancy rooms.  During your stay, the College beer cellar, squash court, and laundry facilities are available for your use. Return to top

Take an interactive photographic tour of Trinity College -  Virtual Trinity

OXFORD, ENGLAND - CITY OF DREAMING SPIRES

  Oxford, home to England's oldest University and smallest cathedral, is located on the north bank of the River Thames, fifty-six miles northwest of London.  Frequent bus connections to Heathrow and Gatwick airports and extensive bus and train connections to London make it very easy to travel to and from Oxford  Return to top

Click here for official updates on Hoof and Mouth Disease in Britain

 

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