Harvard Summer Program in Oxford, England
This page contains content from the Summer School 2009. For current information, visit the Harvard Summer School website at www.summer.harvard.edu.
Information on the programs being offered summer 2010 will be available online in early September.
An exploration of evolutionary biology at Oxford University
Faculty: Naomi Pierce and Andrew Berry
(8 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
Program dates: July 11–August 22
Application deadline: February 27
Cost: $7,350
“There is grandeur to this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed laws of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.”
– Charles Darwin from The Origin of Species
Charles Darwin’s great insight, evolution, lies at the heart of all of biology, but it’s much more than just a biological idea. Our understanding of who we are—both as individuals and as a species—is critically informed by evolution. As such, the conceptual transformation from created-in-the-image-of-God to modified ape is surely the single most seismic shift in the history of ideas. In 2009 we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of The Origin of Species. To mark the big event, the program explores Darwin’s heritage both in the classroom and in context throughout the United Kingdom. In addition, we plan to include some special surprises this year as we take advantage of the worldwide effort to honor the bearded sage.
The program is based in Oxford, a famous university town that embraces old and new. The buildings may be 700 years old, but the ideas discussed within them are twenty-first century. The presence of the past—in the college architecture, winding medieval streets, and strange, antiquated university rituals—serves as a constant reminder of what we owe to the thinkers who came before. Isaac Newton famously observed that he had seen further than other men “by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” In Oxford students have a visceral sense of the presence of those giants.
Oxford itself played a role in the Darwinian revolution. The famous debate between Thomas Henry Huxley and Samuel Wilberforce, bishop of Oxford, took place in the university museum. It ended with Huxley’s triumphant put-down: “If then the question is put to me would I rather have a miserable ape for a grandfather or a man highly endowed by nature and possessed of great means of influence and yet who employs these faculties and that influence for the mere purpose of introducing ridicule into a grave scientific discussion, I unhesitatingly affirm my preference for the ape.”
Even during the summer break, Oxford is a lively, student-oriented city. Much of the center is restricted to pedestrians, and the area—including the university—is small enough to explore thoroughly on foot. In addition, Oxford is well linked by public transportation to London (about an hour away), making it an ideal base for activities related to the curriculum and personal exploration throughout the south of England.
Course of study
Darwin and the Origins of Evolutionary Biology and Darwin and Contemporary Evolutionary Biology make the most of opportunities to learn in context with visits to many Darwin sites, including Down House, Darwin’s home in Kent; the Natural History Museum in London, the brainchild of Richard Owen, Darwin’s most vocal critic; the Linnean Society in London, where the joint Darwin-Wallace paper on evolution was delivered; and Shrewsbury, where Darwin grew up and attended school. Additional trips are planned for this special anniversary year. Students enroll in both of the following courses.
BIOS S-112 Study Abroad at Oxford: Darwin and the Origins of Evolutionary Biology
This course reviews the history of thought on evolution from its mythic beginnings through the theories of Charles Darwin. Starting with creation stories from around the world, the course then examines the seeds of evolutionary thinking in classical times and the critical intellectual input of scientists in postrevolutionary France, all of which place the Darwin-Wallace insight in its historical context. To best understand each thinker and his or her intellectual milieu, the course takes an explicitly biographical approach, exploring the interactions among an individual’s life story, political and social situation, and thought. While the emphasis is on scientists, particularly geologists and biologists, the course also reviews the role that social, political, economic, and philosophical thinkers—such as Thomas Hobbes, Adam Smith, and Thomas Malthus—played in the development of evolutionary theory. The Darwin-Wallace theory itself is reviewed in detail, and its political, social, and theological ramifications are discussed in the context of the reception of The Origin of Species. Prerequisites: none.
BIOS S-113 Study Abroad at Oxford: Darwin and Contemporary Evolutionary Biology
This course examines the history of evolutionary biology in the post-Darwinian world. Like Darwin and the Origins of Evolutionary Biology, it takes a historical approach, following strands of thought either introduced or ignored by Darwin in The Origin of Species through to the present. To take one example, several lectures are dedicated to genetics in evolutionary biology: Students review Darwin’s rather weak understanding of genetics; the controversies surrounding the reconciliation of Mendelism and Darwinism in the early years of the twentieth century; the eventual reconciliation in the so-called "modern synthesis" of evolutionary biology; the development of inclusive fitness arguments that addressed Darwin’s concerns about the evolution of altruism; the impact of molecular approaches on our understanding of evolutionary processes; and the neutral theory of molecular evolution. The course covers basic population genetics, speciation, the relationship between micro- and macroevolution, paleobiology, phylogenetic reconstruction, behavioral ecology/sociobiology, and human evolution. Prerequisites: none.
Course credit
For Harvard College students, this program counts as two half-year courses (4 credits each) of degree credit.
Transfer credit. Harvard Summer School courses and credits are accepted toward degrees at most colleges and universities. Since degree requirements vary among schools, students are advised to obtain transfer credit approval from their home institutions before registering for Harvard Summer School courses.
Faculty
Naomi Pierce, Sidney A. and John H. Hessel Professor of Biology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
Andrew Berry, Lecturer on Biology and Life Science Concentration Advisor, Harvard University
Application
Students must be at least 18 years old to apply. The application materials, outlined below, are due February 27:
- An application form (the application period for this program has ended)
- Official transcripts (sent directly from schools to the address below; unofficial copies of transcripts are accepted for Harvard College students only)
- A $50 nonrefundable application fee
- A supplementary statement describing interest in the program, coursework in biology, and travel experience abroad (not a prerequisite)
Applications should be addressed as follows:
Matilda West
Study Abroad Coordinator
Harvard Summer School
51 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Students will be notified of admission decisions by mid-March.
Cost
The cost of the program is $7,350, plus a nonrefundable $50 application fee. In addition, students are responsible for a health insurance fee ($165; waived if students have US insurance that provides coverage outside the United States) and for transportation to and from Oxford. The cost of the program covers the following:
- Tuition
- Room and some meals
- All scheduled excursions and extracurricular activities
Program directors will advise students of likely additional expenses.
Payment deadlines
Harvard Summer School online services allows accepted students to make payments or deposits with a valid credit card.
Students can also mail their payment, along with a completed Study Abroad Payment Form (available in Forms), to:
Student Financial Services
Harvard Summer School
51 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
For those admitted to the program, a nonrefundable deposit of $735 must be received by April 15 to secure a place in the program. Payment in full is due by May 15. A $100 late fee will be charged for payments received after this date.
Funding
Harvard College students are eligible for funding through the Harvard College Office of International Programs (OIP), as well as a variety of centers around campus. All Harvard Summer School study abroad programs qualify for summer funding. Programs of eight weeks or longer in duration (including extensions of Harvard Summer School Programs approved by faculty members) qualify for Rockefeller International Experience Grants; programs of shorter duration qualify for other summer grants.
Students may consult the Funding Sources Database for more information on all sources of funding. Please note that the funding application deadline for summer grants and Rockefeller International Experience Grants is February 27.
To apply for any study abroad funding, students need to provide information about the program’s budget, submit an application through the Common Application for Research and Travel (CARAT), as well as supplementary documents to the relevant center, if necessary. Additional information on the funding application process is available through CARAT.
Also see the Harvard College Financial Aid Office summer school page for information about assistance.
Other Harvard students may be eligible for financial assistance through their Harvard financial aid offices. Students enrolled at other institutions should consult their respective financial aid offices.
Accommodations
Students live in undergraduate rooms at Queen’s College, located in the medieval heart of Oxford. Accommodations are simply furnished, single-occupancy rooms. Bathroom facilities are shared. Social spaces within Queen’s are available for use. Classes take place at Queen’s College.
Additional information
Contact Andrew Berry, berry@oeb.harvard.edu, (617) 495-0684, fax (617) 495-5667.
Students with disabilities should contact the disability services coordinator as soon as possible: (617) 495-0977, (617) 495-9419 (TTY), or disabilities@dcemail.harvard.edu. Request-for-accommodation forms and supporting diagnostic documentation must be submitted by April 15. See the Disability Services page for more information about disability services, including request forms and guidelines for documentation.
Students applying for admission to Harvard’s study abroad programs should understand that although the University provides reasonable assistance and support to facilitate the participation of qualified students in its programs (including students with disabilities and health impairments), some of our programs are located in parts of the world where accommodations may not be readily available. Students are encouraged to be forthcoming with the disability services coordinator about any specific needs and functional limitations so that the Summer School can collaborate with those students in a way that fosters their safe participation and allows them to fully appreciate any barriers that they may face, depending on the location and rigors of the particular program.
Harvard Summer School is aware of the risks associated with international travel. Should the US Department of State issue a travel warning for any of the countries in which a study abroad program is planned, the program in that country may be canceled.