This summer, from July 30 to August 7, I had the privilege to join Oxbridge Academic Programs at their Oxford Summer Seminar in none other than Corpus Christi College, Oxford University.
The Oxford Summer Seminar gathers students from all over the world to stay for a week or two at Corpus Christi College, where students pick one major per week to study for about three and a half hours every morning. In the afternoon and evening, there are then optional planned activities students can take part in, or they could go and explore Oxford Town by themselves.
Corpus Christi College was founded in 1352, and though it isn’t as big or grand as other Oxford colleges (Oxford has 39 and 6 Permanent Private Halls!), it’s still really pretty, and the architecture definitely contributes to the academically stimulating environment.
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The statue at the top of the pillar in the middle of the quadrangle is a pelican, representing self-sacrifice for the good of others. My favourite thing to do while there was to sit on the benches or the steps in the quadrangle, also known as the Quad, and play cards or chat with friends in the cool Oxford wind.
As someone who was there on scholarship, I stayed only a week, but it was extremely educational, enriching, and eye-opening - I’d also like to thank the Oxbridge Academic Programs for this rare and valuable opportunity.
The major I selected was Law - it was held in the auditorium, with a class size of 14. I’d selected this major because of an interest in the legal system, especially after we’d learnt about the branches of government and the judiciary in school. I thought it’d be interesting to see how law was taught from a British point of view, and at the same time see if I liked it enough to consider pursuing it as a career.
Of course, it wasn’t disappointing in the slightest. Over the course of five days, we studied criminal law, international law, the use of artificial intelligence in law etc., and were even given a book titled “All about Law”. Through debates and class discussions, I not only was able to learn from my fellow students and see things from different perspectives, but also gain a deeper understanding of how the legal system works- and should work. It was incredibly enlightening, and I enjoyed every second of it. If possible, I’d like to further my studies in law in the future.
Although unlike the other majors, we didn’t have any field trips (and were stuck in the stuffiest place in the entire college - it really is a wonder how most places in the United Kingdom survive without air-conditioning throughout their summers, though it is considerably cooler than that of Singapore), we did go on coffee breaks every morning. Our teacher, Mr G., would bring us to a new cafe every day so everyone could get coffee or hot chocolate. Though I didn’t learn anything from those sessions, I did make new friends, and we certainly got to bond.
Another one of my newfound understandings from our law class would be that under the influence of different societies and cultures, our value systems and opinions would definitely be different, as would our practices in life. It was really interesting to see how people thought differently from me, and to learn about everyone else’s cultures!
That’s it for our law major - I’m still reading the book All About Law, but I’ll post again soon with more photos and such regarding our recreational activities.
Look below for a photo of our law class (I'm the one in pink) :)
