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Courses |
Students will stay at St. Catherine’s College. This is an ideal location as it is only a one-minute walk to both the Economics and Law Departments of the University of Oxford.
Teaching for the two-week programme will include: 15 hours of class time in small groups of 5-8 students and 1.5 hours of individual interaction with a faculty member per week.
Students must choose a core course and an elective course.
The core courses are:
- Introduction to Economics
- Introduction to Law
- The Business Mastermind: Economics and Entrepreneurship
- [English and Communication] (#4)
The elective courses are:
- International Human Rights Law
- International Relations
- Development Economics
- International Trade and Economic Policy
- The Art of Acting and Communication
The Introduction to Economics course covers basic economic theory and techniques as well as their application to practical examples and policy questions. Students learn to address economic issues faced by countries through applying the analytic framework developed in the course. They also gain the ability to read the economic policy literature and follow current economic debates.
The course starts with 5 lectures on macroeconomics, covering the ways in which the overall economy works, unemployment, inflation, and the rationale and impact of government macroeconomic policies.
The second part of the course contains 5 lectures on microeconomics, covering individual decision-making, supply and demand, market power and market failure.
The Introduction to Law course is designed to provide an overview of the institutions, personnel and procedures of the English Legal System and the international legal system. Students participate in interactive classes, discussions, debates, group activities and mock trials.
The course begins with a brief analysis of the history of the English Legal System and the different sources of law. Students learn about the way legislation is made and passed as well as the different types of legislation. The course also examines the court system of England and Wales and introduces the range of personnel within the legal system, including the role of judges, the jury, barristers and solicitors. The second part of the course begins with an analysis of how international law is made and how it relates to national systems. Students then evaluate a number of topical issues of global concern, including the use of force and the protection of human rights.
This is a very hands-on course where students learn about entrepreneurship and how to develop a business idea from scratch. Theory will be presented as a way to help advance students’ business ideas. At the end of the course, students will have a taste of what it practically means to be an entrepreneur, and will understand the challenges and rewards that are involved in the process.
During this course, students master the important concepts in economics that every business person must understand. In the first part of the course, students brainstorm a business idea and learn how to write a business plan. In the second part of the course, students learn the main concepts of marketing, accounting, negotiation, pitching a business idea and the art of influence. More importantly, during this time, students execute the business idea. Students take an active role as a social entrepreneur as all profits will go to their preferred local charity in Oxford. In 2014, the students who participated in this course were featured in the local newspaper for their excellent work in raising money for ROSY, a local charity that helps sick youngsters.
The English and Communication course aims to improve students’ language abilities and help them to communicate more fluently and effectively in English. Students participate in interactive classroom activities to give them the opportunity to practise grammatical structures and new vocabulary in a fun and supportive environment.
The course begins with developing students’ knowledge in a wide range of grammatical structures and tenses. Students will also be introduced to vocabulary connected to Economics, Business, Law and International Affairs and will be given guidance on academic writing styles. The second part of the course focuses on communication and oral presentation skills where students will be required to give both individual and group presentations on a topic of interest.
The International Human Rights Law course provides an overview of the body of international law designed to promote and protect human rights at the international, regional and domestic levels. Students participate in interactive classes, discussions, debates and group activities.
The course begins with an analysis of the emergence of human rights law, and familiarises students with the three generations of international human rights law. The sources of this body of law are also considered. The second part of the course focuses on the different systems of human rights protection, including the UN system, the European system as well as the American and African systems.
The International Relations and International History course provides an overview of the complexities of international strategic relations and allows students to recognize underlying trends and patterns in the international arena. It also provides an introduction to the major events since 1890 that have shaped our world to this day.
The course commences with an analysis of the structure of the international society to enable students to gain a more in-depth understanding of the nature of contemporary international relations. Students will be introduced to the main theories of international relations including realism, liberalism and constructivism. The course also examines the role of international organisations in international politics such as the League of Nations, the United Nations, the World Bank and the European Union. The second part of the course analyses the ‘globalisation’ of the European balance-of-power system after 1890 through the emergence of extra-European great power, including Russia, Japan and the United States. Students also learn about the crisis and collapse of the system in the First World War as well as the events that led to the outbreak of the Second World War.
The Development Economics course is an introduction to the study of the economic circumstances and problems of low and middle-income economies. Students learn to better understand a number of specific issues central to the lives of the people who live in the developing world.
In the first part of the course, we inquire about economic development and consider the contributions economic analysis can make to explaining why some nations are poor and others are rich as well as what determines economic growth. Students review alternative theories of economic growth and discuss inequality and poverty from a global perspective. In the second part of the course, students will learn about the policies which are particularly successful at increasing school enrollment rates, vaccination rates, gender equality etc. We will discuss the importance of randomised controlled trials in obtaining good estimates of the impact of different policies. We will also study to what extent households can benefit from a greater access to microcredit and microfinance in general.
The International Economic Policy course focuses on international trade in goods, services, and capital. It serves as an introduction to international economic issues. Students evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of global economic interdependence through trade and policy.
In the first part of the course, students examine the big questions: (i) why do countries trade, (ii) what determines the patterns of trade, and (iii) how are the gains from trade distributed. Several economic models and relevant case studies are presented. In the second part of the course, students carry out an analysis of protectionism and strategic trade barriers to appreciate the repercussions of a country’s trade policies to itself as well as to the global market.
The Art of Acting and Communication is a course designed to help students to understand and control their presence and voice on stage. It will also allow them to open, explore and expand the use of their imagination. This course is designed to help students gain confidence and provide them with the necessary tools they will need whenever acting on stage, during interviews or speaking in public.
In order to express their opinions and point of views correctly, students will learn how to connect their thoughts and emotions through the use of their bodies. During class, we will be working on different relaxation and breathing techniques, movement, expression and voice exercises, which will allow students to use their bodies without harming themselves and to communicate better to their audiences.
We will be working with different types of texts and the course will finish with a little showcase of our work.