CAM1: Shaping the World: Understanding the Past, Predicting the Future

More Course Details Attendance is required at 2-3 lectures per weekday, and at 2 discussion group meetings per week. Central to the experience is the supervision meeting per week (2-3 students with their supervisor) and one feedback meeting per week. Students submit one paper each week in advance of the supervision: submission of weekly papers and discussion of written work at the supervision sessions ensures academic rigor. This program format - a combination of self-directed research, lectures, discussions and supervisions - also largely mirrors the experience of regular Cambridge undergraduates who, in many subjects, are not required to attend set “classes” and can elect to hear particular lectures on topics within and beyond their immediate field of study. The four weeks of study will be very intensive.

Students have the option of additional study for one or two weeks, if they wish, by applying and paying for a place on one of the open-access programs: one or two weeks of the Medieval Studies or Shakespeare Summer Schools, or two weeks of the Interdisciplinary Summer School Term II. There may also be the option of paying to stay for up to three guest nights after the program, if space permits.

Comments from 2012 students:

“I just generally thought that the system of plenary lectures was fantastic.”

“Supervisions were the most intensive and effective educational opportunities that I've ever had.”

“This program was excellent. I obtained new knowledge and insights in various academic fields and enjoyed my life joining many cultural events such as classic concerts in Cambridge.”

“There was a great group dynamic as a result of peoples' willingness to engage in the activities.”

“Academically rigorous and challenging – I felt we had adequate time and resources.”

“Thank you very much for a great course.”

None, but optional weekend visits are available at an additional cost to places such as Oxford, London (to visit either the British Museum or the Globe Theatre), Blenheim Palace or Stratford-upon-Avon. There are also walking tours around Cambridge.

Applications are welcome from senior undergraduates and first year graduates. Participants should have excellent proficiency in written and spoken English (for those whose first language is not English, see minimum test scores required below) and be of high academic standing in their own university. Students should be open to learning in disciplines beyond their immediate field of study, and be extremely fluent in English: discussion of topics and clear expression of ideas will be essential parts of the program.

Learning Outcomes

Participants in the program will gain transferable skills, valuable for the completion of their current and any subsequent degree course, and for their future career development. The program will:

• Hone investigation skills, showing how to place any investigation in a wider context
• Encourage a more global perspective
• Foster the ability to think beyond an immediate and narrow field of interest
• Enable students to apply research and study skills to new areas of focus
• Expose students to a rich and broad range of information, via lectures, discussions and supervisions
• Enable students to draw together ideas, particularly via questioning and reasoning in discussions and supervisions
• Allow participants to benefit immensely from the exchange of ideas both with lecturers and with their student peers
• Teach time-management and succinct writing skills, crucial for further study and in any leadership career

Assessment

Assessment will be based on contributions to supervisions and on written papers. Oral feedback on papers will form part of the supervision, but students will also receive narrative reports on submitted papers. Four papers (normally 2,000-3,000 words each) will be graded on a percentage scale and awarded a Cambridge class mark. Students and institutions will be provided with a suggested letter-grade translation scale. Precise grades are not given out during the supervisions. Grades can be adjusted marginally (normally, by 0%-5% on the basis of performance in supervisions.) The final grade awarded is an average of the three highest-scoring papers.

Contact Hours

70+ total contact hours and another 2 – 30 hours (est.) for the field trip

The program affords some 60 contact hours of lectures, 4 hours of supervision, 8 hours of discussion, and therefore a total of some 70+ contact hours over the four weeks, excluding briefings and reviews, additional research and self-directed study time.

Credit equivalent

Please note: regular Cambridge undergraduates and participants on the Summer Schools are not awarded “credit”. However, IARU participants who wish to receive credit from their home institution can arrange this themselves, typically by submitting to their home institution, after completion of the program, the percentage marks for their written papers as well as their study timetable.

Based on the previous experience of colleges and universities that have dealt with University of Cambridge International Summer Schools students, and using a typical ratio of contact hours to semester credit hours, we make the following suggestions for the award of credit:

• A student who completes a two-week special-subject Summer School with a minimum of 48 contact hours and who writes two 2,000-3,000 word essays would probably be awarded four (4) undergraduate semester credit hours by their home institution.
• The IARU GSP Cambridge program (four weeks) offers 70+ contact hours and requires four essays and four supervisions. Credit awarded should be adjusted accordingly.

Students will be accommodated in St Michael’s Court, part of Gonville and Caius College, right in the centre of Cambridge. Teaching takes place on the Sidgwick Site and in the Mill Lane Lecture Theatres.

Students must arrive by 4pm on Sunday 7 July 2013. Students will be able to register at the Summer Schools Office from 11am. (The first meeting is at 4.30pm on Sunday 7 July.)

The check-out date is Saturday 3 August.

Tuition fees	:	£ 1,785
Accommodation including any deposits	:	£ 1,570
Other deposits	:	N/A
Field Trip	:	£ 15-£65 est. (optional)
Textbook Fees	:	£ 100 (est.)
Miscellaneous Fees	:	Registration fee of £ 400 (which is part of the £1785 tuition fee and not additional to it) on acceptance, balance due by 13 May 2013.
Living Expenses	:	Lunches, sundries, possibly £ 75 x 4 weeks = £300

1. Can I participate in more than one GSP course at your University, concurrently?
   Theoretically, you could apply for Cambridge courses offered outside the IARU program, such as the Medieval Studies, Shakespeare or International Summer School Term II, which begin on the Sunday after your GSP course ends.
2. If I am accepted, when will I receive more course details, such as course content, reading lists, timetables, payment schedule & cancellation policies, campus maps and other logistics details?
   We send out acceptance material as soon as possible after you have accepted the offer of a place. Payment and cancellation policies will be sent to you at this stage. This includes all the logistical information you should need. We will also send you an electronic copy of the general student handbook, and indicate which parts of this are relevant to you. In the succeeding weeks, we will send you updated lists of lectures, timetables and further information to help you prepare for your stay.
3. Will I have access to student facilities such as computer labs, libraries and health services at the hosting university?
   On arrival you will be given a password and information about computer access. You will have borrowing rights at the Summer Schools' own small library, and reading rights at a number of faculty libraries, as well as the main University Library. The Summer Schools' have an agreement with a local medical practice, although consultations and prescriptions incur a charge.
4. Will I need a visa to attend this GSP course?
   At the time of going to press, the Student Visitor Visa is the relevant document for international students accepted for this program. However, since regulations may change and additional documents may be required, students should always check current requirements for themselves. Please consult the Home Office website for more information about making a visa application: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk. Students must ensure they apply in sufficiently good time for the appropriate visas so that they are in a safe legal position to complete their course of study in Cambridge. We can provide a letter of acceptance (once you have been accepted for the program) which you can use in support of your visa application.
5. How can we interact with other participants and GSP alumni before the course?
   You will be given a password to access the main Summer Schools Virtual Learning Environment, so that you can communicate with other GSP and main Summer Schools students. With your permission, we will also share your email address with all other GSP participants at Cambridge, and a number of communications will be sent to the entire group.

You can direct your questions about course credits and scholarships to your home institutions. More details about the application process and deadlines will be available in the "How to Apply" page.

Students need to send proof of English language proficiency (test results) and two references from academics who have taught them, at the point when short-listed applications are forwarded to Cambridge. After acceptance, students are asked to forward three small, recent color photographs of themselves (maximum size 35mm x 45mm/1.4” x 1.8”), and to complete an “indications” form, suggesting which of the lecture topics on offer interest them most, and outlining the area in which, broadly speaking, they might wish to write papers for supervisions. (Papers are most likely to be written on subjects informed by plenary lecture attendance and to focus primarily, but not exclusively, on History, Literature or International Relations.)

So in summary:

1. To be sent with the application to Cambridge, after being short-listed:
   • two academic references, stating suitability for the program
   • for non-native English speakers: proof of proficiency in English.
     
     Original or certified copies of results must be sent, of one of the following only:
   • IELTS 6.5 (minimum 6.5 in each of the speaking listening, writing and reading elements)
   • TOEFL internet-based test (iBT) 100 (minimum 25 in each element) or TOEFL paper-based test (minimum score 600, and must include the Test of Written English)
   • TWE, as part of TOEFL (minimum score 5.0)
   • Cambridge CAE, minimum score C
2. to complete after acceptance:
   • the “indications form” (which will be sent to accepted applicants)
   • three photos (maximum size 35mm x 45mm/1.4” x 1.8”)

Important: Accepted students must ensure they have applied in sufficiently good time for an appropriate visa so that they are in a safe legal position to complete their course of study in Cambridge.

For more information about this course, please visit our website: IARU GSP at Cambridge or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..