Academic Programme

We offer 16 different courses across five different streams (areas of study), namely International & European Law, Economics, Philosophy, British Literature and STEM.

Oriel college

Each of the streams is led by a senior academic of Oriel College who sits on the Institute’s Academic Advisory Panel. They work with the Tutors to ensure that the learning experience delivered is truly world-class and meets the highest of academic standards, while remaining accessible.

The Tutors who teach at the Summer Institute are drawn either directly from Oriel or from the wider University. Some of the Advisory Panel members will also teach on the programme. This ensures that the quality of the programme, both in terms of content and teaching, is maintained at the highest level.

Each student may take one course per session but must select up to three preferences in order of priority. While we will do our best to place you in your first-choice programme, limited spaces mean this cannot always be guaranteed. To increase your chances of securing a place, we recommend that you submit your application as early as possible.

Course Offerings in 2025

Each course taught in our Summer Institute has been specifically designed for our programme, with the intention of providing a learning experience like no other.

The papers we are offering in 2025 include:

Economics

Session I (20 July - 2 August)

Microeconomics & Game Theory (Dr Richard Povey & Dean Ryu)
Economics of Public Policy (Dr Craig Holmes)

Session II (3 August - 16 August)

Monetary Policy & Central Banking (Dr Chris Bowdler)
Finance (Jaiqi Zheng & Dean Ryu)

International & European Law

Session I (20 July - 2 August)

International Dispute Resolution (Lara Ibrahim)
EU Market Law (Prof Stefan Enchelmaier)

Session II (3 August - 16 August)

International Business Tax Law (Amedeo Rizzo)
European Contract Law (Prof Stefan Enchelmaier)

Philosophy

Session I (20 July - 2 August)

Philosophy & AI (Dr David Tena Cucala & Prof Gonzalo Rodriguez-Pereya)

Session II (3 August - 16 August)

Philosophical Classics – Plato and Descartes (Prof Gonzalo Rodriguez-Pereya & Dr Luca Castagnoli)

British Literature

Session I (20 July - 2 August)

Shakespeare (Dr Leah Veronese)

Session II (3 August - 16 August)

Novel Fictions – Defoe to Austin (Dr Lucy Powell)

STEM

Session I (20 July - 2 August)

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (Dr Dominic Alonzi)
Symbolic Methods in AI (Dr Michal Zawidzki)

Session II (3 August - 16 August)

AI: Foundations & Algorithms (Dr Przemyslaw Walega)
Quantum Computing (Dr Kobi Kremnitzer)

The course offerings for 2025 and the named tutors of each course are subject to change. The up-to-date course offering and a description of each course is available on the programme’s website.

Recognising your Learning

The Summer Institute is first and foremost an academic programme. While we promise to provide outstanding teaching, we expect our students to engage fully, work hard and make the most of the experience.

Both during the course and at the end of the second week, your tutor will assess your understanding of the course’s content. The specific mode of assessment will depend on the course you are undertaking, but might include group presentations, essays, multiple choice tests, seminar feedback.

Each delegate who has successfully completed the programme will receive a Certificate of Achievement from Oriel College, as well as an Official Academic Transcript.

The Certificate of Achievement will be signed by the Senior Tutor and Senior Dean of Oriel College, and the transcript will set out how you performed in your learning and participation in the programme.

Some universities will accept this course as credit towards your degree – please check with your home university when you apply. For reference, this programme includes approximately 36 hours of teaching, including lectures, seminars, assessment and evening talks. This is typically considered to be 2 US credit hours/4 ECTS credits.

The Academic Advisory Panel

To ensure the quality of our academic programme, the Summer Institute is overseen by an Advisory Panel composed of a number of the College’s Fellows (including the Senior Tutor and Senior Dean).

Their role is to ensure that the programme curriculum, assessment approach and Tutors meet the highest of academic standards. Panel members include:

Mrs. Juliane Kerkhecker

Senior Dean, Fellow & Tutor in Classics, Oriel College

Professor Gonzalo Rodriguez-Pereya

Philosophy Stream Lead

Senior Tutor, Colin Prestige Fellow & Tutor in Philosophy, Oriel College

Dr Paul Yowell

Law Stream Lead

Benn Fellow & Tutor in Law, Oriel College

Dr Nicholas Gaskill

British Literature Stream Lead

Fellow & Tutor in American Literature, Oriel College

Dr Christopher Bowdler

Economics Stream Lead

Macpherson Fellow & Tutor in Economics, Oriel College

Dr Kobi Kremnitzer

STEM Stream Lead

Fellow & Tutor in Mathematics, Oriel College