Excel Oxford/Tuscany

Excel Oxford/Tuscany offers students the chance to prepare for college with in-depth, field-based seminars at the prestigious learning centers of Oxford University and Florence. The program takes students from Oxford to Paris and on to Florence with learning focused on active hands-on exploration of themes common to these three great European cities. While experiencing university life at Oxford and from a villa in the hills of Tuscany, students immerse themselves in the rich history and modern life of Europe. They emerge from their summer with a new appreciation of the cultures they have explored, and the desire to deepen their knowledge of Europe’s past and present. The program gives students the opportunity to participate in college-level courses on a number of fascinating topics with dynamic, highly qualified staff.

Designed for mature, motivated, and intellectually curious students interested in seeing Europe in ways unavailable to tourists, Excel Oxford / Tuscany offers challenging, field-based seminars which prepare students for college.

Oxford, Paris, and Florence: Oxford’s rich historical, architectural, and cultural background makes it the perfect setting for our field-based courses. The group lives for two weeks on the beautiful campus of St. Hilda’s College at Oxford University. From this base, students embark on numerous field trips to encounter the awe-inspiring sights of this magnificent English city: the ancient Bodleian Library, Christ Church Cathedral, the Sheldonian Theatre, and the neighboring network of historic colleges, chapels, and museums. Students may find themselves sketching the Radcliffe Camera, contemplating treasures in the Ashmolean or Pitt Rivers museums, exploring an ancient Roman villa in the nearby Cotswolds, or following in the footsteps of Lewis Carroll or J.R.R. Tolkien among the magical gardens of Oxford’s venerable colleges. Oxford University is ideally situated for visiting a staggering array of important cultural and historical sites.

From Oxford, the entire program travels by train to Paris for a four day interlude en route to Florence. Students get a taste of French life while staying in the heart of the city, within walking distance of the Latin Quarter, Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Pompidou Center, and the Musée d’Orsay. Participants have the opportunity to expand upon their studies in this great European center of culture and learning with visits to some of the world’s finest art collections, concerts, theatre, and architectural treasures.

From Paris, they take an overnight train to legendary Tuscany, where students enjoy their final two weeks of study in Europe. In Tuscany, the program campus is a beautiful 16th-century villa perched high on a hill overlooking Florence, among olive and cypress groves in the small town of San Domenico. Nestled among the villas of Ferragamo, Michelangelo, the Medici, and other famous Italians of the past and present, the Excel villa is a short walk or bus ride from the world-renowned historical and art center of Florence and the beautiful hilltop village of Fiesole. From this comfortable and well-situated base, students set out to explore the great city of Florence and the province of Tuscany, whose treasures have never ceased to amaze writers, artists, and travelers from around the world.

A Typical Day

After rising and eating breakfast with classmates and instructors, students break into their class groups for the morning. The Art through the Ages course may meet briefly in a seminar room to look at slides of the works they are about to see before setting out for the Ashmolean Museum, the International Relations class may embark on a trip into London to visit 10 Downing Street, and the Creative Writing class may head to a sunny café in Florence to work on their latest writing piece. Classes break for lunch, when students have the opportunity to explore some of the local restaurants and cafés on their own, then resume in the afternoon for continued exploration or discussion.

After class, students and staff work together to plan late afternoon activities such as punting in Oxford, a trip to the Musée Marmottan in Paris, a traditional tea at a local teahouse, or a visit to the oldest gelateria in Florence. The entire group gathers for a daily community meeting before dinner on campus. Evening activities include trips to the theatre, opera or ballet, film nights, and coffeehouses. (back to top)

Excursions

On weekends or special occasions, the entire program departs on excursions to various points of scenic or cultural interest. While these trips change from year to year, recent groups have marveled at Stonehenge, gone biking in the Cotswalds, attended a Royal Shakespeare Company performance in Stratford-upon-Avon, hiked along the cliffs in Cinque Terre, and strolled the Old World streets of Siena.

Courses of Study

In each course in the Excel Oxford/Tuscany program, students delve into the cultural, historical, artistic, or economic resources of England, France, and Italy, exploring rich nuances of classical and contemporary learning. All students choose one major and one minor course, which they follow throughout the program with the same instructors, maintaining their academic focus as they shift cultures–from Oxford to Paris to Florence. Major courses meet three days per week, minor courses meet two days. The courses are dynamic, based on a college seminar format, and have a significant field component.

Oxford/Tuscany Courses of Study
 

Major Courses

Archaeology and Classical Studies: In 117 A.D. the Roman Empire stretched across Europe from Turkey to London. Evidence of Roman engineering and architecture can be found throughout England and Italy, in the form of villas, baths, aqueducts, roads, amphitheatres, and magnificent arches. Before the Romans, Celtic tribesmen built mysterious circles of stone in the English countryside, and Etruscans crafted beautiful ceramic tombs in early Tuscany. Exploring ancient societies through their physical remains, this course opens a fascinating door into the distant past. In Oxford, students study the basics of archaeology and begin to unlock the secrets of ancient cultures. Lectures by working archaeologists, trips to ongoing digs, and field visits to a few of the many stone circles that have dotted the English countryside since the Iron Age give students a look at the societies that pre-dated the Roman occupation. In Tuscany, students continue to explore Roman civilization and also have a chance to go further back in time, to the remains of the gifted and mysterious Etruscans.

Art through the Ages: This interactive course in art history uses the bountiful artistic treasures of Oxford, Paris, and Florence as a starting point. Students have a chance to see world-renowned painting and sculpture in some of the world’s oldest and greatest museums, including the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, the Tate and National Galleries in London, the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay in Paris, and the Uffizi, Accademia, Bargello, and Opera del Duomo in Florence. Using slides to begin discussing the works before visiting them, students first consider these works from an art historical perspective: For whom were they painted or sculpted? What was their historical and cultural milieu? How did artistic styles evolve through the ages in England, France, and Italy? What lessons can Giotto, Titian, or Manet teach us about the world we live in today? The study of art history is enriched by a closer look at the contemporary art scene: students may visit a London artist in his studio, or contemporary galleries in London, Paris, and Florence.

Creative Writing - The Grand Tour: This workshop-style course uses students’ own work to highlight the art of creative writing, with a focus on using the power of the places they visit to develop story-telling and descriptive skills. Students begin by reading a selection of contemporary and classical authors who have created a sense of place in their work. Complementing these readings are frequent writing sessions in evocative locations such as cathedrals, ruined castles, open-air markets, and Roman amphitheatres, where students focus on using sensory cues to elucidate setting and character. A major aspect of the course is the workshop, where each student has a chance to critique others’ work and receive commentary on his/her own works-in-progress. For their final project, students write and present a fully developed story, essay, or series of poems set in England, Italy, or France. The core of the course is students’ own written work. Participants have short writing assignments each day.

Drawing and Painting: Designed for both experienced artists and beginners, this course takes students into the field to sketch with watercolor, pencil, or charcoal. Instruction in drawing techniques is complemented by frequent forays into the architectural and pastoral landscapes of Oxford and Tuscany. Students have the opportunity to sketch medieval and Renaissance churches, cobbled alleyways, olive groves, and vineyards. Feedback is given through critiques during which students are encouraged to evaluate their own and each other’s work. Visits to some of the world’s greatest museums, including the Ashmolean in Oxford, the Tate and National galleries in London, the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, and the Uffizi and Accademia galleries in Florence complement and inspire students’ own art work. Students show their work in a final exhibition at the Excel villa in Florence. Students must provide their own art supplies.

History of the Renaissance: From the kingdom of Henry VIII to the republican city-state of Medici Florence, this course assesses the key cultural and political features of one of the most fascinating periods in European history. Beginning with an overview of Europe during the Renaissance era, students acquire an understanding of how art, politics, and religion interrelated. Through seminar discussions, debates, role-playing games, occasional lectures, and extensive fieldtrips, the course focuses on some of the most influential, the most celebrated, and the most vilified figures in history: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Sir Thomas More, Henry VIII, Machiavelli, the Borgias, the Medici dynasty, and others. Field visits from Oxford include London and Hampton Court Palace; in Florence, they include the Duomo, San Marco Monastery, the Medici Palace, and many other Renaissance sites. Final projects allow students to explore in more depth a particular area of interest.

International Relations–The European Union: As Western European nations progress from monetary unification to political unification, they become an undeniable powerhouse on the international scene. This course examines the larger issues of European integration, and its influence on the rest of the world. Guest lecturers and field visits give students insight into the major political and economic institutions of England and Italy, such as 10 Downing Street, Parliament, the House of Windsor, and the London Stock Exchange. Students get a first-hand look at the effects of the European Union through field visits to traditional businesses such as olive oil producers. In addition, they seek out local people in England and Italy to ask their opinions about European integration.

The World of Shakespeare: One of his contemporaries called him “an up-start Crow”, others considered him “worth whole planets.” Recent movies have remade The Taming of the Shrew (Ten Things I Hate About You), Twelfth Night (She’s The Man), and even created a highly fictionalized version of Shakespeare’s sentimental life (Shakespeare in Love). What is it about the Bard of Avon and his work that continues to fascinate us? Do we sit through his plays, as Oscar Wilde said, “In order to recognize the quotations?” Or can we experience humor, pain, bawdiness, and wisdom in words that are over 400 years old? Oxford is an ideal place to begin to answer these questions, with Shakespeare’s home of Stratford-upon-Avon close by and London, where he pursued his acting career and debuted many of his plays, within easy reach. This seminar is also a theatre course: as a final project, students have an opportunity to act in and produce a series of Shakespearean scenes in an authentic Italian setting. Students attend several Shakespeare performances, including a Royal Shakespeare Company production in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Minor Courses

Architecture Through the Ages: Using the many stunning examples of Gothic, Renaissance, and Modern architecture in Oxford, Paris, and Florence as a point of departure, this course introduces students to the major currents of European architectural history and provides insight into the societies that produced them. The course also investigates contemporary developments in both architecture and urbanism. Through a series of field visits and informal discussions, students examine some of the most important examples of architecture in the world. The objective of this course is to acquaint students with the major styles and currents in the history of architecture in order to raise their understanding of the built environment around us.

Art of the Sketch: As travelers through the ages have discovered, sketching is a way to etch permanently in one’s mind the memory of a place. It is a way to savor the travel experience, to interpret it, and to make it one’s own. This course takes students out into the historic landscapes and cityscapes of Europe, pencil in hand, to record their experience through a series of sketches. Taught by a practicing artist, this course is meant for students wishing to develop their artistic skills as well as those who simply want to add depth to their experience in Europe. Students must provide their own sketchbooks and colored or graphite pencils.

History of World War II: Before the 20th century was half over, World War II took hold of Europe and shook it to its foundations. England, France, and Italy were major battlegrounds, and the memory of the war lives on in the minds of the older generations and in the historical landscape. In a series of informal discussions complemented by films and field visits, students consider the legacy of WWII in Europe. Field trips include the Imperial War Museum, Churchill’s underground War Rooms and country palace at Blenheim, the Musée de l’Armée in Paris, and the Cimetero Americano in Florence.

Medieval History: From the legends of King Arthur and Robin Hood to Europe’s castles and cathedrals and the poetry of Chaucer and Dante, the thousand- year-long Middle Ages was a rich and fascinating period in history. Though sometimes viewed as a dark age of ignorance and poverty, Europe was a scene of continual evolution and development from the end of the Roman Empire to the beginnings of the Renaissance. In the later Middle Ages, Oxford was one of Europe’s greatest seats of learning, Florence was an important commercial center, and Paris was both, providing the perfect raw material for this fascinating course. Class time is spent exploring medieval history through discussions, short readings, and field visits to sites of historic and artistic interest.

Survival Italian: For students with little or no background in Italian language, this course allows participants to function at a basic “survival” level. A series of fun, dynamic drills and field exercises on such topics as food, greetings, directions, transportation, and speaking etiquette improve participants’ ability to get around and enhance their experience in Italy.

Travel Photography—Composition and Narrative: Composition and Narrative In this course, students learn how to use their cameras as tools to explore new environments and document their experiences. Through reviewing other photographers’ work, class assignments, and critiques students expand their understanding of photography and develop the visual and technical skills for capturing the essence of the people and places that they encounter. Topics of discussion include the fundamental elements of photography (such as light, composition, and perspective), methods of approaching strangers, and candid versus “directed” photography. By the end of the course, students have created a dynamic body of work that goes beyond the typical postcard shot and photographs of travel companions. They enhance their powers of observation and gain awareness of the expressive possibilities of their surroundings. Students must provide their own digital camera with a pixel depth of at least 3 megapixels. There is a supplemental fee of $150 for this course.