Writing Place: Oxford

All stories are set somewhere, and in this course, we spend an active learning week in Oxford, England, studying in the heart of the city and exploring its literary institutions with the intention of writing deeply from and about them. Oxford, home to the oldest English-speaking university in the world, is the quintessential university town: its eponymous university served as the inspiration for Harvard. With a literary heritage stretching back nearly a millennium, Oxford was the intellectual and creative birthplace of many beloved works of literature—from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth drafted out at the Bird and Baby Pub to Oscar Wilde's plays and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Even Harper Lee and Dr. Seuss studied there and drew inspiration from "that sweet City with her dreaming Spires" (from a poem by Matthew Arnold, an Oxford poet!) as have, more recently, Jill Paton Walsh, Wendy Cope, and Philip Pullman, whose His Dark Materials trilogy begins in an Oxford common room. In anticipation of the week, we read and prepare to discuss several works by Oxford authors, developing insights into the ways place shapes writers and their writing. Each day during the Oxford week, we meet for craft discussions. Tours and excursions are also scheduled. The final project is a 3,500-5,000-word piece, in any prose genre, inspired by your experience of this place.

In addition to completing all required assignments for the course, students must attend the entire immersive experience in Oxford to pass the course (you cannot arrive late or leave early). Additional requirements before and after the on-campus weekend are noted in the syllabus. Students with documented disabilities should contact the Accessibility Services Office no later than two weeks before the course begins.

Harvard Extension School (HES) spring term registration, drop, and withdrawal deadlines apply to CREA E-190. See the calendar. If students drop the course, HES will refund tuition payment according to standard refund policy. HES is not responsible for hotel accommodations, transportation, meals, costs associated with tours and/or events, or other expenses that students may incur.

In addition to the course tuition, students are responsible for: US health insurance that provides coverage outside the United States if you are from the US. Transportation to Oxford, England, and return travel to your home location. Costs such as accommodations, transportation, meals, tourist activities, and other incidental expenses. The cost of passports and visas (if the latter is needed).

Students are required to register with Harvard's Global Support Services (GSS) and complete the Harvard Assumption of Risk and General Release form prior to travel. If you do not register with GSS and complete the release form, you will be dropped from the course.