Day Four

Today was a calmer day after the Shakespeare festival yesterday! Students are settling into their Majors and Minors, with teachers taking students punting (Poetry), building motors (Physics and the Future), and having classes in University Parks (International Law).

Journalism class with Dr. Richard Grayson

In the afternoon, students were entertained with a Poetry Reading by renowned Oxford poet, Dr. Helen Kidd, a lecturer in English studies at Oxford Brookes University and a tutor at Ruskin College, Oxford. She recited a few of her poems to the students, and spoke about looking for inspiration all around us. One interesting anecdote was writing a poem about a fleet of Arabian dhows after visiting a local piano shop.

The evening was melodiously concluded with a concert from premier English chamber choir, Pro Musica (their website can be found here). For a little over an hour, students were entertained with both contemporary and traditional songs from a choir that has appeared on various TV shows in the UK, such as the Vicar of Dibley, and produced a number of successful albums.

Tomorrow (Friday) is the first official field trip of the Oxford Tradition summer program! We're off to Broughton Castle, the home of Lord and Lady Saye and Sele. This stately home was given 5 stars in the publication England's Thousand Best Houses by Sir Simon Jenkins, so it should be a very interesting and informative day out.

A full report on the day's amusements to come!