Economic History: The Great Divergence, Convergence, and Beyond

Economic History: The Great Divergence, Convergence, and Beyond summer course in Oxford, by LMH Summer Programmes.

Key Details
  • Available
    Available from: 5th August 2024 to 23rd August 2024
  • Provider
    Provider: LMH Summer Programmes
  • Ages
    Ages: 19+
  • Fees
    Fees: £3,980 / 3 Weeks

Course Summary

What are the causes of the vast differences in wealth between nations? Why have certain societies prospered whilst others still grapple with poverty? Will inequality between the developed and developing worlds be permanent? Addressing these questions and understanding today’s global economy requires a historical perspective.

This course will begin with an introduction to Economic History as an interdisciplinary subject, and to the methods and sources economic historians use. You will then explore some of the key events of the past 500 years, including the Transatlantic slave-trade, colonialism, and the Industrial Revolution, examining their links to the phenomenon known as the ‘Great Divergence’, when levels of wealth in the Western world separated from everywhere else. We will then consider the more recent phenomenon of ‘Convergence’, and investigate why certain countries, including Japan and China, managed to catch up with their European counterparts, whilst others fell further behind. In the final part of the course you will reflect on the limits of ‘Convergence’, and assess whether inequality has become an immovable feature of global development. Throughout the course you will be introduced to frontline research and a variety of interdisciplinary approaches, with a particular focus on quantitative methods.

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Course Highlights

  • Live and study in Lady Margaret Hall, one of Oxford's finest colleges
  • Learn from experienced academics using the tutorial system
  • Enjoy meals in hall, experiencing life as an Oxford student
  • Gain new skills to take you further in your future academic or professional career.
What's Included?
  • All tuition, including lectures, seminars, and tutorials
  • Assessment, transcript of academic performance, and certificate
  • A co-curricular programme of skills workshops and guest speakers
  • Access to the Lady Margaret Hall College Library
  • Bed & Breakfast accommodation in a single bedroom with private bathroom throughout your programme
  • Lunch and dinner in the College Dining Hall Monday to Friday
  • A full Social & Cultural Programme, including two excursions to other English cities per three-week programme session
  • A high-quality printed class photograph
  • Formal Graduation banquet
Accommodation

You will stay in College accommodation onsite at Lady Margaret Hall, in en suite bedrooms normally occupied by our undergraduate students during term time.

You will eat breakfast each day in the Dining Hall, and lunch and dinner will also be provided in College on each of your teaching days. On the final evening of the course there is a Graduation Formal Hall, when students dress up in their finest outfits for a special banquet served in the Dining Hall.

Tuition

Teaching:

LMH Summer Programmes are designed and delivered by experienced academics from Lady Margaret Hall and across the University of Oxford, and are taught using the Oxford teaching model, which emphasises personalised small-group learning.

In a series of thought-provoking lectures and lively seminar discussions you will learn about cutting-edge research, expand your core knowledge, and explore new ideas and concepts among peers with diverse international perspectives and academic backgrounds.

Tutorials, the conclusion of each week’s study, are an intellectual thrill. They are a unique opportunity for focused and personalised attention from an expert academic and a space for enthusiastic debate of important ideas. Alongside no more than two to three other students, you will present and discuss your work, accept constructive criticism, and engage with the ideas of your fellow students. These rigorous academic discussions help develop and facilitate learning in a way that cannot be done with lectures alone.

Assessment:

On a three-week LMH Summer Programme students produce one piece of assessed work every week, which is submitted to the tutor and then discussed in a tutorial. At the end of each week you will receive a percentage grade for your submitted work. Each week’s work counts for a third of your final percentage grade, so your final grade is an average of the mark received for each piece of work. Students who stay for six or nine weeks will receive a separate grade for each 3-week course.

Academic Credit:

Lady Margaret Hall will provide a transcript of your assessed work, and can send this directly to your home institution if required. LMH Summer Programmes are designed to be eligible for academic credit, and we will communicate with your home institution to facilitate this as needed. As a guide, we recommend the award of 15 CATS / 7.5 ECTS / 4 US Credits for each 3-week course.

Extracurricular Activities

Would you like to join a pub quiz, visit a medieval castle, or go punting on the river? Our team of Residential Advisors are here to help you get to know other students, explore the city, and have an authentic experience of life as a student at an Oxford college.

Key Details
  • Available
    Available from: 5th August 2024 to 23rd August 2024
  • Provider: LMH Summer Programmes
  • Ages: 19+
  • Fees: £3,980 / 3 Weeks

Start Application

A pioneering and historic college of the University of Oxford with its own intellectually challenging summer school.

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