Course Summary
What is the secret to a life well lived? People may accumulate wealth and success, and yet find themselves feeling lonely and unfulfilled – what’s missing? The empirical evidence is unusually clear: the most significant determinant in how happy, healthy, and long a life we lead is our social connection, that is, how connected we feel to other human beings. In many societies, however, loneliness has been on the rise, attributed variously to pandemic restrictions, an increasing reliance on digital interactions, or an emphasis on individualism over community.
This course examines why nurturing supportive relationships matter to mental health and how people create bonds with one another. You will learn about the types of social network, and how different people nurture their networks, especially when entering new social environments or facing a life transition. You will also investigate why people can be naturally suspicious of those who seem at first glance to be ‘different’, and how human beings can nonetheless form successful diverse interconnected communities. This exciting course spans several areas of psychology, including evolutionary, social, and clinical psychology, and the psychology of individual differences, to explore how and why humans choose social connection with others.
- 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 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
LMH Summer Programmes are designed and delivered by experienced academics and experts from Lady Margaret Hall and across the University of Oxford, and are taught using the Oxford teaching model, which emphasises personalised small-group learning. Each week you will take part in a range of class types, including lectures, seminars, and tutorials.
Extracurricular Activities
The academic programme is the fundamental core of an LMH Summer Programme, and you will have a busy schedule of lectures, seminars, tutorials, and independent study time. Outside of your study time, however, our Resident Advisers 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.
LMH Summer Programmes
A historic and beautiful college of the University of Oxford with its own intellectually challenging summer school.