Course materials from past years will continue to be available on this page! You are always welcome to explore these virtual classes and challenge yourself to complete the tasks, even though the competitions have now closed. We have also provided links to the winning entries of previous competitions, so you can read some of the excellent work we have received in years past!
2021-22: Visions of the Future
Class 1
In the first class, we’ll be looking at some of the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic has affected our world and the technologies we use, from vaccine-development to diplomacy, international relations, and digital theatre. We’ll explore the technologies that lie behind some of the key areas of change in the 21st century such as Artificial Intelligence and new sources of clean energy. And, we’ll step back from the modern to get a historical perspective on ‘the future’, with articles on the ancient origins of computing, and on the notion of what it has meant throughout history to be ‘modern’ at all.
Subjects covered: Computer Science, Geography, Classics, Earth Sciences, Medicine, English
Class 2
In our second class, we’ll be continuing to dig deeper into some of the topics we’ve already explored in the first class. We’ll take a look at some ways in which computers and new technologies are continuing to revolutionise a wide variety of fields, from zoology and conservation, to medicine, psychology and genetics, including an examination of the exciting (but controversial) new technology of gene-editing. And in the humanities, we’ll continue our exploration of the ancient world and attitudes to the notion of ‘progress’ in Greece and Rome, as well as leaping forward to the 20th century to a pivotal moment in the history of modern art in post-war Britain.
Subjects covered: Psychology, Ancient History, Biology, Biomedical Sciences, History of Art
Class 3
In the third class, we will continue our exploration of artificial intelligence, both in the context of its uses in the medical profession, and in the context of one of the core philosophical questions that AI raises: what, exactly, does it mean to be a person? We’ll also learn about two developments which have the potential to revolutionise modern science: quantum computing, and nanotechnology. We will also be turning to geography to examine the question of how technology has affected the way we see and represent the world, before returning once again to the ancient world, and a surprising relationship the Ancient Greeks’ scientific knowledge and their political development.
Subjects covered: Medicine, Biochemistry, Geography, Philosophy, Physics, Classics
Class 4
In our fourth and final class, we’ll conclude our exploration of some of the key applications and issues around artificial intelligence: we’ll find out about how AI might help us tackle the climate crisis, and we’ll dig deeper into some of the ethical dilemmas raised by the use of AI in medicine. Then, turning back from our current era of rapid and radical change, we’ll step back in time to see how past societies have responded to periods of disruption, with a timely look at how medieval societies responded the Black Death pandemic of the 14th century. And finally, we will look further at how the use of computers can aid and enhance our knowledge and understanding in a number of fields, from mathematics and psychology, to the use of digital modelling in the Humanities.
Subjects covered: Earth Sciences, Ethics, History, Mathematics, Psychology, Ancient History
2021-22: Visions of the Future
2020-21: Why does evolution matter?
Class 1: Biology and Darwinian evolution (PDF)
Class 2: Evolution as a metaphor (PDF)
Class 3: Evolution, science and technology (PDF)
Class 4: Culture and history through the lens of evolution (PDF)
2019-20: What is the power of a volcano?
Introduction to the course (PDF)
Class 1: Handling volcanic objects (PDF)
Class 2: Volcanoes in the sciences (PDF)
Class 3: Explosive creativity (PDF)
| competition | winning entries |
|---|---|
| Competition 3.1: Eruptions and transformations | Read the winning entries to Competition 3.1 |
| Competition 3.2: Reading the runes | Read the winning entries to Competition 3.2 |
Final competition: What is the power of a volcano? (PDF)
| competition | winning entries |
|---|---|
| Final competition | Read the winning entries for the final competition |