Trinity Term

Trinity is the name for Oxford's third and final term of their academic year.  Matriculating Oxford students often don't have tutorials during Trinity Term. Theoretically, they should be spending the rest of the time studying for the exams, called "collections," that come in the second half of the term. (But we all know how creative students are at procrastinating studying... even Oxford students!)

Since I'm a visiting student, I don't sit for exams. I take two tutorial subjects, just like last term.  The subjects I'm studying are:

• 18th Century British History - This tutorial is the perfect history course to take while studying in the UK, because the 18th century was the period when the modern British state took shape.  It also saw the emergence of the modern form of Parliamentary government, the rise of the British Empire, and the "American War." (That's what scholars of British history call the American Revolution!)  Strangely enough, my tutor for this subject is an American.  He got his doctorate here a year or two ago and now is a tutor here.  In my time at Oxford, I was taught British history my an American and American history by Brits... go figure!
• Atlantic World History - This tutorial takes a trans-atlantic perspective to studying the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.  Instead of just looking at the history of one country, when I study Puritanism, the slave trade, and revolutions from this period, I'll be studying how these phenomena affected the Americas, Europe, and Africa.  This tutorial only meets bi-weekly, but I'm really excited about it.  I'm working with one of my tutors from last term again in this subject.

This term, my goal is to spend a little bit less time in libraries and a little more time sight-seeing!  I've only got about six and a half weeks left at Oxford, so I'm making sure to take advantage of the rest of my time here.  My friends and I are planning several day-trips for the upcoming weekends and really trying to see all that we can in what time we have left.  It may not have all the excitement of D.C., but I'm going to miss Oxford!