Summit Ministries

Summit Oxford

2008-2009 Calendar - Summit Oxford

The Summit Oxford program operates during both the fall (early-September through mid-December 2008) and winter semesters (early-January through mid-April 2009). Each semester includes several weeks of training in addition to a term of tutorials with Oxford University tutors. During the time before and/or after term, students will engage such areas of study as worldview analysis, critical thinking skills, research and writing skills, and much more. This intensive training program is coupled with about eleven weeks of tutorials with major and minor Oxford tutors. The topic of your tutorials will be included with your application and arrangements will be made if your application is successful.

The intent of our Oxford program is to foster self-guided learners and persuasive communicators who are motivated toward a lifetime of scholarship in their respective disciplines and professions, and who go forth with all the courage of their convictions. The director of Summit Oxford is Kevin James Bywater. Kevin has been with Summit Ministries for more than fifteen years, working in capacities of administration, research, writing, and lecturing.

Summit Oxford

The tuition for the 15-week term $20,000, however, due to the generosity of donors, each student receives a $5000 grant, lowering the term's tuition to $15,000. There are additional costs for travel (arranged by the student) to and from Oxford, any additional travel, food (which you may find at a subsidized rate at your Oxford college), deposits for housing, and other such costs, potentially ranging as high as $5000 combined. Please consider all possible costs while planning your term. Additional financial aid is available on a limited basis.

Applicants must meet all of Summit Oxford prerequisites and cover all of their own expenses. You must have a valid passport and confirm that your health insurance covers overseas travel (or arrange for travel insurance for the term). Additional international travel insurance should be considered. Applicants must have a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.4 (on a 4.0 scale), with requirements being even higher for some programs. (There may be exceptions to the 3.4 minimum G.P.A., though other application factors would be determinative.)

Applications and all supporting material are due complete by 15 April, if you are applying for the fall semester, and 15 September, if you are applying for the winter semester. Please note the $50 non-refundable fee to accompany your application. If your application is successful for the fall term, you will be notified by 15 May, and if for the winter term, you will be notified by 15 October.

Summit Oxford

Summit-Oxford provides a programme comprised of two main parts: (1) pre- and post-term sessions and (2) term-time tutorials.

The Pre- and Post-Term Sessions

These sessions embody the uniqueness of studying with Summit-Oxford. Summit Ministries is the premier worldview training ministry in the world. Students who have participated in our life-changing conferences or curricula know well the significance of developing a Christian worldview and being able to communicate with persons holding alternative perspectives. These sessions are taken with the director, Kevin Bywater, and visiting faculty of the study centre and they focus on the following areas:

• worldview analysis
• critical thinking skills
• thinking about and with the Bible
• countering challenges to our convictions
• on being a Christian scholar
• book and article discussions
• British religious history and Western Civilization

There will also be sessions on the following areas:

• the Oxford tutorial system
• research methods, writing and oral communication skills, and study habits needed to succeed in, and profit from, this system of education
• advice on living in England

Note: If you attend the fall semester, these sessions will precede your term-time studies. If you attend the winter semester, then you will have more preparations prior to your arrival in Oxford, your first week will be intensive, and several sessions will follow your term of tutorials (this is due to the fact that the winter term has but one week in January and the beginning of tutorials).

The Term-Time Tutorials

These tutorials are taken with Oxford University faculty: one major tutor and one minor tutor (with options for lectures, courses, seminars, conferences, and additional tutorials). Each student will select topics for study, and may request specific tutors (though alternates may be necessary). During the application process, students are directed to a website providing recent examples of tutors and tutorial topics.

Students meet with tutors on a regular basis to discuss their written work. Their written work is produced in light of intensive reading and research on their topics. Tutors supply reading lists for students to work through, wrestle with, and critically assess. Essays are regularly required. It is not uncommon to have to read one-thousand pages per week.

Those who have encountered the Oxford tutorial system tend to either admire or despise it. You will not simply be fed information; you will have to feed yourself. This is very much a research system of education. Your tutors will guide you, encourage you, and assess your work (both written and oral). This system requires a greater ability to research, write, and orally communicate than is common in most U.S. schools.

Summit Oxford

Students enjoy the sites, sounds, and history of Oxford and all it has to offer, including walking tours of colleges and an C.S. Lewis walking tour that concludes at The Eagle and Child Pub, the famous pub at which the Inklings often met to discuss their work. There also are a number of excursions on which students travel by coach (bus) to various cultural sites in England. Additionally, as the schedule permits, students are permitted to arrange their own travels within England and Europe.

Summit Oxford

Local churches offer many outreach opportunities in and with the Oxford community. These include ministry to the many international students and their families studying at the university, thus allowing students to engage proponents of other worldviews and use their Summit training to present the gospel across cultures.

Summit Oxford

Classes and tutorials will take place in various locations around the Oxford area. Please click on the following links to learn more about Oxford and the surrounding area.

• Virtual Tour of Oxford
• J.R.R. Tolkien's Oxford
• C.S. Lewis Places in Oxford
• Sacred Destinations: Oxford Photos
• BBC's Tour of Oxfordshire
• BBC's Oxford from the Air
• BBC's Oxford in Pictures
• TrekEarth Photos of Oxford

Summit Oxford

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