Humanities A brief guide to courses you may be asked to interview in Archaeology & Anthropology, Oxford and Cambridge Duration - three years, Average Intake - 69 (Cambridge), 24 (Oxford) Applications/offers ratio (Cambridge) - 2.4 applicants per place Applicants shortlisted for interview (Oxford): 88.8%, Successful applicants: 30.6%. Arch and Anth, as this course is commonly referred to, provides a broad introduction to past and contemporary human societies, from a social, biological and material perspective. There is a wide range of module options available from the Archaeology, Social Anthropology and Biological Anthropology departments. Module options include: Archaeology a broad overview of the development of human societies covering a time period of over three million years, Biological Anthropology an introduction to biological approaches to the study of past and contemporary human populations. Topics covered include genetics, human and primate evolution and ecology, human diversity, etc., Social Anthropology introduction to the theoretical debates within social anthropology, and the work of major social theorists such as Marx, Engels and Levi-Strauss. Archaeology & Anthropology applicants have often been sent passages of books or articles to read in advance of their interviews. In the interview itself, applicants are often given archaeological artefacts such as pots and tools and asked to discuss what they tell people about the culture/society they are from. Or they can be given pictures to discuss, such as aerial photographs of settlements, or images that depict certain cultures. The interview began with questions about why studying Anthropology, Archaeology, and the past is important. We then discussed the significance of museums as tourist attractions, souvenirs, and whether individuals are the catalysts of history. I was also asked what I thought my Extended Project artefact told others about myself. At my first college interview, I was asked to define human nature, but without comparing humans to other species. I was then asked to define ritual. This was followed by a discussion of geophysical surveying. We then moved onto the rise in tuition fees and whether everyone has a right to a University education. I was also questioned on the point in Archaeology. At my second college interview, I was asked to pick an artefact from the table in front of me, and to describe it. I was also asked why the handaxe is symmetrical in shape. The other questions were specific to me and my personal statement. Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Cambridge Duration four years Applications per place for 2010-3 Course content The course is very flexible, with numerous options and combinations available. Students can focus on: Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese or Persian In addition, it is possible to combine Arabic, Hebrew and Persian with each other or with subjects from other faculties such as a modern European language or Egyptology. The course provides students with thorough knowledge of the languages studied, and a sense of the history, literature and culture of the region, including religion, philosophy, politics, archaeology and others as appropriate. No prior knowledge of any of the
languages to be studied on the Faculty's undergraduate courses is expected from applicants. Students spend the third year of the course abroad, studying in the relevant country. It's possible to change course after Part I of the Tripos. In recent years, undergraduates have successfully changed to modern languages, Archaeology, Law, and Politics, Psychology and Sociology. Interviews can take a literary or a historical focus or a combination of both. Students are tested on their ability to analyse and draw conclusions from information presented to them on the country and language they would like to study. This could come in the form of maps, historical sources, literary extracts, newspaper articles or even economic data. We talked about the burqa ban in France and my own experience of wearing hijab for a few days; this made up the entire second interview. We also discussed misconceptions the West has of the East and vice versa, and the reasons for the decline of innovation in the Arab world. I was also asked whether online translation would negate the need for linguists I was asked my opinion of the text I had been given to look at. The interviewers started with the questions of why are there differences between British and French culture. I was then asked my opinion on the Arab-Israeli conflict and how I had responded to the Arab spring. With regards to language learning, I was asked what I had done before that showed I was capable of learning a difficult, and different language like Arabic, and also what I knew about the different dialects of Arabic. This led into a debate on the difference between language and dialect, and how dialect develops Education, Cambridge Average Intake - 42 Applications/offers ratio (average over past three years) - 2.3 applicants per place This course allows students to combine the academic study of education with another subject, effectively offering you a joint honours degree. Specialist subjects on offer with Education Studies are Biological Sciences, Classics, English and Drama, English, Geography, History, Mathematics, Modern Foreign Languages, Music, Physical Sciences (Chemistry or Physics) and Religious Studies. The course includes some time spent in schools with children. Module options include: History of Education, Philosophy of Education, Psychology of Education, Sociology of Education, Research and Investigation in Education, Children and Literature, Creativity and Thinking, and Education, Inclusion and Diversity Interviewers are looking for people who are able to talk confidently about the field of Education as well as their chosen subject within the context of Education. I was asked to discuss the influence Politics and Government legislation has upon Education and English I was asked what my personal experience would bring to the course. We also discussed the Education White Paper and compared my experience with Government proposals. I was asked to propose a white paper topic and came up with 3 strong ideas. In my English interview, I had to analyse a Larkin poem, define 3 literary terms relate them to my own reading. My final interview was with a scholarship panel of 6 plus one on Skype, and these were general personal questions regarding motivation, ambition, and expectations
History, Oxford and Cambridge, Average Intake 210 (Cambridge), 233 (Oxford) Shortlisted for interview (Oxford): 75.7%, Successful Applications: 26.2% Applications/offers 2010 (Cambridge) - 4 applicants per place Module options include: British Political and Constitutional History, British Economic and Social History, European History, History of Political Thought, Empires and World History from the Fifteenth Century to the First World War, The West and the 'Third World' from the First World War to the present day, The History of the United States from 1865, Knowledge, Wealth and power in the Roman Empire; Origins, Course, Consequences; The Adams Family and American Culture; Class, Party and the Politics of Social Identity in England, 1914-1945; Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin and the 'Grand Alliance', 1940-1945; Asia's Revolutionary Underground: from Shanghai to Java, 1918-1948; The Political Economy of Globalisation, 1939-1974 Students applying to both universities will have to a write a thesis on a topic of their choice. Applicants are often asked questions on the nature of history, their A level course and outside reading. In particular, interviewers ask questions which relate students current knowledge and ideas to other periods, or to modern events, to see whether how they can think on their feet and compare and contrast things that they may not previously have thought of in this way. Often, students are asked to analyse a historical source or image. I was firstly given an image, and the interviewers posed questions about it; this was followed by being asked to comment on important aspects of a passage I had been given. My personal statement and essays prompted questions, for example I was asked to describe how I planned my essays. I was encouraged to take the points I had made in my A-Level essays further, in a way I had not done in my History course before. There were some other general questions, like why History?, and problems faced by historians The questions in my interview were mainly focused around the essays I'd been asked to submit - with questions such as 'how would you restructure this essay if the title was different?' In my second interview, questions were focused on an article I had been sent two weeks before the interview My first interview focused on the written work I had sent in, so I was mainly asked to expand on my ideas in the essays and put them in a wider context. In my second interview, the questions were focused on an unseen sources booklet; I was questioned on my understanding of them, and my thoughts about the reasons for the events. Since the sources were about a period of history that I had not studied at school, I was asked to relate it to something I had studied and explain why Philosophy, Cambridge Average Intake - 52 Applications/offers ratio (average over past three years) - 6 applicants per place Philosophy is the investigation of the fundamental nature of existence, and of man s relationship to existence, foundations of value, problems of political theory, of human thought and the realities which we think about, of consciousness, cognition, as well as being an evaluation of the methods in which these issues can be addressed. The course at Cambridge studies mainly the current and past concerns of American and British philosophers. Module options include: Translation of talk about mental states into talk about the outward signs of these states, i.e. behaviour or the tendency to be disposed to certain forms of behaviour, Reduction of talk about experience and knowledge into talk about sense data; Investigation into the logical status of components of speech and thought, The relation
between thought and language. Logic, Metaphysics and the Philosophy of Mind, Ethics, Plato s Meno, JS Mill s On Liberty / The Subjection of Women and Hume s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Political Philosophy, Greek and Roman Philosophy, Medieval and Modern Philosophy, Experimental Psychology Interviews consist largely of open-ended discussions on moral dilemmas and often focus on the mind-body problem. Interviewers can ask students to solve game-theoretic puzzles and ask about previous reading and the study of philosophy. I was told to discuss questions first from a utilitarian point of view, and then from my own point of view. These included: if the net value of happiness in the world is negative and we can safely assume this is going to be the same in the future, should you press a button that would kill everyone instantly and painlessly; the world follows physical laws, but human beings seem not to discuss; if there is a population that grows doubling its number at every generation and ends at n, is it right to state that a random member from this population has more probability of being in the last generation? But should every generation fear being in the last generation, as this holds true for every generation, even the second one? Theology, Oxford and Theology and Religious Studies, Cambridge Average Intake 41 (Oxford), 58 (Cambridge) Applications shortlisted for interview (Oxford): 86.3%, Successful applications: 37.0% Applications/offers ratio (average over past three years, Cambridge) - 2 applicants per place Oxford: Theology was one of the first subjects offered at Oxford University, and trains you to think critically and analytically. The course concentrates mainly on the origins and development of Christian theology, but it can appeal to students from any faith background. Module options include: The Christian Doctrine of Creation, The Study of Religions, New Testament set texts, Old Testament set texts, The History of the Early Church, Introduction to Philosophy, New Testament Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Classical Arabic, Pali, Sanscrit, History, Literature and Theology of the Old Testament (Hebrew as optional), History, Literature and Theology of the New Testament (Greek as optional) Cambridge: Whereas undergraduates studying Theology at Oxford follow a more traditional course (focussing on core aspects of the Judaeo-Christian tradition) the Theology and Religious Studies course at Cambridge is less prescriptive, offering students the chance to branch out at an earlier stage. Module options include: Scriptural Language: New Testament Greek, Sanskrit or Qur anic Arabic, Biblical Study - choose from: One God? Hearing the Old Testament or From Bethlehem to Rome, Christianity and the Transformation of Culture, Who is Jesus Christ?, Understanding Contemporary Religion, World Religions in Comparative Perspective - Students may choose from Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, Philosophy of Religion and Ethics To engage with all the different aspects of the course, students need all sorts of skills: historical, philosophical, literary-critical and language. Questions focused on aspects of my A level RS course. I was asked about the Just War theory I had covered in A level RS as well as aspects of the Tudor Reformation covered in A level History. I was also asked about some of the books I mentioned in my personal statement and whether Christianity and Islam can co-exist peacefully together At my first college, the questions began with why Theology and why Cambridge the course. Questions varied, and included how I would incorporate a religious symbol into the Theology faculty building; whether the growth of technology and connectivity between countries will result in the breakdown of
cultural and religious differences; whether Theology should be studied by a religious or non-religious person; and how I would answer the claim that science and religion are in opposition. I was also asked about my A Level modules, how far I had got learning Greek, my work experience with a vicar and my Extended Project, and my spare time. At my second college, my submitted essay was addressed, and I had to comment on how I resolved the issues in it and whether I would do it the same again. We also discussed Bultmann and Barth s Theology. At my first interview, I was asked what I thought of angels, and whether I thought people perceive music as a substitute for God. At the second, we had a long discussion about St Mark's Gospel, including why I wanted to study it. There was also a debate as to whether the relationship between religion and science is fragile. At my second college, we discussed the texts I had been given. I was also asked to come up with arguments for and against studying theology at university. Finally, I was asked why I thought the Gospel of St Mark ended so abruptly. Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Oxford Average Intake - 21 Applications shortlisted for interview: 94.1%, Successful applications: 24.4% Classical Archaeology & Ancient History (also known as CAAH) is a fairly new degree, admitting its first intake in 2001. The course allows great flexibility for each student in the studies of history and archaeology, and the ability to place individual emphasis on their personal interests. Topics available cover periods from around 1,500 BC to 1,000 AD, and focus not just on Greece and Rome and their interaction with the wider world, but also on Hellenistic, Egyptian, Byzantine and Celtic history and archaeology. CAAH also offers modules on the scientific elements of archaeology and conservation, epigraphy, numismatics and ancient languages. Module options also include: Aristocracy and democracy in the Greek world 550-450 BC and Republic to Empire Rome 50 BC to AD 50 For my first interview I was given a short text to read before entering. The text was a short passage from a Roman historian on an emperor in his palace. The first part of the interview was a discussion of this text. After that, I was given a number of images, one of an ancient grave marker, and one of a site plan of an archaeological site, I was then asked to discuss these images. I was asked which particular object in the Fitzwilliam Museum/British Museum I had found interesting, and whether the other artefacts positions around this object gave information to support its context. I was also asked whether we have any evidence of the lives of poorer people in the Classical period. Oriental Studies, Oxford Duration 4/5 years Average Intake - 41 Applications shortlisted for interview: 85.2%, Successful applications: 26.6% Among subjects in the humanities, Oriental Studies is unique in introducing students to civilisations that are radically different from the Western ones that form the basis of the curriculum in most British schools and colleges. The courses present both the major traditions of the regions studied and, in most cases, their modern developments. All courses include language, literature, history and culture, and there is a wide range of options in such fields as art and archaeology, history, literature, philosophy, religion and modern social studies. The course is broadly divided into two parts: the study of the language, and the study of the history and culture of the language you choose to study. The course is fairly demanding, as essay work is expected on top of language study. Options are (students specify one):
Arabic, Islamic Studies, Japanese, Chinese, Persian, Turkish, Egyptology, Hebrew Studies, Jewish Studies, Sanskrit Module options include: Classical and Modern Texts, Unprepared Translation, Prose Composition and Language, History and Culture To engage with all the different aspects of the course, students need all sorts of skills: historical, philosophical, literary-critical and language. They are tested on these skills at interview by a variety of means, including sources to discuss, texts to analyse and current newspaper articles on the country of study. We talked about things I'd mentioned in my personal statement and moved away from structured conversation. I mentioned Japanese film so we spent time talking about films and their relationship with literature and whether or not one can be trusted more than another in terms of expressing the views of the author/director. We discussed an unseen article about historians and moved on to speak about Japanese history based on a map of Japan and Korea in the interviewer s office