The Perfect Nowhere: Utopias Past, Present and Future



Overview

Utopia – literally meaning nowhere – is the dream of somewhere better, somewhere perfect beyond the current time and place, somewhere probably imaginary.

People have always had utopian dreams, and this course explores the meaning and power of the idea of utopia, touching on religious, political, environmental and economic utopianism.

Starting with a series of iconic texts including Thomas More’s famous work Utopia, the course explores both real and imagined ideas of utopia past, present and future from religious communities such as the Amish to technological utopias of the future. 

This course is part of the Inspiring Oxford summer school programme, held at Brasenose College.

Programme details

Daily schedule

Sunday 20 July - Saturday 26 July 2025

On most weekday mornings you will enjoy small group seminars (broken up with a short break), followed by a plenary lecture before lunch. 

Afternoons are then free to explore the many places of interest in and around Oxford or participate in the programme's optional social activities, including an optional field trip on Wednesday afternoon.

Details of any course specific field trips can be found in the 'seminars and field trip' section below.

The course fee includes breakfasts Monday-Saturday (residential guests only), four weekday self-servce lunches, two self-service dinners and four served dinners Sunday-Friday. On one evening, you will also receive an invitation to join the programme director and tutors on high table (formal dress is encouraged). All meals included are taken in Brasenose College's dining hall.

On Friday, there will be a special gala farwell dinner and reception, where Certificates of Attendance will be presented. For this special occasion formal dress is encouraged.

Social programme 

Inspiring Oxford warmly invites all participants take part in our social programme, with all events provided at no additional cost. Optional social activites may include walking tours, concerts, croquet, theatre shows and punting.

A list of optional social activites available during this course will be sent out to you in advance of the start date.

Seminars and field trip

Details of all seminars and course specific field trips are listed below.

A plenary lecture will also take place after morning seminars and the lecture programme for 2025 can be viewed online here.

Monday: The origin of Utopia – the perfect nowhere

In the opening session, we will explore where the term utopia (literally meaning nowhere) comes from and what the idea of utopia conjures up. Looking at classic works such as Thomas More’s Utopia and Plato’s Republic we will explore how and why the idea of utopia has proved so enduring. 

Tuesday: Travelling to utopia

In this session we will explore how individuals and communities believed they could get to utopias and reach the perfect nowhere place. This includes is journeys of exploration to unknown places in search of an earthly paradise, such as voyages to the Americas in the sixteenth-century in the hope of finding Eden or Eldorado. It also includes places that might be reached in the afterlife or a divine realm of spiritual perfection, such as the Garden of Paradise.

Wednesday: Building utopia

Although utopia means nowhere, many people have attempted to build utopian societies. In this session we consider such attempts, ranging from spiritual and religious utopias such as separatist religious communities in eighteenth and nineteenth century America like the Oneida communities, through to worldly ideas of utopia such as twentieth-century communes focused on economic and social equality. We will also think about how building one idea of utopia, such as Hitler’s vision for Germany, might also create the opposite, a dystopia or ‘bad place’.

Thursday: Depicting utopias

From sci-fi novels to cities floating in the sky, in this session we will examine fictional, literary, film and visual depictions of utopias (and dystopias) throughout time.

We will also visit the Bodleian and the Ashmolean to look at original texts which discuss and depict utopian ideas, such as Thomas More’s work.

Friday: Utopias of the future

In this final session we examine utopias for the twenty-first century. This includes discussion of future interplanetary life and the dream to get to Mars, ecological utopias that have emerged out of the environmental movement, and technological utopias of futuristic cities. We will discuss the origins of these types of utopias in older literature and whether these supposedly utopian visions feel hopeful, unrealistic or terrifying. 

Certification

Participants will receive a physical Certificate of Attendance at the end of the course.

You will also be eligible for a digital badge of attendance. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. This digital badge will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Fee option 1 (single en suite accom and meals per person) £2500.00
Fee option 2 (single standard accom and meals per person) £2160.00
Fee option 3 (twin en suite accom and meals per person) £2320.00
Fee option 4 (no accom; incl lunch and dinner per person) £1765.00

Funding

Please note, there are no sources of funding (scholarships, bursaries, etc) available for attendees of this summer programme.

Payment

Programme fees

  • The course fee includes breakfasts Monday-Saturday (residential guests only), four weekday self-servce lunches, and served dinners Sunday-Friday. 
  • Any excursions listed in the 'programme details' above do not require a separate payment.
  • All activites planned as part of the optional social programme are included in the course fee.

Please be aware that all payments made via non-UK credit/debit cards and bank accounts are subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

Payment terms

If enrolling online: full payment by credit/debit card at the time of booking.

If submitting an enrolment form: full payment online by credit/debit card or via bank transfer within 30 days of invoice date.

Extended stay fee

Participants staying multiple, consecutive weeks will be charged an additional bed and breakfast fee for the cost of the Saturday night between courses.

Course transfer fee​

Please note that course transfers may be permitted in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the programme administrator, up to the 1 May 2025. In accordance with our Terms and Conditions, an administration fee of £50 will be charged.

Cancellations and refunds

1. Cancellation by you

Participants who wish to cancel must inform the Programme Administrator in writing: by email to inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk, or by post to Inspiring Oxford, Department for Continuing Education, 1 Wellington Square, OXFORD, OX1 2JA, UK.

The following cancellation and refund policy applies in all cases:

  • Cancellation within 14 days of online enrolment / payment of fees – full refund of all fees paid. 

  • Cancellations received up to and including 30 April 2025 – the Department will retain an administration fee of £100 per week booked; all other fees paid will be refunded.
  • Cancellations received between 1-31 May 2025 – the Department will retain 60% of the fees paid; the remaining 40% of fees paid will be refunded.
  • Cancellations received on and after 1 June 2025 - no refunds will be made under any circumstances.

Where course fees have been paid in currencies other than pounds sterling, refunds will be subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

2. Cancellation by us

Where there is good reason, the Department reserves the right to cancel a course by giving you notice in writing at any time before the course is due to start. In these cases, we will endeavour to offer a transfer to another available course if practical and acceptable to you, subject to payment or refund of any difference in course fees. Alternatively, we will refund the course fees that you have already paid. If we cancel a course, our liability is limited to the fees that we have received from you; this means that we will not compensate you for any pre-booked travel costs or any other expenses incurred.

The status of this course will be reviewed on 1 May 2025. If it is likely that the course may be cancelled, anyone affected will be notified by email within 7 days; if you have not heard from the Department by 8 May 2025, you should assume that your course will be running. You may wish to delay finalising your travel arrangements until after this date.

The Department reserves the right to cancel a course at short notice in exceptional circumstances that would prevent the course from being delivered e.g. tutor illness. In these rare instances, and if we are unable to find a replacement tutor, we will notify you as soon as possible and arrange a transfer to another available Inspiring Oxford course. If we cancel a course, our liability is limited to the fees that we have received from you; this means that we will not compensate you for any pre-booked travel costs or any other expenses incurred.

Where course fees have been paid in currencies other than pounds sterling, refunds will be subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

3. Travel insurance

All participants must purchase travel insurance to cover the programme fee, travel costs, and any other expenses incurred. The Department cannot be held responsible for any costs you may incur in relation to travel or accommodation bookings as a result of a course cancellation, or if you are unable to attend the course for any other reason.

Tutor

Dr Kat Hill

Tutor

Dr Hill is a historian with particular interests in cultural histories of movement, environment, place and belonging. This has ranged from thinking about religious radicalism in the early modern world to global Mennonite migrations from the sixteenth to twenty-first centuries. Her current work is an interdisciplinary examination of the history and culture of bothies and mountain shelters in conversation with current debates about environmentalism, rewilding, land use and sustainability. Her work has been supported by grants and awards from the British Academy, the AHRC and the Leverhulme, including a Leverhulme Leadership Award. Her publications include the prize-winning book Baptism, Brotherhood and Belief (OUP 2015) and articles in numerous journals including Past and Present and German History. Recently she published a piece in Arcadia entitled ‘Golden Grains: Environmental Implications of Mennonite Migration to Kansas in the Late Nineteenth Century’ and has just completed forthcoming book called Bothy: In Search of Simple Shelter on the history and contemporary culture of mountain bothies (out spring 2024 with William Collins). She is also a Community Engagement officer for Highlands Rewilding.  

Teaching methods

Participants will be taught in seminar groups of up to 15 people.

Teaching methods used during this course may include:

  • Short lectures/presentations
  • Physical handouts
  • Seminars/group discussions
  • Student presentations
  • Video recordings
  • Audio recordings
  • Field trips

Application

The deadline for registration is 31 May 2025. Please be aware that payment deadlines may also change.

Single occupancy accommodation and non-residential

Single accommodation and non-residential places may be booked directly online by clicking on the 'book now' button above. Please do not complete an enrolment form for these.

If you have any trouble booking online, please contact the Programme Administrator by emailing`inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Twin accommodation

If you wish to book a twin en suite room for two people, each person should complete an enrolment form and name the other person who they wish to share a room with. Please note these rooms have limited availability.

The form is an editable PDF and can be competed electronically, so you should not need to print and scan it. Completed forms should be sent by email to inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Disabled participants

Including those with mobility difficulties

When applying for the Department's college-based summer programmes, prospective participants with mobility difficulties or visual or hearing impairments (for example) may wish to consult the University Access Guide. This includes specific information about University buildings, many of which are centuries old, and the extent to which modern adaptations have been made to support accessibility.

Prospective participants are also encouraged to contact the Programme Administrator at inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk to make preliminary enquiries regarding access or disability support. 

Level and demands

The Inspiring Oxford programme is aimed at non-specialists, and courses are designed for an international audience aged 18 and over.

No prior knowledge is required, and classes are pitched at an introductory level.

While you may want to complete a small amount of pre-course reading, you will not be required to produce any written work during the week. 

There are no assessments for this course.

Accommodation

Residential options at Brasenose College

You will stay in typical Oxford student accommodation at Brasenose College, in the heart of the city in buildings overlooked by the iconic Radcliffe Camera. 

Please note that bedrooms are modestly-furnished and do not have air-conditioning. You can find out more about Brasenose by visiting their website.

The following types of accommodation are available:

  • Single en suite: private bathroom facilities (shower, washbasin and toilet).
  • Twin en suite: shared between participants that apply to the programme together
  • Standard single: bathrooms are shared between, on average, four participants

Ground/lower floor accommodation

Brasenose College rooms do not have lift access, and the higher rooms can be located up a few flights of stairs. If you need a room on a ground or lower floor please indicate this on your enrolment form, or contact the Programme Administrator directly at inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk as soon as possible. 

Participants attending multiple weeks

We welcome participants who want to attend multiple Inspiring Oxford courses. Resident participants staying in Brasenose College for consecutive weeks can have bed and breakfast accommodation arranged for the Saturday night between their courses.

Non-residential option

A non-residential option is also available whereby participants can take classes and have lunch and dinner at Brasenose, having arranged their own accommodation elsewhere.

Non-residential participants are encouraged to attend all aspects of the academic and social programme, and they have equal access to Brasenose as residential participants.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support