During the three weeks of the summer school program at Exeter College, Oxford University, George Mason University students are among those enrolled from all over the world. Each student’s day is slightly different, but a shared rhythm emerges by the second week, uniting our students with those from as far away as Australia, China and Russia.
Dawn breaks at 5 a.m., and shortly thereafter the crow, who perches daily on the Exeter College chapel, begins to caw in short bursts: three caws, four caws. At first I thought he was a fire alarm, but when I saw the crow proudly perched atop the roof, I knew he was Exeter’s harbinger of day.
Breakfast is at 8 a.m. in the “Harry Potter”-like dining hall. At 9 a.m., students either go to the daily one-hour plenary lecture (English Literature) or to a two-hour seminar (History and Politics). The history plenary lectures are daily at 11:15 a.m., with lunch in the same dining hall between 12:45 and 2 p.m. During the afternoon, most students have a second two-hour seminar.
The formal dinner occurs nightly at 7 sharp. The service by young men and women in black-and-white uniforms contrasts sharply with the informal fast-food habits of many GMU students. After dinner there’s either a second lecture, or meetings of a book group or debate group. Occasionally students are free and can take a walk or visit a local pub. Conversation throughout the day focuses on the readings and lectures, further unifying the students and immersing them in the intellectual life of Oxford.
It’s light until nearly 10 p.m. in this northern latitude, and so bedtime is late, and the wake-up caws come early. Each hour, on the hour, the Exeter clock tolls. Yet during our three-week interval, students and faculty are escorted out of time and into a largely unchanging and unchanged realm. This slice of life is much the same in 2009 as it was in 1909 or 1809. Seminars and lectures occur in rooms within the walls of Exeter, rooms that have changed little over the centuries.
History is alive here. My husband and I are staying in rooms that may or may not have been occupied by J.R.R. Tolkien his first year at Exeter — the evidence is conflicting. As Oxford’s fourth-oldest college, founded in 1314, Exeter has distinguished graduates in all fields over many centuries. The Victorian artist and writer William Morris graduated from Exeter, as did playwright and actor Alan Bennett (who won a Tony Award in 2006 for Best Play for “The History Boys”). In 2000, Inspector Morse of the famed BBC series had his fatal heart attack on the very bench where I write this column. Like time travelers, we all experience the past that anchors the present in this three-week time capsule.
My husband asked a groundskeeper how he kept the grass so green, and he replied, “You weed and seed every fall, and after 500 years it looks pretty good.” The long history and traditions of Oxford have similar effects on students — nourishing and enlivening their minds and thoughts. Even three weeks is enough time to feel that growth.
Erica Jacobs, whose column appears Wednesday, teaches at George Mason University. E-mail her at [email protected].
What kids are reading
This weekly column will look at lists of books kids are reading in various categories, including grade level, book genre and data from booksellers. Information on the books below came from Amazon.com’s list of children’s books and are in order of popularity.
Books on time travel (all are for ages 9-12)
1. The Time Cavern by Todd Fonseca
2. Time Traveler’s Journal by Ed Masessa and Dan Jankowski
3. A Circle of Time by Marisa Montes
4. Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Lloyd Alexander
5. The Time Travel Trap by Dan Jolley and Matt Wendt
6. The Man Who Made Time Travel by Kathryn Lasky and Kevin Hawkes
7. A Pitch in Time by Robert A. Lytle
8. Adventures in Ancient China by Linda Bailey and Bill Slavin
9. Once Upon a Time in Great Britain: A Travel Guide to the Sights and Settings of Your Favorite Children’s Stories by Melanie Wentz
10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
