I decided to attend a series of four adult courses in Oxford, during one month in the summer of 2026.
The subjects were:-
“130 Years of Discovery: Nuclear and Particle Physics from Becquerel to Gianotti“
“Smaller Than the Atom: A Primer on All Things Quantum“
“The Architectural Secrets of Oxford’s Classical Buildings“.
“Understanding Space and Time“.
Each course included some books as recommended reading, and a pre-course assignment.
For more information on this particular series of courses, check out Oxford University Summer School for Adults – 2026.
Coursework
These are some of the more important requirements for the coursework:-
- Submit to oussa@conted.ox.ac.uk
- Should include the assignment cover sheet(s)
- Use .pdf
- Use double-spaced 12 pt Times New Roman font
- File name SURNAME, FORENAME – COURSETITLE
- Include footnotes
- Leave wide margins for comments
- Number and name on each page
- Use A4 and print only on one side.
Course Documentation - 130 Years of Discovery: Nuclear and Particle Physics from Becquerel to Gianotti
Pre-Course Assignment – Babylonian Omen Classification as an Early System of Knowledge
Recommended Reading
Gino Segrè & Bettina – The Pope of Physics – Enrico Fermi and the Birth of the Atomic Age (my book review)
Henry Holt – Richard Feynman – Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher (my book review)
Daniel Whiteson and Jorge Cham – We Have No Idea – A Guide to the Unknown Universe John Murray (my book review)
Course Overview - Understanding the Nature of Small - A Primer On All things Quantum
Pre-Course Assignment – GPS as an example of the Power of Ten
Recommended Reading
Henry Holt – Richard Feynman – Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher (my book review)
Course Overview - The Architectural Secrets of Oxford’s Classical Buildings
Pre-Course Assignment – Two Examples of Classical Architecture
Recommended Reading
Robert Adam – Classical Architecture – a complete handbook (my book review)
John Summerson – The Classical Language of Architecture (my book review)
James Steven Curl – Classical Architecture (my book review)
J.J. Coulton – Ancient Greek Architects at Work (my book review)
Course Overview - Understanding Space and Time
Pre-Course Assignment – My Space – My Time
Recommended Reading
Kaku, Michio – Einstein’s Cosmos – How Albert Einstein’s vision transformed our understanding of space and time (my book review)
W.W. Norton Krauss, Lawrence – A Universe from Nothing (my book review)
Carlo Rovelli – The Order of Time (my book review)
