Program Overview

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University Programs

The university offers a wide range of programs, including short and online courses, undergraduate, postgraduate, professional, and research programs.

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Course Formats

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Undergraduate Programs

Certificates

• Archaeology
• Certificate of Higher Education
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Diplomas

• Archaeology
• Creative Writing
• English Social and Local History
• History of Art

Advanced Diplomas

• British Archaeology
• IT Systems Analysis and Design (Online)
• Local History (Online)

Pre-Master's

• Advanced Pre-sessional Course for Graduate Students (nine weeks, full-time)
• Foundations of Diplomacy Pre-Master's Course (six months, full-time)

Summer Schools

• Oxford University Summer School for Adults

Postgraduate Programs

Certificates

• Architectural History
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
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• Teaching Evidence-Based Health Care

Diplomas

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Severe Mental Health Problems
• Health Research
• International Wildlife Conservation Practice
• Psychodynamic Practice

Master of Studies (MSt)

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Research Degrees (DPhil)

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Master of Science (MSc)

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Research

Research Community

Research at Oxford Lifelong Learning extends across the disciplines and is supported by a research culture that encourages interdisciplinary initiatives.

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Course Details

Minimalist Photography and the Psychology of Place

Overview

This course explores how minimalist photography can change how we see Oxford (and, of course, anywhere else). We will learn how light, space, shape, and silence can say more than detail. Through short talks, walks, and group work, we will study how memory, mood, and place connect.

Programme Details

• Seminar 1: The Psychology of Place
• Seminar 2: Spatial Memory and Image Recall
• Seminar 3: Minimalism as Visual Language
• Seminar 4: Visual Perception and the Art of Noticing
• Seminar 5: Abstraction and Emotional Response
• Seminar 6: Simplicity, Silence, and Negative Space
• Seminar 7: Oxford Seen Differently
• Seminar 8: Memory, Nostalgia, and Urban Myth
• Seminar 9: The Ethics of Representation
• Seminar 10: Narrative, Sequence, and Visual Storytelling
• Seminar 11: Curating Meaning From Image to Exhibition
• Seminar 12: Presenting Work Titles, Statements, and Display

Programme Timetable

• Saturday: Registration, Orientation meeting, Classroom orientation, Drinks reception, Welcome dinner
• Sunday Friday: Seminars, Tea/coffee break, Lunch, Afternoons are free for tutorials, individual study, course-related field trips or exploring Oxford

Recommended Reading

• Wilson, G.B. (2024). The Art of Less - The theory and practice of minimalism in photography. Utopia. Photo via Amazon.
• Vogelmann, B. (2022).Minimalism in photography: the original. teNeues
• Norm Architects (2022). Soft Minimal: Norm Architects: A Sensory Approach to Architecture and Design. Gestalten.

Certification

• Certificate of Attendance
• Digital badge
• Academic credit: 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4

Fees

• Fee Option 1 (Single en suite - inc. Tuition and Meals): Ł2205.00
• Fee Option 2 (Double en suite - inc. Tuition and Meals) 1 person: Ł2310.00
• Fee Option 3 (Twin en suite - inc. Tuition and Meals) per person: Ł1850.00
• Fee Option 4 (No Accommodation - inc. Tuition, Lunch & Dinner): Ł1375.00

Funding

Concessionary rates are available on a non-residential basis for those that qualify.

Payment

• All fees are charged on a per week, per person basis.
• Payment terms: full payment by credit/debit card at the time of booking or within 30 days of invoice date

Cancellations and Refunds

Please see the terms and conditions for our open-access courses.

Tutor

Dr Graham Wilson

A PhD in animal behaviour, and initial career in organisation development followed by psychotherapy training, led Graham to practise as an executive confidant for 20+ years. He has taught counselling, psychology and photography at Oxford and elsewhere for a decade. Recently retired as Coordinator of HE Counselling Courses at Guildford College, his research interests include the use of imagery to provoke positive behavioural change within communities. Graham currently leads programmes of therapeutic photography within Oxfordshire. He has written more than ten textbooks.

Course Aims

This course aims to:

• Explore how minimalist photography can shape our emotional and visual experience of place.
• Encourage new ways of seeing a location (e.g Oxford) by using restraint, silence, and simplicity in image-making.
• Support the creation of thoughtful, minimalist photographs that evoke meaning beyond surface detail.

Teaching Methods

The teaching methods used during this course may include:

• Short lectures/presentations
• Physical handouts
• Seminars/group discussions

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will have been given the opportunity to understand:

• How minimalist photography can evoke emotion, memory, and place.
• Key psychological ideas related to spatial awareness, perception, and visual memory.
• How abstraction and negative space influence how we see and feel.
• Ways to compose, edit, and sequence minimalist images with clarity and intent.
• How to communicate ideas visually through a personal and reflective photographic practice.

Assessment Methods

Participants are required to undertake preparatory reading and complete a pre-course assignment of 1,500 words. Although this does not count towards credit, it is seen as an important way of developing your ideas and is mandatory. The pre-course assignment is typically due in the first week of June.

You will be assessed during the summer school by either a 1,000 word written assignment or a presentation supported by individual documentation. To successfully gain credit (10 CATS points) students should attend all classes and complete the on-course assignment.

Participants will attend two one-on-one tutorials with their tutor during the week.

Application

Most courses fill quickly so early registration is strongly recommended. If your preferred course is fully booked, you may wish to add yourself to the waiting list and the Programme Administrator will contact you should a place become available.

Please note, the programme is only open to those over the age of 18.