British Studies at Oxford Reunion
8-12 July, 2027
St. John’s College, University of Oxford
A one-of-a-kind exclusive experience in Oxford, U.K. for those who went on British Studies (and those who wished they had!)
We are thrilled to announce the British Studies at Oxford Alumni Weekend to be held at St. John’s College, Oxford, U.K., for a long weekend in July 2027.
In 1970, Rhodes College initiated a summer program of British Studies at Oxford (BSAO) that was expanded in 1972 to include sponsorship by other institutions who were also members of the Associated Colleges of the South. This program was held for six weeks each summer, and Rhodes students (along with students from Sewanee, Centre, Birmingham Southern, and Fuhrman, among other ACS institutions) attended classes and lectures on various topics related to British Studies by eminent British and ACS professors while living in a historic Oxford college. The program, for many years our most popular study-away option, closed in 2014 upon the retirement of the Dean, Dr. Mike Leslie (though British Studies survives in an altered form today with our London Summer School). With this unique study abroad reunion event, we are hoping to connect those who studied or taught in this program at Oxford with their former colleagues, tutors, and other friends of the College.
Our Alumni weekend will contain some of the best parts of the BSAO experience: a private tour of the hidden spots of Oxford, stimulating lectures by esteemed British professors, cozy pubs, punting on the Cherwell, drinks receptions in the beautiful garden, and a catered, multicourse Gala feast inside the college's historic dining hall.
There is also free time for exploring the city on your own, including its famous museums, pubs, galleries, and independent shops (or you could just sit and read a book in the “city of the dreaming spires!”).
Due to our long relationship with the historic 500-year-old college, we are being allowed special access to St. John’s historic facilities and beautiful gardens as in years past, and so you can expect the same immersive experience as in your BSAO days.
Expert lectures, great conversations, new friends who love learning and adventure, and stunning, exclusive surroundings – it is everything you want in a BSAO reunion! Come and join us!
Please register below to attend this event in Oxford, England in July 2027.
SCHEDULE
Thursday, 8 July:
(Check in is from 2 pm for those staying in-college.)
Registration (tea and coffee)
Dinner in Hall
(Optional: after dinner gathering at the Lamb and Flag pub.)
Friday, 9 July:
(Breakfast in hall for those who have booked rooms in-college)
9:00-10:00 - Welcome and Keynote Address
10:00-10:30 – Tea and coffee break
10:30-12:00 – Lectures (guest professors)
12:30-13:30 – Lunch (Hall)
13:30-15.30 – Ashmolean Museum and special exhibition
17.00-18.00 – Welcome reception (prosecco and elderflower pressé) (Garden)
18:00-22:30 – Dinner and special performance
Saturday, 10 July:
(Breakfast in hall for those who have booked rooms in-college)
9.00-12.00 - Tours of historical Oxford, libraries, hidden spots, and colleges by Blue Badge Guides
12.30-13.30 - Pub lunch
14.00 - Punting on the Cherwell in afternoon and dinner out in Oxford
Sunday, 11 July:
(Breakfast in hall for those who have booked rooms in-college)
(optional) 8.00-9.00 – Holy Communion at Christ Church Cathedral, St. Aldate’s
9-12.00 – free time (shopping or Natural History Museum)
12.00-13.30 – Lunch (Hall)
(optional) 15.00-16.00 – Evensong
17.00-18.00 – Drinks in the garden
19.00-22.00 – Gala Dinner (Hall)
Monday, 12 July:
(Breakfast in hall for those who have booked rooms in-college)
10.00 - End of reunion.
More information (including favorite tutors) coming soon!
COST
$1800 per person without accommodation.
$2400 for en suite single room for 4 nights’ bed and breakfast at St. John’s College. Please note: no double rooms available. Rooms are not air-conditioned. Space is limited.
Recommended hotels (with air conditioning) within 15 minutes’ walking distance:
Premier Inn City Centre (budget)
Malmaison (4 stars)
NOT INCLUDED: Airfare; travel insurance; expenses of a personal nature; accommodation if not staying in college
PAYMENT SCHEDULE
| Program Fee | Room Fee (optional) | Total (if booking optional single room) | Due Date | |
| Deposit | $800 | $200 | $1,000 | At registration |
| Balance | $1,000 | $400 | $1,400 | January 15, 2027 |
| Total | $1,800 | $600 | $2,400 |
|
DEPOSIT AND CANCELLATION POLICY
| If you cancel… | Program Refund | Room Refund | Total Refund | Notes |
| Within 1 week of deposit | $800 | $200 | $1,000 | Fully refundable |
| After 1 week – before Jan 15, 2027 | $400 | $200 | $600 | Room fully refundable |
| Jan 16, 2027 or later | $0 | $0 | $0 | No refund* |
* Exception: if the program is full and your place can be resold, a refund may be considered at the College's discretion.
What can I do in my free time in Oxford?:
- See the famous Oxford dodo bird, Mary Anning's ichthyosaur, and hundreds of hidden drawers of other rare treasures in the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Museum of Natural History
- Explore the Ashmolean Museum (its varied and astonishing collections take far more than a day to see, and it is right across the street!)
- Visit the Alice shop (and other unusual British independent shops) for items you cannot find anywhere else. Our recommendations include: Scriptum, Objects of Use, Arcadia.
- Books, books, and more books! My faves: Gulp Fiction in the historic covered market for books and a coffee, The Last Bookshop in Jericho, the Oxfam bookshops (of course!) and Blackwell’s (don’t forget the basement for the used and rare books).
- Share a bottle of bubbly in the beautiful Christ Church meadows on a sunny day (or why not pick up some picnic snacks / wine / dessert from one of the foodie indie shops: Oxford Cheese, Hamblin Bread, Elle's Deli, Gatineau, Jericho Cheese, Grape Minds, New Ground Coffee)
- Wandering the tow paths along the canal to historic pubs (and speaking of pubs, why not try visiting all of your old favorites from your British Studies days?)
What else can I do while I am in the UK in 2027?
- Formula 1 British Grand Prix (just outside of Oxford, July 2-4)
- Wimbledon (in London, June 28-July 11)
- British Open (in St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, July 11-18)
- London Pride (in London, late June and early July)
- BBC Proms (Royal Albert Hall, London, from mid July-August)
- Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland, mid July)
- Buxton International Arts Festival (Buxton, Derbyshire, July TBA)
- Bradford Literature Festival (Bradford, West Yorkshire, July TBA)
For any questions, please contact Vanessa Rogers and Stefanie Johnson at bsao@rhodes.edu.
