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The Age of the Enlightenment
We are very pleased to announce our first Virtual Masterclass for this year which is a partnership with St Hugh's College Oxford delivered through Microsoft Teams on Thursday, 26 November and is on:
'The Age of the Enlightenment
A very important period when new ideas in European politics, philosophy, science and communications were radically reoriented during the course of the Eighteenth Century. How does this period compare with today?
Do consider participating in this fantastic opportunity for you to Broaden your Horizons and to engage with these experts who are putting on this event for you.
This will be a very exciting immersive learning experience and an opportunity to think more widely and an opportunity for a number of you to engage in topics outside of your specialism alongside students who have a specific interest and would like to be stretched.
The Virtual Masterclass will start formally at 6.30pm for the First Lecture:
English Literature -‘Whose Enlightenment is it anyway? Literature and the idea of progress’
Delivered by Dr David Taylor
David Taylor is an Associate Professor and Fellow in English literature at St.Hugh's College, University of Oxford. He specializes in literature from 1660 to 1830 and has published two books, one on the politics of the theatre (Theatres of Opposition, 2012) and one on the relationship between literature and political cartoons (The Politics of Parody, 2018). In 2017, he curated the exhibition "Draw New Mischief: 250 Years of Shakespeare and Political Cartoons" at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
Students will be sent some visuals prior to the lecture which will be interactive with questions during the lecture.
The second lecture will start at 7.30pm:
Philosophy - ‘Enlightenment Philosophy’
Delivered by Professor Adrian Moore
Philosophy– Professor Adrian Moore has been teaching philosophy at St Hugh’s College Oxford for a little over thirty years. His favourite philosopher is the great Enlightenmentthinker Immanuel Kant. Adrian also has a special interest in the infinite, and in 2106 he wrote and presented a ten-part series entitledA History of the Infinitefor BBC Radio 4.
Students will be asked to listen to one of Adrian's podcasts (available on BBC Sounds): ‘The Infinite and Human Experience’ (it is 15 minutes long); he will then use it as a springboard for the talk.
This will also be an interactive lecture with questions.
The Fashion of the Enlightenment Workshop will initially run during the school day with Sixth form Fashion and Textiles students during their lesson. This will then be recorded and the mini-lecture recording by Elena Sorochina will be available from Friday, 27 November along with resources for experimentation with Eighteenth Century costume and a fashion illustration challenge.
Fashion mini-lecture title: ‘Eighteenth-century fashion: big hair, sumptuous frills & delightful décor’
Description: Step into the world of eighteenth-century Parisian fashion with this virtual workshop.
Join Elena Sorochina, PhD research at Worcester College, University of Oxford, for an introduction to the clothing, hairstyles, and décor objects of the flamboyant eighteenth-century.
Bio: Elena is a DPhil (PhD) researcher in Modern Languages at the University of Oxford. She specialises in the study of literature and culture of the long eighteenth century, particularly looking at elemental beings of the air in French cultural production of this period. Elena is also the Outreach Officer at St Hugh’s College, Oxford and works to support pupils and teachers at state schools in Kent.
Students will need to sign up using the link below:
All lectures will be followed by an opportunity to produce some written or illustrative outcomes, a number of which will be shared on the St Hugh's College Oxford and Invicta websites.
We look forward to many of you joining us. If you have any queries or require further information please contact Mrs Lloyd via j.lloyd.invicta.viat.org.uk.