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KS5 Languages, Power and Cultures Programme 2024

Languages, Power and Cultures Programme

Trinity College are hosting a free and open for all webinar-based programme. This is an opportunity to learn about how languages and themes of power and culture are taught at university and to find out about what makes a successful application to Cambridge.

Amongst those who register for these webinars, we will invite a number of students to access online mentoring groups guided by our undergraduates, and a taster 1-night residential visit to Trinity College.

To access this programme, you must register here, by Midnight 3rd March.

We encourage attendance from students who have an interest in languages, classics, history, literature, or similar subjects, and who want to practice discussing big questions. Students do not need to be studying a language. All you need is to:

  • Have an interest in the theme of the programme and willingness to do some extra reading.
  • Be a student in their penultimate year of school, in Year 12 (England and Wales), Year 13 (Northern Ireland), S5 (Scotland) or equivalent.
  • Be a relatively high attainer who is studying at least one subject relevant to languages, classics, history or literature.

This is a widening access programme to support students exploring their interests outside of school, and to increase knowledge and experience of Cambridge University, especially for those who may not have a family or school history of going to competitive universities. You can read about the success of last year’s programme here. 

Course Summary

On this programme you will discuss a range of challenging questions and ideas relating to the theme of Power, by attending taster classes delivered by Cambridge academics working in fields of languages, classics and history. You will be given some pre-reading to look over in advance.

Overall, you will be encouraged to think independently but in a supportive environment, reflecting the style of teaching you might expect to encounter at Cambridge.

The programme consists of:

  • Bi-weekly webinars. These are open for all who register to attend.
  • Bi-weekly online mentoring and a 1-night in-person taster residential at Trinity College Cambridge. We will select students for this, with priority given to students underrepresented at Cambridge, and those with a strong academic record.

All events will include opportunity for questions with admissions staff, academics and current students.

By the end of the programme, you will have had the opportunity to develop your own critical thinking and analytical skills. You will be well positioned to write for Trinity’s Languages and Cultures essay competition, which closes 5th August. We hope you keep an eye out for this and give it a go!

To register, please follow this link to our online application form, and apply by Midnight 3rd March

 

What are the dates to remember?

All webinars and mentoring will take place on Mondays 4:30pm-6pm, between 11th March to 29th April. Webinars take place every other week, with mentoring on the weeks in-between. You will be sent a zoom link and pre-reading in advance.

Once you have applied, we will get in touch with you to confirm your attendance and send pre-reading for your first webinar by Wednesday 6th March.

We hope to select many of you to attend our in-person taster residential, which will run during the first week of the Easter holidays (date released shortly), with all travel and food covered or reimbursed by Trinity College, so there will be no cost to you.

To apply, please follow this link, before our deadline of Midnight 3rd March. If you, your family or teachers have any questions about the programme, please get in touch with our Schools Liaison Officers at schools.liaison@trin.cam.ac.uk. Looking forward to hearing from you!

FAQ

If you have a question which isn’t answered, please register for our newsletter in order to hear about our 2024 launch and direct any questions about the residential to our Schools Liaison Officer at schools.liaison@trin.cam.ac.uk

So you don’t have to spend extra money getting here, we will reimburse your travel to Cambridge, including train tickets or some fuel costs. Your food here will also be free and provided in our College. Our catering team are used to feeding students with different dietary requirements, so you should be able to enjoy the day at no cost.

Within our application form, you will need to:

  • Tell us your GCSE or equivalent grades, and what you are currently studying. We realise predicted grades can vary across schools so we expect some variation, but you should have a good academic record and be studying academic subjects.
  • Tell us a bit about your interests too, so we can work out if you would be a good fit for the series. Not being offered a place does not mean you wouldn’t be a good fit for studying at Cambridge, but a reflection that our webinars only cover limited topics.
  • For an in-person visit, it is likely we would ask you for a teacher reference. We will arrange this with you after the programme starts.

We do also ask about whether you have a disability and any accessibility or dietary requirements. This is so we can teach you and meet any adjustments you may need. What you tell us here is not part of our selection process and will not influence whether you are offered a place.

In this programme, you will be exploring issues through both the Classical and contemporary worlds. You will examine how leaders, states and other forms of organised power use images and texts to convey their messages and how groups mobilise language and images in resistance to offer their own truths.

You don’t need to be studying a language to join this programme. We won’t require any language skills, but if you have them that’s great!

Within your application to the residential, you will need to tell us which subjects you are interested in studying and explain your interest. Telling us this now does not mean you have to apply for this subject at University, and we expect you may be still deciding. You might consider applying if you are interested in studying any of the following subjects:

  • Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic
  • Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
  • Classics
  • English
  • History
  • History and Modern Languages
  • History and Politics
  • History of Art
  • Human Social and Political Sciences
  • Linguistics
  • Modern and Medieval Languages
  • Philosophy
  • Theology

This webinar series is open to students in Year 12 (England and Wales), Year 12 (Northern Ireland) or S5 (Scotland).

We will prioritise students, especially for our discussion group and visit, who attend non-fee paying schools, or those receiving a full bursary at their school, and students from backgrounds which are underrepresented at Cambridge.

Webinar Schedule

What’s the schedule?

Once our programme starts, we will update this area with topics from our webinars. Check back here if you are a teacher or KS4 student thinking about the future.

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