The class ‘Oxford & Christian Imagination’ sent Whitworth students abroad this Jan Term to Oxford, England. Olivia Blank, a student on the trip, spoke to me about her experience and how it impacted her.

Before the trip students were instructed to read The Hobbit, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Tolkien Man and Myth by Joseph Pearce. However, their focus wasn’t just on these literary greats. They took a deep dive into the Church of England and the impacts of the Oxford movement, an ideological movement centering on ideas of church and state in England. They read essays by Tolkien, John Henry Newman, and Edward Bouverie Pusey. Another focus of the class was the gothic architecture that surrounded them in Oxford.

Led by Dr. Clark, students participated in discussions, toured buildings, and wrote in journals to be turned in at the end of the month. Blank reported that the class’s secondary goal was immersing students into a different culture and time, situating students in a world of literary, political, and historical greats. In reference to the Oxford Movement, she states, “It’s a lot more interesting to be learning about something while you’re at the place where it happened.”

During both class-time and free-time students toured many buildings, schools, and museums, including, but not limited to Christ Church College, Magdalene College, Pembroke, Exeter College, New College, the Divinity School, Duke Humphrey’s Library in the Bodleian, the Ashmolean Museum, J.R.R. Tolkien’s grave, Blenheim Palace, Tate Britain, the National Gallery, the British Museum, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Botanic Gardens, the Tower of London, and the Natural History Museum. Students also had the opportunity to see many shows and musical productions that were in Oxford and London at the time including: Cabaret, Phantom of the Opera, the Importance of Being Earnest, and Warhorse.

On reflecting on the trip as a whole, Blank laughed and said, “I’ve reached a weird part of this trip where I walk into a beautiful cathedral and I think, ‘eh, I’ve seen better.’” She doesn’t hesitate to recommend the class to anyone interested in taking it when it is offered again in 2027.

All images provided by Olivia Blank.