In advance of our arrival in Oxford, I’ve been reading several books that are connected in different ways to what I’ll be doing this semester. It’s my first piece of advice to study abroad students: prepare yourself for the experience. Here are five books I’m currently reading in preparation:
Peter Aylmer, Walking the Thames Path: From London to the River’s Source in Gloucestershire
I picked up this guidebook this summer and have been using it to plan out my Thames River Path ramble. One annoyance: the guidebook organizes the walking journey with London as the starting point, heading north toward the source. Most of my own journey will be in the opposite direction. This is one minor inconvenience I wasn’t thinking about when I ordered the book. No problem. I am using this book and my own internet research to create my own personal “guidebook” for the different legs of the journey.
Franklin Foer, How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization
Though two decades old, this book but still offers a fascinating introduction to globalization as embodied in the world’s most popular sport. This semester I’m using this as a textbook in my honors colloquium, “How Soccer Explains the World.” Our students will be attending several soccer matches this semester, learning about soccer culture in the UK. All of this will be happening during the start of the World Cup in Qatar. The U.S. scheduled to play England over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Rebecca Fraser, The Story of Britain: From the Roman to the Present: A Narrative History
This semester I am determined to get a better handle on the dizzying royal history of England. Fraser’s tome is readable, and I’ve been enjoying making my way through the book, marking up specific moments and locations that I may be visiting during the semester. One thing I am curious about: how well do students in the UK know royal history? I get utterly lost amid all of the Richards, Henrys, and Edwards that populate the royal dynasties. Does a typical education in the UK have students getting a grasp on all of this, or are UK folks as lost as I am?
N.K. Jemisin, The Fifth Season
I read this, the first volume of Jemisin’s Hugo-award winning The Broken Earth series, last year. I got away from the series during the semester and am planning to read the entire series this Fall. In my social ethics course I’m pairing Ursula K. Leguin’s famous short story, “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas,” with Jemisin’s revisionist retelling of the story, “The Ones Who Stay and Fight.” Jemisin is am amazing science fiction author who I heartily recommend.
Benjamin J.B. Lipscomb, The Woman are up to Something: How Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Mary Midgley, and Iris Murdoch Revolutionized Ethics
I discovered Lipscomb’s book over summer and have just started reading it. Lipscomb tells a fascinating story about four Oxford philosophers (all female) who transformed ethics in the 20th century. While it is too late for me to assign this as a course text, I’m considering employing it should I have the opportunity to teach ethics in one of our future Study Abroad groups.
If any readers have suggestions for other books to read that will enhance the Oxford experience, feel free to post them in the comments!
Return to Home page…