Manchester International Summer School

Three-week residential stage

The Manchester Summer School (MISS) consists of a three-week residential stage which is supported by pre- and post-residential phases. All dates will be confirmed in early 2021.

• Pre-residential phase (June – July 2021)

This phase begins (for students accepted onto MISS) in June 2021 when you will receive your log-in details for Blackboard (our electronic learning environment). On Blackboard, you will find your reading pack for the course. One week before the course begins you will be asked to take a short quiz designed to help you assess how prepared for the course you are. This quiz is also worth 10% of your final mark for the course.

• Residential phase (July 2021)

The residential phase of MISS lasts for three weeks. During this time you will be taught by a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops and field trips, including visits to places such as the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), the National Football Museum, Old Trafford, the Beatles Museum in Liverpool, the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth and Lyme Park (the stately home where the BBC filmed Pride and Prejudice).

• Post-residential phase (July – August 2021)

The post-residential phase consists of a four-week period designed to allow you to complete your Long Essay.

MISS is designed as a 20-credit course (20 UK credits, 5 US credits, or 10ECTS). To qualify for the 20-credits you must achieve an overall average of at least 40%. Students who fail the course will be entitled to re-sit the Long Essay assessment. Students holding a failing mark after the re-sit will, if eligible, be considered for an exit award of 10 credits. Students who do not attempt the Long Essay will be awarded a Certificate of Attendance.

It is your responsibility to check with your home institution about the transfer of credits.

In the three residential weeks, you will be studying some of the following classes:

Please note, the class options are still subject to change for 2021 but are indicative of what will be available.

Week 1

• Manchester: Original / Modern

Week 2

Choose one of the following units:

• The Brontes
• Worlds of Sport
• Manchester -Melting Pot of Faiths
• Imagine: People in War and Peace
• Looking North: Manchester and Beyond in British Cinema

Week 3

Choose one of the following units:

• Back to the Future: Manchester and Techno-Science
• From Romanticism to Modernism
• The Beatles
• The 'Real' Downton Abbey
• Intercultural Communication

During the three-week residential phase, students are expected to attend classes and field trips Monday - Friday each week. Free time is allocated in the evenings for study and social activities, and at the weekends independent travel is encouraged.

You will be asked to select your units for Week 2 and 3 prior to your arrival at Manchester. If you wish to change your choices please email the summer school team by Wednesday of week one. We will try to accommodate all requests subject to space in the class and the approval of the tutor.

Please note that classes are subject to change and may be updated nearer to the time.

Manchester: Original / Modern

By Dr Christopher Godden 

What does your course cover?

This course looks at the development of Manchester as a global commercial and industrial city in the nineteenth century. A visitor travelling to Manchester in the mid-nineteenth century would have been confronted with an amazing sight. Beneath clouds of smoke billowing from factory chimneys lay a phenomenon – not simply a great city or commercial centre, but the citadel of industrial capitalism. Manchester’s position as a global city was created through her dominance of industry and technology and, most famously of all, cotton textiles. 

What fieldtrips will you take students on your course and why?

Students of the Manchester Summer School will get to spend a day at Helmshore Mills in Lancashire – one of Britain’s great industrial heritage sites, built in 1784 and now run by the National Trust. The mill and the surrounding area overflow with the atmosphere of the Industrial Revolution and, as part of a guided tour, students will gain insights into the progression of Britain’s economic development from the mediaeval era through to the nineteenth century. 

What will the students learn from this?

On one level, this course provides students with a unique opportunity to study the history of Manchester whilst studying history at Manchester! Looking beyond this, Manchester’s economic and social development in the nineteenth century is a multifaceted story that serves to inform important problems confronting the modern world. This course therefore provides students with an opportunity to study history to gain a critical perspective on current topics such as industrialization, urbanization, living standards, public health, and child labour.

"Up North" in British Cinema 

By Maohui Deng

What does your course cover?

This course offers you the opportunity to learn about various key aspects of British film history, by exploring the place of Manchester and the North of England in UK cinema.  

What will the students learn from this course?

Students will examine gender dynamics and social conventions in 1880s Salford via Oscar-winning director David Lean's adaptation of Harold Brighouse's play Hobson's Choice (1954) as well as the centrality of the 1819 'Battle of Peterloo' to the narrative of Manchester as a city; examine the British New Wave movement of the 1960s and beyond with John Schlesinger's Yorkshire-set comic fantasy Billy Liar (1963); and discover the symbiotic relationship between Manchester and the music industry via Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People (2002), a modern retelling of the events leading to the 'Battle of Peterloo'.

By Dr Ketan Alder

What does your course cover?

The purpose of this unit will be to explore the impact of religion on the making of Manchester. What religions do we find in present-day Manchester? What is the relative size and distribution of their respective communities? Which are “indigenous”, and which are “incomers", and where did the “incomers” come from, and when and why did they come? What is distinctive about each religion, and what does it contribute to the landscape and ethos of Manchester? What tensions are created by the co-existence of very different religions in a single urban space, and how are those tensions managed and negotiated? Is Manchester becoming more or less religious, and what alternative worldviews are taking the place of traditional religions? We will argue that multi-faith, multicultural Manchester is a microcosm of the wider world today and a laboratory in which we can explore its social and religious problems.

What field trips will you take students on your course and why?

We will visit sites of religious interest in Manchester and further afield, spending time especially on Manchester Cathedral, Jackson’s Row Reformed Synagogue, and the Quaker Meeting House. The aim will be to explore how different forms of religion express their worldview through their architecture and to observe how they integrate and relate to the cityscape.

What will the students learn from this?

Students will learn the social history of religions that have shaped Manchester, how the distinctive beliefs and practices of each religion are made visible and the challenges that face religions in Manchester.

The Brontës in Context

By Dr Ingrid Hanson

What does your course cover?

This course explores the lives and works of the Bronte sisters, with a particular focus on Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre published in 1847.  We examine the literary and historical significance of Jane Eyre as a way of understanding the enduring popularity of this novel. Please note that this course involves an intense level of reading and students are expected to have read Jane Eyre before the course begins.

What field trips will you take students on your course and why?

Students visit the Bronte Parsonage, Haworth, to get a sense not only of the lives of the Bronte sisters but also to see the local landscape which inspired so much of their writing.

What will the students learn from this course?

Students will gain an enhanced understanding of the literary significance of the Brontes and a particular understanding of the relationship between Jane Eyre and its original social and historical contexts.

Imagine: People in War and Peace

By Dr Birte Vogel and Dr Roisin Reed

What does your course cover?

From Peterloo to two World Wars and the recent Manchester Arena bombing, Manchester has stood at the centre of violent conflicts of global significance. By tracing the impact of the above events and others on non-state actors, this course will introduce students to fundamental modes of thinking about peace and conflict. We will explore how people in conflict situations respond to peace interventions in both very personal ways and in public; how they use a variety of strategies to navigate everyday life and achieve their goals; and how the international community deals with and responds to local actors. In doing so, we will highlight surrounding assumptions about the meanings of war and peace.

What field trips will you take students on your course and why?

We will take the students on a specially designed peace and social justice walk around Manchester. The walk will be an opportunity to explore how the dynamics covered in the course have played out in Manchester over time, in particular, it will focus on how we can connect Manchester’s own history of social change to international peacebuilding.

What will students learn from this?

Students will learn about key concepts in understanding peace interventions such as resistance, power and agency. The course will allow students to explore the relationship between peace and social justice. The city of Manchester’s dynamic history makes it an ideal place to learn about these interactions.

By Dr James Sumner 

What does your course cover?

This course looks at how Manchester and its region shaped and were shaped by, some of the defining scientific and technological developments of the twentieth century. The fields that were often most associated with “the future” in public consciousness – computing, nuclear power, aerospace, radio astronomy – are all associated with pioneering achievements in North West England. We will analyse how supporters of the region’s “knowledge economy” have used this history to shape the region’s status amid the uncertainties created by the decline of traditional industries.

What field trips will you take students on your course and why?

We will visit Jodrell Bank Observatory, home to one of the world’s largest radio telescopes, and an icon of British scientific and technological achievement in the later twentieth century. We’ll learn about the strategic importance of Jodrell Bank in the Cold War, and think about its importance in the history of science communication. Building a techno-scientific society meant convincing the non-expert public to support costly and highly specialised research, and Jodrell Bank has long been a centre for community engagement, most recently through its Visitor Centre, music festivals and heritage programme.

What will the students learn from this?

The course offers a blend of history of science and technology with social and cultural history, using case studies from the Manchester area to explore questions of national and regional identity, the role of science and technology in defining global status claims, and wider patterns in the attempt to negotiate the difficult path from high industrial to post-industrial society. Historical geography is another theme: we’ll consider how spaces for techno-scientific research develop, and how the city region has tried to reconfigure its spatial environment around new problems and opportunities.

The Beatles

By Tom Wagner

What does your course cover?

The course is an introduction to the musical development of the Beatles and the history, culture and technology that fed into their music and celebrity. We look at the musical influences from and exchanges with the USA in particular and focus on the relationship between protest and art in the latter part of their career.

What field trips will students on your course go on, and why?

No discussion of the Beatles is complete without a discussion of where they came from: Liverpool. Or is it? Why is Liverpool important to our understanding of the Beatles? Should it be? We’ll explore these questions by visiting The Beatles Story Museum in Liverpool, in order to gain a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between popular music and British history.

What will the students learn from this course?

You will learn about the stylistic characteristics of Blues, Rock and Roll and Psychedelic Rock. You will also learn about the cultural and political history of Britain in the postwar period, and especially in the 1960s. You will develop a sense of the complexity involved in studying the cultural history of popular music, and gain new skills in interpreting music in relation to its contexts.

The 'Real' Downton Abbey

By Sarah Fox

What does your course cover?

The 'Real' Downton Abbey examines life within English country houses, charting their rise to prominence in the late seventeenth century to their decline in the twentieth century. We study who built these grand buildings and estates, when, where and why they built them, and how they worked as expressions of cultural, economic and political power. Moving inside these houses, we examine the lives of the people who lived there focusing on experiences of childbirth and education, to courtship, marriage and death. The changing relationship between masters and servants is an important focus throughout, alongside the experiences of servants themselves.

What field trips will you take students on your course and why?

To experience what life was really like in an English country house, students will visit Lyme Park in Cheshire. This grand estate was built as home to the Legh family for centuries before being taken over by the National Trust in the twentieth century. We explore life above stairs for the ladies and gentlemen of the house, life below stairs for the servants and the extensive grounds. The lake at Lyme Park was the setting for the BBC’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice where Mr. Darcy plunged into the lake. Our second field trip is to the Manchester City Art Gallery to examine a wide range of historical objects and portraits that help us to imagine the everyday lives of people who lived in English country houses.

What will the students learn from this?

Students will develop an enhanced knowledge of English social history and social relations in the period c.1700-c.1930. They will forge a better understanding of the relationship between history, heritage, material culture and architecture and they will also gain a better understanding of gender relations in historical context.

From Romanticism to Modernism

By Dr Anne Kirkham

What does your course cover?

This course examines aspects of painting, graphics and design in Britain, Europe and America c.1780 to 1940. Drawing upon the remarkable strengths of the Manchester City Art Gallery, the Town Hall and the John Rylands Library, we will examine a range of art works and visual productions, focusing on the relationship between innovation and tradition in a period when artists and designers took inspiration from literature, history, politics, social affairs and modern life in all its forms.

What fieldtrips will you take students on your course and why?

We will visit The Lady Lever Gallery (Port Sunlight), The Walker Art Gallery (Liverpool) and the Whitworth Art Gallery, all of which contain important British and European paintings, c.1780-1940.

What will the students learn from this?

By the end of this course students should be able to:

• Identify key paintings and other forms of visual representation and contextualise them in broader debates about the purpose of art in modern life.
• Describe the critical development of painting through key movements (Romanticism, Pre-Raphaelitism, Social Realism, Modernism).
• Articulate their ideas in relevant assessment settings.
• Learn to reflect on critical debates within the academic community.
• Produce scholarly assessments (written and/or oral).
• Outline and develop concepts in a seminar framework.
• Engage with learning materials logically and constructively.

Intercultural Communication 

By Dr Ariadne Loutrari

What will the course cover?

In this course, we will probe into the relationship between culture, language and mind. We will look at communication through the lenses of social reality and the human mind. We will also delve into the intricacies of communication in bilingual settings and examine their differences in comparison to monolingual environments. Students will have the opportunity to explore language in objective terms and appreciate the role of both culture and cognition in communication. 

What will students learn from this?

Overall, students will benefit from an interdisciplinary approach; they will be introduced to how multicultural societies employ language as a form of communication and how the mind itself understands and produces language. Manchester, one of Europe's most linguistically diverse cities, where around 200 different languages as spoken, will serve as an ideal base to explore these and related questions.

Writing from Truth: How to Write Your Story in 5 Days

By Usma Malik

Have the creative urge but not sure where to start? Whether it’s Poetry or Fiction, AI or Aliens, Romance or Zombies that you’re interested in, the University of Manchester’s International Summer School’s Introduction to Creative Writing Masterclass Workshops will help you get that story written. And, you needn’t stop there, perhaps you’re more of a performer? Or a spoken word enthusiast? The course encourages you to think beyond the ink on the white page and explore different mediums of expression.

Join us for a series of Masterclass workshops at the University led by professionals. On the course, you will attend a series of workshops where you will have opportunities to develop your writing skills, moving from idea to completed draft. Each specialised Masterclass will introduce a form of creative writing, focusing on key writers, and will follow with practical workshops designed to help you practise and develop your writing skills. Topics include, among others, Historical and Contemporary Writing in the Manchester area and Northwest, with a walking storytelling tour; Short story / Flash fiction; and From Science to Science-fiction.

No experience necessary, simply enthusiasm and a keen interest in writing.

Eligibility

To apply to the Manchester International Summer School, we expect the following:

• You will be 18 or over on the first day of the course.
• You will be a registered undergraduate student at a tertiary institution such as a university or college. Mature students, postgraduates and recent graduates are also welcome to apply.
• You will have achieved good academic grades equivalent to GPA 3.0. Please contact us if you are not sure what the equivalent grade would be for your home institution.

English Language

If English is your second language, you must fulfil one of the following English language requirements:

• Study at an institution where you are taught in English.
• IELTS score of 6.5 (or equivalent) with a minimum of 6.0 in each skill.
• TOEFL paper-based test minimum score of 583 with a minimum of 53 in all skills.
• TOEFL internet-based test minimum score of 93 with minimum score of 20 in all skills.
• TOEFL computer-based test minimum score of 213
• English Language O-level/IGCSE/GCSE grade C.
• International Baccalaureate Standard Level English, grade 4.
• Cambridge Advanced Certificate grade B.
• Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English, grade C.
• CET-4 (China) minimum score of 493.
• CET-6 (China) minimum score of 400.
• TEM-4 minimum score of 70.
• TOEIC minimum combined score of 850 for Listening and Reading.

All transcripts must be authorised by your university and your English language scores must be clearly presented in English and be no more than two years old.

We accept other forms of English language qualification. If your English language level is lower than required we will assess your personal statement and may request an additional sample of your written English.

We would be happy to consider your application or offer advice if you do not meet all of our entry requirements – please email the Summer School team to discuss your application.

Tuition fee

The tuition fee for 2022 will be confirmed in January 2022. The tuition fee covers the teaching, assessment, field trips, airport collection and selected social activities.

If you are part of a group with more than 10 students from the same institution we can offer a 10% group discount.

Accommodation fee

The accommodation fees will be confirmed in January 2022 and cover either standard or en-suite self-catering rooms for three residential weeks. Please see the Accommodation page for further information.

Personal expenses

In addition, you will need to budget for living costs to cover food, travel and personal expenses. Manchester is a relatively affordable place to live in. It is cheaper to cook than eat out. All accommodation provides cooking facilities. A weekly grocery shopping is approximately £30-£50.

Insurance

All students are required to arrange their own travel and health insurance before arriving in Manchester.

Refunds

If for any reason a student can no longer attend the Manchester International Summer School please let us know as soon as possible. A refund or partial refund of fees may be possible if notified in advance. Refund of accommodation may not be possible after the start date of the summer school.

Scholarships

MISS offers scholarships to full-time undergraduate students registered at universities in certain countries, including the USA and Australia. These scholarships will be awarded to those who demonstrate the best academic performance in their undergraduate study together with the strongest applications. No separate application is required; decisions will be made based on the applications received.

Students applying for a scholarship must meet our entry requirements before submitting their application. You will be responsible for accommodation, travel and other expenses during your stay in Manchester.

Find out more

Please email the summer school team for further information about any of the scholarships we offer.

Applications for the 2022 Manchester International Summer School will open in January 2022.

Before you apply

Please browse the course content and entry requirements before applying. 

Your application will need to include the following documents:

• an academic transcript from your current university;
• proof of your English language qualification such as IELTS or TOEFL scores;
• a completed application form (click to download).

Failure to include all of the required documentation will delay your application. Please see our Entry Requirements for further details.

All applications and accompanying documents should be emailed to international.summerschool@manchester.ac.uk.

Applications are considered in the order they are submitted. Any applications received after the deadline may not be successful, and students may not receive their first choice of classes.

The admission process

• All correspondence will be via email so please check for responses regularly.
• The deadline for applications will be confirmed in early 2022.
• After you have submitted your application, you will receive an acknowledgement email within two days.
• If you are offered a conditional place we will send you a letter detailing your next steps.
• Your place on the summer school is not confirmed until the course fees are paid in full. This is done via our online store using a credit or debit card. The deadline for payment will be confirmed on confirmation of application.
• You will also be asked to pay for your accommodation at this point.
• Upon receipt of full payment, we will issue an unconditional offer letter. This will be sent via email unless you request a paper copy.
• Further information about the course will be sent to successful students before the course starts.

Visa requirements

Not all students require a visa to enter the UK – you can check your eligibility on the Home Office website. 

If you do need a visa, it will usually be a Short-Term Study Visa which allows you to visit the UK for less than six months and undertake some study while here. It is not the same as a Tier 4 (General) student visa which requires a CAS number. You will be sent an unconditional offer letter which you can use for your visa application.

If you have any queries about which visa you should apply for, please visit the Home Office website or email The University of Manchester's visa office.

Accommodation

Standard accommodation is available at Whitworth Park, and en-suite accommodation is available at Denmark Road.

We offer a choice of standard or en-suite rooms in university halls of residence close to the teaching rooms. All rooms are private rooms (no sharing) and are grouped into self-catering apartments which share a living room and a kitchen. Included in the fee are cooking equipment, a weekly clean, and fresh bed sheets on a weekly basis.

Wireless internet is available on campus free of charge to university students, but in some bedrooms there is a wired broadband connection so students are advised to bring a laptop with them to allow a cable connection. There are also study spaces and computers available in The University of Manchester Library which students are encouraged to use.

We allocate students to their rooms in each flat to encourage a diverse mix of people from around the world, in keeping with the international experience. Therefore, you may not be placed in a flat with students from your home university.

The university campus is open to the public but patrolled by campus security.

To book additional nights before or after the summer school, you will need to check availability with the Accommodation Office. For more details, please email the Summer School team.

What to bring

We recommend bringing the following items:

• An umbrella, as Manchester can sometimes be a rainy city!
• A good waterproof coat, to keep you warm and dry.
• Sturdy footwear as we’ll be walking around the city and sometimes in the countryside.
• A backpack or daypack for carrying your belongings when on field trips.
• Sun protection cream, a hat and sunglasses for good weather. 
• Warm clothes such as jumpers, coats and hats for night time activities, outdoor excursions and bad weather.

If you forget anything, there are plenty of shops in the city centre where you can find all of the essential items.

Field trips and social events

As well as field trips for each class, you will be invited to a tour of Manchester city centre, an English afternoon tea and a summer Barbecue as part of the programme with no extra cost to yourself.

Additionally we will introduce you to our current students at the University of Manchester who will accompany you on field trips and organise other social events with you such as pub quizzes, cinema and theatre visits and other local sightseeing activities. These events are optional to attend. Some may incur extra costs such as tickets.

Students at the University of Manchester will act as ambassadors and answer any questions you may have about Manchester and help you make the most of your time here and experience the city as well as a University of Manchester student would.

Free time at the weekends is allocated for independent travel and study. We strongly advise that you wait to receive the course timetable before making any travel plans.

University and city life

The University of Manchester is centrally located in the city of Manchester. It is 20 minutes drive away from Manchester International Airport and 10 minutes away from the main train station, from which you can travel to the rest of the UK via an extensive rail network.

The University is within walking distance of the city centre and main attractions like museums, shopping centres, theatres and sports venues. The city offers a wide choice of food outlets and restaurants. We are at the doorstep of the Curry Mile, well known for its Indian/Pakistani  food. The China Town is the largest in the country with a number of Chinese, Korean and Japanese supermarkets. You can find contemporary British cuisine in Didsbury, and famous chefs run their restaurants such as Jamie Oliver and Pierre White.

Within short distance of Manchester are the beautiful national parks of the Peak District, Lake District, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cheshire. You will find beautiful natural scenery and tranquil spots in these places. They are popular tourist attractions for British families and international tourists.

Find out more

• Visit the main University's webpage on Student Life and the City

For any enquiries about the programme, you can contact the Manchester International Summer School Office by phone, email or post.

Postal address

• Telephone: +44 (0)161 275 3319
• Email: international.summerschool@manchester.ac.uk