Download Programme - The Association of Commonwealth Universities

ACU Commonwealth Summer School 2017
Creating Greener Narratives through the Environmental Arts and
Humanities
Saturday 5 August
Arrival in UK and at the Bath Spa University Newton Park campus
Sunday 6 August
Morning:
Orientation and introduction to the campus
Afternoon:
Introduction to the academic programme, group projects, and skills development
sessions.
Evening:
Dinner and keynote lecture by Professor Irma Erloff (University of Pretoria),
followed by a panel discussion and social activities.
Monday 7 August – Environmental Challenges and Responses
Theme of the day: ‘How can the arts and humanities help to provide deeper understandings of,
and creative responses to, today’s pressing environmental problems?’
Morning:
Academic lectures and discussions
The day will start with scenario setting and an outline of current environmental
challenges, followed by a discussion on how arts and humanities can be used to
respond to and address these issues.
Afternoon: Visit to the city of Bath
Tuesday 8 August – Histories, Cultures and Religions
Theme of the day: ‘How have attitudes to the environment changed over time, and how do they
differ between cultures?’
Morning:
Academic lectures and discussions
The day will start with an introduction on how the visit to Avebury in the afternoon
will relate to the overarching themes and the group work.
The morning will focus on contemporary non-modern cultural ecologies, a
discussion on Sacred Britain, past and present; and a session exploring the
Sounds of Prehistory: the acoustics of Avebury.
Afternoon:
Students will take a field trip to Avebury and academic staff and visiting speakers
will work with groups throughout the visit to address the various themes identified,
and to inform the group projects.
Evening:
Sports and games at the Newton Park campus
Wednesday 9 August – Creative Practice
Theme of the day: ‘How is new work in creative writing, and the visual and performing arts
contributing to new understandings of the relationship between society, culture and environment?’
The sessions for the day will take place at the University’s Corsham Court campus.
Morning:
Workshops allowing delegates to focus on one topic of their choice:

Nature writing and ecopoetics

Music, dance and performance

Arts and the environment

Song
Afternoon:
Group project development
Evening:
Lecture – visiting speaker TBC
Thursday 10 August – Tourism and Conservation
Theme of the day: ‘How can tourism contribute to a deepened understanding of the relationship
between culture, society and environment over time and in different cultures?’
Morning:
The day will start with context setting and group work at Roche Court in Wiltshire, a
nineteenth-century house in parkland. The keynote lecture and discussion will
focus on the challenge of natural heritage/built heritage divide and how different
settings influence cultural heritage.
Afternoon:
A tour of the Avalon Marshes, where academic staff and visiting speakers will work
with groups throughout the visit to address conservation in action, and to inform
the group projects.
Evening:
Free time and group work
Friday 11 August
Morning:
Completion of group projects
Afternoon:
Group work presentations
Evening:
Tour of the Roman Baths followed by a formal dinner in the Pump Rooms where
the group work prizes will be awarded.
Saturday 12 August
Day trip to Oxford
Sunday 13 August
Departures