Jindal School of

Liberal Arts & Humanities

India's First Transnational Humanities School

Jindal - Oxford Programme on Liberal Arts

In collaboration with the Oxford PPE Programme

Radcliffe Camera & All Souls College, Oxford

Description
O.P. Jindal Global University is offering a two-week intensive residential course in collaboration with the University of
Oxford in December, 2018. The programme is based on the renowned Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) course
at the University of Oxford and provides students with an excellent opportunity to reside and study at one of the most
prestigious universities in the world- the University of Oxford. Over the course of their stay, students will be attending
lectures delivered by some of the leading academics in the three disciplines and experience the unique tutorial system
at Oxford. Alongside intensive studies, a number of social events and a daytrip to London will ensure that students
enjoy their time and gain a holistic experience of living and studying in this historic university-town.
Cost: 3,500 £ (excluding airfare and visa fees)
Dates: 8 – 22 December 2018
Number of Students: 25 & not more than 30
Eligibility: This Program is offered to Jindal students across various schools. Students with any pre-existing
disciplinary issues in the University are excluded from purview of selection to this Program.
Background Information
O.P. Jindal Global University is offering a two-week intensive residential course in collaboration with the Philosophy,
Politics and Economics (PPE) programme at Oxford University. The aim of this course is to introduce students to a carefully
selected range of key debates in these three disciplines- keeping a broader inter-disciplinary focus in mind. The concept of
'self' and its relationship with a collective is central in any social science discipline. Leading academics in the three elds
will introduce students to theoretical expositions that have signicantly shaped the way we understand the world today.
Students will be expected to undergo seminar style lectures and close tutorial sessions that are typical of an Oxbridge
education. Students will be encouraged to participate in classroom discussions, led by guest lecturers and hone their
analytical thinking and academic writing skills under the guidance of dedicated tutors.

Course Structure
Lectures in Politics, Philosophy and Economics will be spread over the week during the day with group tutorial sessions in
the evenings. This will be the format followed over the course of the programme. Week 1 will introduce students to key
theoretical and contemporary debates in politics such as the various positive and negative connotations and
interpretations of Politics, Social Contract Theories, major themes in Geo-politics, notions of Rights and Duties,
Sovereignty and deconstructing the idea of democracy. Philosophy will offer students an insight into debates on
utilitarianism, the role of punishment in systems of justice, exploring notions of identity, epistemology and debates around
the mind-body problem. Economics aims to introduce students to the manner in which the discipline tackles issues of
optimization in a largely unpredictable social setting, competition policies endorsed by governments around the world
and theories of growth. Week 2 will use the foundational content of week 1, to build slightly advanced discussions in all
three elds. Politics will discuss the role of ideologies, colonialism and the intense politics of the 20th century. Philosophy
discusses logic, mental causation theories, Kant and his contribution to metaphysics and universal law. Lectures in
Economics will discuss issue of inequality and poverty, contemporary debates on the European Union, critical debates in
Behavioral and Environmental Economics.

Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University (venue for accommodation and lectures

 Panoramic view of Oxford city

Course Assessment
Ÿ Tutorial Essays: 40% of the total grade is based on short essays in all three disciplines that the students will work on and
submit to the respective tutors. The essay questions will be set by the tutors and they will assess these submissions based
on the level of comprehension, analytical discussion and the ability to engage with a given text(s). Given the intensive
nature of the program, adequate time will be allotted to students for them to work on their tutorial essays.
Ÿ Final Essay: 50% of the total grade is allotted to the nal essay in the style of a research paper that the students must
submit by January 2019.
Ÿ Participation: 10% of the total grade will be based on the level of the individual student's participation in classroom
lectures and tutorial sessions.

Course Material
The reading assignments will be distributed or posted online and will include documents, scholarly articles, and other
materials relevant to each topic as selected by the instructor.

Course Staff
The course will be designed and organized by Prof. Paul Flather, University of Oxford. He will be assisted by three tutors-
Nadine Elzein (Philosophy), Ian Carroll (Politics) and Andrew Elliott (Economics). All guest lecturers are faculty members of
Oxford University. The JGU course coordinators are R. Krishnaswamy and Sucharita Sen (Assistant Professors, Jindal
School of Liberal Arts and Humanities).

Course Logistics
All students must arrive in Oxford by the 8th of December, 2018. There will be a formal dinner held that evening. Lectures and
tutorials begin on the 10th of December. No classes or tutorials will be held in the weekends.
All students and JGU faculty coordinators will be provided accommodation and meals at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University.
The Hall will also serve as the venue for lectures and formal halls and is situated on Banbury Road, a ten-minute walk from
the city center. Wycliffe Hall will provide double and single occupancy rooms which will be allotted based on gender and
seniority. The Hall will provide all meals and will allow access to their common room which students can use as a space to
study and socialize. A day trip to London has been scheduled on the 15th of December where students, along with faculty
coordinators will spend the day in the city and come back to Oxford together later the same evening. The Hall is ideally
located and is only a short walk from the city-center, shopping malls, cafes, libraries and public parks. Students will have
enough time in the evenings and on weekends to explore the city.

Social and Extra-curricular Events

Oxford is a historic city with much to offer. It houses one of the oldest libraries in Europe- the Bodleian Library, 17th century
museums, stunning colleges and quaint cobbled streets that lend to the city's charm. Students will have the opportunity to
join Prof. Paul Flather who will be curating a special walk for the students to show them around this wonderful historic town
and share its history. Students are encouraged to visit the historic Blackwell's Bookshop and some other famous spots where
they can socialize and also meet some local students just before they leave for their Christmas break. Since the course takes
place in the weeks running up to Christmas, they will be able to enjoy themselves in Christmas markets. A trip to Blenheim
Palace, just a short bus-ride away from the University town is also possible. A full day in London will provide an opportunity
to explore the city. Social gatherings in the evenings and two formal halls will be held during the course of the program.
Credits
Based on the number of hours of instruction, tutorials and program visits, 3 credits are generally awarded by JSLH, 2-3
credits by JSGP and 3 credits by JGLS and JSIA.

Fees
The fee is 3,500 British Pounds per student. The fee includes tuition, boarding and meals, refreshments, extra-
curricular activities, trip to London, airport pick-up and drop and course material.

Timeline
Once the application window opens, interested candidates are to ll in the basic information form and submit a
writing sample. Short-listed students will then be interviewed by faculty coordinators and a nal list will be prepared
by mid-September. On receiving an acceptance letter, students must immediately apply for visas and nalise travel
logistics. All students must secure visas and nalise their travel dates by early November. Students are free to make
their own travel plans of either arriving early or staying back after the completion of the program subject to parental
consent forms submitted by their parents to the faculty coordinators.

Selection Criteria
Several parameters of assessment are included such as review of the writing sample, grades, mentor reports and a
screening interview. Students with any pre-existing disciplinary issues are rejected.

Target Students
Although the program is primarily targeted for JSLH students, it is open for all schools. In the past, the program has
welcomed students from JSLH, JGLS, JSGP and JGBS. Students who have an interest in the disciplines of politics,
philosophy and economics, and students who would like to explore higher studies options in the UK and especially in
Oxbridge are welcome. The program is suited for those students who are interested in building an all-round résumé
that reects international exposure; and/or those who have performed well at previous summer/ winter programs while
at JGU.

Visa
Students must secure a visa by mid-November. Visa letters will be issued by Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University.


To apply, please contact
Dr. R. Krishnaswamy, rkrishnaswamy@jgu.edu.in, +91 8396907252
Prof. Sucharita Sen, sucharita@jgu.edu.in, +91 8930110862
Core Faculty Bios

Paul Flather served as Secretary–General of the Europaeum, an association of leading European

Universities, 2001-2017, and continues as Director for Special Projects. He is Fellow of Manseld College,
Oxford, formerly of Corpus Christ College. He was the founding Secretary-General of the Central
European University (1990-1994) after working with dissident groups in the 1980s, and director of
international and external affairs for Oxford University (1994-1999). He has worked at the BBC, Times
Newspapers, and served as Deputy Editor of the New Statesman. His research focuses on Indian politics
since Independence, corruption and democracy. As an elected politician, he chaired the London Council
committee on post-school education in the late 1980s and he currently chairs the Noon Scholarship
Committee, as well as sitting on the board of the Roundtable Commonwealth Studies journal. He has just
published an essay on Dynasty and Democracy in an edited volume (OUP, 2017)

Andrew Elliott is College Lecturer in Economics at St Catherine's College, Oxford. His main research area
is the theory of international trade and its application. He has studied the effects of trade and FDI
liberalisation in developing economies and their relation to economic geography. Related research
concerns the modelling of trade costs in the standard gravity model of trade. Other research interests are
consumer behaviour, ethical consumption and the economics of John Maynard Keynes. He took his BA at
Magdalene College, Cambridge and his MPhil at Lincoln College, Oxford.

Ian Carroll is a Lecturer in Political Theory at Brasenose College, Oxford. His research interests are in
contemporary political philosophy, contractarianism and social contract theory, neutrality and
perfectionism, and democratic theory.

Nadine Elzein is a Stipendiary Lecturer in Philosophy at University College, Oxford. Her main areas of
research are ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of mind. Most of her work focuses on free will,
determinism, and moral responsibility. She writes about the signicance of alternative possibilities for free
will and moral responsibility, and have written on the topic of whether Frankfurt-style counterexamples
effectively prove that alternative possibilities are irrelevant to moral responsibility and also about whether
indeterminism threatens free will, engaging with debates about the role of luck in agency. She took her BA,
MPhil and PhD at University College London.