Booking has opened for three national U3A summer schools taking place at Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire, on 17-20 July, and at the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, on 14-17 August and 11-14 September.
The usual pattern of a summer school is arrival on the Monday afternoon with an introductory seminar before dinner, approximately five hours of seminars on both the Tuesday and the Wednesday and three hours on the final morning, with plenty of breaks and opportunities for socialising with U3A members from all over the UK.
Topics to be covered include: (17-20 July) cryptic crosswords for beginners, France, globalisation, history of the workhouse, novelist Elizabeth Gaskell, school maths from an adult perspective, ensemble recorder playing, and sexuality in the ancient world; (14-17 August) creative writing – erotic genre, garden history, Latin in context, Dickens and Great Expectations, music before the microchip, exploring English poetry, Shakespeare, and singing for pleasure; and (11-14 September) art history, creative writing for radio, drama from The Living Room to The Room, exploring English, law and order in Anglo-Saxon England, the roots of popular music, opera of the Early Romantic period, intermediate to advanced Spanish, and the Russian revolutions 100 years on.
The cost for a full-board residential delegate in en-suite accommodation is £299; for a non-residential day delegate including lunches but excluding dinners it’s £110. A deposit of £75 per person is required upon booking with the balance to be paid by 30 April.