Environmental Humanities
Examine our relationships with nature, why stories about our wild world matter and how we can build hope in the face of environmental crisis.
Who it's for
We welcome applications from international undergraduates of any major and also recent graduates and postgraduate students. This programme is for those who want to be empowered to use humanities approaches to communicate the realities of the world we’ve damaged and build a sense of hope.
What you'll learn
You'll be working with world-leading, award-winning scholars and our community partners through interactive classroom sessions and out and about in the city. Together, you will:
- look at the different ways people, communities and societies understand and engage with nature;
- consider how we can confront the realities of environmental change and develop new relationships with the wider natural world;
- explore how we can tell stories about our planet that build a sense of hope and desire for action;
- evaluate and learn to apply a range of humanities approaches and methodologies – from history and literature to film and poetry.
Academic programme
This three-week programme is hosted by the thriving research community at our Centre for Environmental Humanities, one of the largest groups of environmental humanities scholars in Europe. Students will work with our academics, community partners and each other to explore important ways of thinking about and engaging with nature within and beyond the context of the city.
They will consider the importance of places and times, materials and objects, stories and narratives as they build an understanding of people’s relationships with the rest of the natural world.
Students’ studies will focus on the interface of city and nature, taking in subjects which may range from geology, wildlife, extinctions, nature on display, eco-literature, and film. They will engage with foundational environmental humanities methodologies, conceptual approaches to the study of human-nature relationships and specific case studies rooted in the histories, cultures, and communities of Bristol.
Bristol is an ideal case study for this programme: it has parklands, nature reserves, underground rivers, a towering gorge and thriving night-time ecologies.
By the end of their studies, students will have gained a sense of nature’s place in Bristol, the environmental challenges facing our planet and the ways in which the environmental humanities can help us understand and develop new relationships between people and the wider natural world.
You can read the course description, aims, intended learning outcomes, and teaching and assessment information in our Unit Catalogue.
Programme timetable
Find out more about your summer experience by viewing our Environmental Humanities Draft Programme Outline (PDF, 152kB) Note that this programme outline is subject to change.
If you need to view the programme outline in another format, email bristol-summer@bristol.ac.uk.
More information
Learn more about our Centre for Environmental Humanities where you will be based, and our MA in Environmental Humanities.
Key information
Programme dates: Sunday 6 July to Saturday 26 July 2025
Programme fee: £3,595 - See what's included in the fee
Qualify for a 10% discount: We offer a single 10% discount for either:
- early-bird applicants who apply by 1 March 2025;
- students from International Partner Universities and Study Abroad student mobility partners;
- students who apply for two consecutive programmes; or
- groups of 10 or more students from the same university.
Students who apply through an agent will not be eligible for a fee discount.
Credits: upon successful completion of the programme, students will receive 10 academic credits, suggested as equivalent to 5 ECTS or 3 US semester credits.
Early bird applications end: 1 March 2025
Closing date for all applications: Sunday, 25 May 2025. Places are limited and offers for programmes are made on a first-come, first-served basis.
Why choose a Bristol Summer?
Study at a top-10 UK university and explore one of the UK’s most exciting cities.
Entry requirements
Age: 18 or over
Study level and subject: we welcome applications from international undergraduates, recent graduates and postgraduate students studying any subject; however, the summer school is particularly suited to Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences (including Geography) students
Academic: GPA equivalent to 60–63% on the UK scale, C on the ECTS scale, or 3.0 on a 4.0 GPA scale
English language: you meet our requirements if:
- you are a native speaker; or
- your degree is/was taught in English; or
- you meet our Profile C language requirements. Visit the page and select the 'English Language Proficiency Tests' tab for more information.
For this programme, we also accept CET-4 scores of at least 550 and CET-6 scores of at least 520.
Contact us
You can email or phone us if you have any questions about the course or your eligibility.
- Email: bristol-summer@bristol.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0)117 455 3950