04 October 2023: Approximately 40 senior high school students from Queensland, NSW and the ACT attended a special Frankenstein-themed Western Civilisation Winter School at the University of Queensland (UQ) earlier this year.
The school was offered as a free program open to high-achieving students in years 11 and 12. The two and a half day event included intellectually stimulating workshops led by UQ Western Civilisation academics, as well as fun social activities.
Supported by the Ramsay Centre and led by UQ Western Civilisation Director Professor Alastair Blanshard, it was designed to enable students to experience in some small way the type of study a Western Civilisation program at UQ offers.
Ever since it was published in 1818 Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus has captivated readers with its tragic tale of Victor Frankenstein and the monster that he created.
As part of the Frankenstein study program, students explored how Mary Shelley wove together revolutionary philosophy, scientific breakthroughs in the study of ‘animal electricity’ and biblical narratives to create a classic of gothic fiction. The students were introduced to key themes in the text and explored ethical questions that the novel raises about humanity, the origins of life and the limits of science.
The school also offered students opportunities to discuss the influences on Mary Shelley’s writing as well as how Frankenstein has influenced modern popular culture and debates.
For fun the students participated in an evening of ghost stories (in imitation of Lord Byron’s famous ghost story competition which led to to the conception of Frankenstein) and a Frankenstein-themed movie night. The students also visited UQ’s Integrated Pathology Learning Centre which incorporates objects from Marks-Hirschfield Museum of Medical History collection.
One student who attended said he found the experience extraordinary. “It replicated a feeling that I was a character in a Chesterton book. Every conversation was intellectually breathtaking. I really enjoyed it, especially the interactive activity about AI on the last day. Professor Blanshard and the student mentors were the epitome of brilliance. Additionally, it was really well-organised,” the student said.
Another student said the course enabled her to talk to like-minded individuals and speak with professionals and university educators. She said the school also “….furthered my knowledge on Frankenstein and inspired me to write my Short Story for my Year 11 Gothic Short Story. “Overall, this was a fantastic way to further my studies in both literature and science, and gave me a taste of what a University lifestyle could be like,” she said.
The Ramsay Centre and UQ entered a partnership in 2019. Worth approximately $50 million over eight years, the partnership enables UQ to offer at least 150 undergraduate scholarships worth up to $32,000 p.a. over that period and to hire world-class educators to teach its Western civilisation program.
The scholarships are awarded to academic high achievers who desire to make a difference. The scholars are taught in small class groups and receive academic mentoring. Each year the program also accepts increasing numbers of students without a scholarship reflecting the course’s growing popularity. UQ’s extended major in Western Civilisation, is now the single most competitive humanities course for entry in Australia.
The program is led by internationally-acclaimed classicist, Professor Alastair Blanshard, and promises to immerse students in ‘…a creative and diverse curriculum with a strong focus on key intellectual works – artistic, musical, literary – that have shaped Western Civilisation from antiquity to the current day.’
For more information on UQ’s extended major in Western Civilisation go to: https://study.uq.edu.au/study-options/programs/bachelor-advanced-humanities-honours-2414/western-civilisation-wscivd2414
Media contact: Sarah Switzer 0407 816 098/ sarah.switzer@ramsaycentre.org