Oxbridge Academic Programs - The Cambridge Tradition

Dear Students, Parents and Teachers,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to our twelfth summer of The Cambridge Tradition as this superb program continues to grow in terms of renown, popularity and, above all, quality. I trust that as you peruse the following pages, you will get a sense of the truly eclectic and stimulating scope of this program.

Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of this summer of study, enrichment, and fun is the amazing opportunity you have to live as a student at Cambridge University – academically, the highest-ranked university in Britain today. In doing so, you enter a world of elaborate tradition, great history, and endless respect for academic excellence that has evolved over eight centuries. Quite simply, outside of its historical rival in Oxford, there is no other institution like it, and as you start to look beyond high school, try to imagine how formative a month-long learning experience in such an environment can be for your future college career.

Where better than Cambridge to pursue courses that lie outside of the usual
curriculum and appeal to your deepest interests? In small classes, you study with
some of the most outstanding young academics and professionals in Cambridge
today. Faced with many other options, they choose to join our program because
of the sheer enjoyment and satisfaction they get from teaching students like
you. By extension, an exciting curriculum awaits you, featuring course offerings
as diverse as Architecture, Criminology, International Espionage, Religion and
Global Culture, and Zoology.

As Director of this program, I am delighted to be charged with bringing Jim
Basker’s vision to reality. Former participants will readily tell you how their lives
have changed in profound ways after this month with us in Cambridge, having
opened their minds to new subjects, experiences, and friends from many different
cultures and backgrounds. I hope as you read this brochure, you too will see
how it might transform your possibilities for the future.

Sincerely,
Sig

Michael McKinley
Program Director

A journalist, screenwriter, filmmaker, and author, Michael has a wealth of experience on our programs, having taught on The Oxford Tradition before becoming Director of The Cambridge Tradition in 2000, where he also teaches the Filmmaking course. Since graduating from the University of British Columbia (BA Hons) and from Oxford University (MLitt), Michael has written widely for major publications and for TV in the UK, US, and Canada, winning two national awards for feature writing. He has also written a prize-winning screenplay, Impolite, and the best-selling books Hockey Hall of Fame Legends and Hockey: A People’s History to accompany CBC-TV’s 10-part series. Michael co-wrote and produced Sacred Ballot, a documentary for CNN and CBC on successors to Pope John Paul II, and three widely-acclaimed documentaries for CNN, The Mystery of Jesus, The Two Marys, and After Jesus. His screenplay, The Papal Bulls, is currently in pre-production and his first novel, The Penalty Killing, will be published in 2010. He lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.