Environmental Humanities
Who it's for
We welcome applications from international undergraduates of any major and also recent international 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.
Feedback from previous students
"The academic programme was absolutely inspiring and the staff’s warmth and brilliance made learning unforgettable. I left with a transformed worldview, lifelong friends and a renewed sense of purpose."
Charné, South Africa - University of Stellenbosch
"Bristol itself became part of the classroom - the connection between humans and nature felt so alive here and every session sparked something new in me. What surprised me most was how deeply I connected with art, nature and people. It’s something I’ll carry with me for a long, long time."
Choon Wooi, Malaysia - University of Malaya
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.
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. Students will apply this learning by completing a research project – in the form of a presentation – and investigate how an environmental humanities approach shapes their understanding of Bristol and/or the South West of England.
You can read the course description, aims, intended learning outcomes, and teaching and assessment information in our Unit Catalogue. If the Unit Catalogue link doesn't work, please contact us at bristol-summer@bristol.ac.uk for this information.
Find out more about your summer experience by viewing our Environmental Humanities 2025 Programme (PDF, 253kB). Please note that this timetable is subject to change.
If you need to view the programme outline in another format, email bristol-summer@bristol.ac.uk.
Learn more about our Centre for Environmental Humanities where you will be based, and our MA in Environmental Humanities.
Key information
Programme dates: Sunday 5 July to Saturday 25 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 2026;
- 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 2026
Closing date for all applications: Applications will close on Sunday, 24 May 2026. For late expressions of interest, please contact Bristol Summer (bristol-summer@bristol.ac.uk) for consideration on a case-by-case 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.