Lecture Series
Our online Lecture Series brings a core component of university learning and wider academic culture to sixth form and gap year students.
Over five weeks, students join expert academics from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge for a dynamic series of online talks at the cutting edge of their research fields. Based on Oxbridge faculty research seminars, these lectures and post-lecture discussions are designed to stretch thinking, spark new interests, and showcase the depth and variety within their chosen subject area.
What to Expect
Each Inquisitas Lecture Series is designed to challenge, inspire and expand horizons. Whether they’re curious about a subject they’re already studying or eager to explore something new, our expert-led sessions provide students with a window into real university-level thinking, in a format that’s accessible, flexible, and engaging.
5 lectures - 1 per week
Scheduled in the evenings to fit around school and other commitments, with each session taking around 1.5 hours
Each session explores a different theme or aspect of the discipline
Our lectures showcase the rich variety and interdisciplinary connections within the subject
Led by Oxford and Cambridge researchers
Our speakers share their cutting-edge work, charting the latest developments in their disciplines
Interactive Q&A and discussion
After each lecture, students have a chance to engage directly with academics and peers
Fully online - join from anywhere in the world!
What Subjects Do We Offer?
We’re proud to offer lecture series across a range of Humanities and Social Science subjects, including:
History ⧫ English ⧫ Philosophy & Ethics ⧫ Politics & International Relations
Sociology ⧫ Anthropology ⧫ Classics ⧫ Law ⧫ Theology & Religious Studies
Economics ⧫ Psychology
Each series is designed to deepen subject knowledge, broaden academic horizons, and help students find new passions within - or beyond - their chosen field.
Below are examples of some full five-lecture series from our Autumn 2025 programme, illustrating the depth, scope, and academic level of our lectures.
-
An Introduction to Peacebuilding, Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution - Mark Barrow, Cambridge
Nuclear War: Coming to a Theatre Near You Soon? - Janani Mohan, Cambridge
Democratic Innovation Meets Artifical Intelligence - Sammy McKinney, Cambridge
Unstable Coastlines: The Politics of Climate-Related Land Loss - Kendall Gardner, Oxford
What freedom can there be on a burning planet? - Carl Pierer, Cambridge
-
Boundaries of Belonging: Citizenship and Identity in Contemporary Society - Lisa Atfield, Oxford
The Sociology of Memory - Shivani Arulalan Pillai, Oxford
Beyond Theory: How Sociologists Use Fieldwork, Statistics, and Data to Understand Society - Yuqi Liang, Oxford
Social Theory and Social Change Action - Vlademire Kevin Bumatay, Cambridge
Social Media and Everyday Life - Nadia Mui-Sin Chu, Cambridge
-
Possible Worlds and God's Power: A Medieval Debate - Suf Amichay, Cambridge
Philosophy (of Science) as Science by Other Means - Vlademire Kevin Bumatay, Cambridge
The Emergence of More-than-Human Approaches to Social Inquiry - Tvrtko Vrdoljak, Cambridge
The King Midas Problem in AI - Thomas Mitchell, Oxford
Should we embrace Ecotgenesis as a means towards Gender Justice? - Jolie Zhou, Cambridge
-
Criminal Culpability: The English Law of Murder - James Browning, Cambridge
The Concept of an International Legal Personality - Hosung Ahn, Oxford
A Brief Introduction to Legal Architecture: Design, Function, and Symbolism - James Campbell, Oxford
Localising the Welfare State: Policy, Politics, and Practice - Freya Cole Norton, Oxford
International Law and the Climate Crisis - Lara Ibrahim, Oxford
Lecture topics vary each term and reflect the research of our academic speakers, introducing new themes, questions, and perspectives.
How Do Inquisitas Lecture Series Support Student Goals?
Inquistias Lecture Series are built to inspire deeper learning, spark new interests, and strengthen academic progression. Here’s how they support ambitious students in their academic journeys:
Go Beyond the Syllabus
Each lecture explores a different angle of your subject, revealing its depth, complexity, and interdisciplinary connections
Engage with Experts
Learn directly from Oxford and Cambridge academics who share their cutting-edge research and insights
Build Academic Skills
Develop confidence in critical thinking, active listening, and academic discussion - essential for higher-level study and interviews
Enhance Applications
Show evidence of sustained subject interest and super-curricular engagement - ideal for UCAS statements and competitive admissions
Fit Around School Life
With evenings sessions held weekly over five weeks, our Lecture Series are designed to enrich your academic journey without disrupting it
Whether you’re preparing for university, exploring your interests, or simply love to learn, our Lecture Series help you stay curious, informed, and confident in your academic development.
-
Schools partner with Inquisitas Lecture Series in a range of flexible, low-admin ways to enrich their academic provision:
As super-curricular enrichment
Lecture Series are recommended to high-achieving or highly motivated students to support subject engagement beyond the classroom.To support university preparation
Schools encourage students applying for Humanities and Social Science degrees to use the series as evidence of sustained academic interest for UCAS personal statements, EPQs, and interviews.Within gifted & talented or scholar programmes
Lecture Series form part of wider academic stretch provision, offering exposure to university-level thinking without assessment pressure.As term-time enrichment that fits around school life
Evening, fully online delivery allows students to participate independently, with no additional timetabling or administrative burden for schools.Through group recommendations or priority access
Some schools share selected series with specific year groups or subject cohorts, or work with Inquisitas to offer priority places and discounted access.All delivery, enrollment, and student support is handled by the Inquisitas team.
Autumn Lecture Series 2026
October 26 - November 27 | Online
The Inquisitas Autumn Lecture Series gives sixth-form students the opportunity to explore university subjects through five weeks of research-led lectures and discussion with researchers from Oxford and Cambridge.
Designed specifically for students aged 16-18, each subject series introduces different topics, debates and areas of current research, giving students the opportunity to go beyond the A-Level or IB curriculum and experience the kinds of ideas and questions they may encounter at university.
Whether students already have a particular degree subject in mind or are still exploring their interests, the series is designed to help them develop their academic curiosity and make more informed and confident choices about further study.
How it works
Each subject series consists of five weekly online lectures, with every session focusing on a different topic or area of research.
Sessions are approximately 90 minutes, combining a research-led lecture with opportunities for student questions and discussion.
Lectures take place on weekday evenings, either:
5:00-6:30pm or 7:00-8:30pm UK time
This allows students to take part alongside their existing school timetable and enrichment activities.
Autumn 2026 Subject Series
Students will be able to choose from the following nine subject areas:
-
Explore how legal scholars approach some of the most challenging questions facing contemporary society.
Across five lectures, students will encounter different areas of legal research and develop a deeper understanding of how law is studied, debated and applied at university.
PROGRAMME
Wednesdays 7:00-8:30pm (UK time) | Online
28 October
‘Advancing Pluralist Constitutionalism in a Multi-Faith Society: Comparative Insights from Malaysia’ - Zheng Hong See, Cambridge
04 November
‘A Brief Introduction to Legal Architecture: Design, Function, Symbolism’ - James Campbell, Oxford
11 November
‘From Headlines to AI: Narrowing the Bargaining Gaps Between News and AI Companies’ - Inbar Cohen Ganot, Cambridge
18 November
‘The Human Right to a Safe Climate’ - Lara Ibrahim, Oxford
25 November
‘Are There Any Moral Truths?’ - Thomas Bullemore, Oxford
View the full programme poster here.
-
Explore contemporary questions of politics, power, conflict, democracy and international relations through current academic research.
Students will encounter different approaches to understanding political institutions, global challenges and the forces shaping contemporary politics.
PROGRAMME
Tuesdays 5:00-6:30pm (UK time) | Online
27 October
‘Liberation Diplomacy in Lusophone Africa’ - Maria Pereira da Costa, Oxford
03 November
‘Trust in Government and Political Participation: A Cross-National Perspective’ - Veronica-Nicolle Hera, Cambridge
10 November
‘The Age of Geoeconomic Mutually Assured Destruction’ - Katharina Klotz, Oxford
17 November
‘Affective Political Polarisation and Political Psychology’ - Dominykas Ragelis, Oxford
24 November
‘From Tanks to TikTok: How Wars are Changing’ - Carina Uchida, Oxford
View full programme poster here.
-
Discover how historians investigate and reinterpret the past through new evidence, questions and approaches.
The series will introduce students to areas of historical research beyond the school curriculum while demonstrating how History develops as an academic discipline at university.
PROGRAMME
Tuesdays 7:00-8:30pm (UK time) | Online
27 October
‘Revisiting WWII History: The Case of SOE Women Spies’ - Josephine Durant Des Aulnois, Oxford
03 November
‘A Transnational History of Humanitarianism in the Congo’ - Adrita Mitra, Oxford
10 November
‘A Broken Backbone of the Nation? Cymru (Wales) and Deindustrialisation’ - Eleri Hedley-Carter, Oxford
17 November
‘Building the Postcolonial State in Africa’ - Daisy Bressington, Oxford
24 November
‘A Longue Durée approach to the Acquisition and Utilisation of Human Anatomical and Pathological Specimens in British India, 1810-1985’ - Nilanjana Dutta, Oxford
View full programme poster here.
-
Explore how economists use theory, evidence and data to investigate questions about individuals, institutions, markets and society.
Students will encounter contemporary economic research while developing a broader understanding of how Economics is studied at university.
PROGRAMME
Mondays 5:00-6:30pm (UK time) | Online
26 October
‘Behavioural Economics and Potential Development Economics’ - Mikkel Wiemann, Cambridge
02 November
‘Economics of Gender and Inequality’ - Nusaiba Zakaria, Oxford
09 November
‘Algorithms and Institutions: Using Machine Learning to Study Political and Economic Systems’ - Gregory Levy, Oxford
16 November
‘The Economics of Innovation: Knowledge, Incentives, and Market Failure’ - Jan Meyerhoff-Liang, Oxford
23 November
‘Political Economics, Development and Public Policy’ - Laura Araújo De Freitas, Oxford
View full programme poster here.
-
Engage with philosophical questions about morality, society, knowledge and human decision-making.
Across the series, students will encounter different philosophical arguments and learn how academics approach complex ethical and conceptual problems.
PROGRAMME
Fridays 5:00-6:30pm (UK time) | Online
30 October
‘Limits of Science: A Philosophical and Historical Perspective’ - Nichole Levesley, Cambridge
06 November
‘Logic: Why Bother?’ - Pranciškus Gricius, Oxford
13 November
‘Philosophical Expertise in the Age of AI’ - Vlademire Kevin Bumatay, Cambridge
20 November
‘AI Constitutions and Virtue Ethics’ - Uri Brun, Oxford
27 November
‘Ethics of Infectious Disease’ - Jolie Zhou, Cambridge
See full programme poster here.
-
Explore how researchers investigate societies, cultures, institutions and human behaviour.
The series introduces students to two disciplines they may have had limited opportunity to encounter at school while demonstrating the distinctive questions and methods used by sociologists and anthropologists.
PROGRAMME
Thursdays 7:00-8:30pm (UK time) | Online
October 29
‘The Spy Next Door: What Sociology Can Tell Us About WWII Espionage’ - Josephine Durant Des Aulnois, Oxford
November 05
‘How Do Museums Classify the World? Looking at Objects and Categories in the Ethnographic Museum’ - Sofia Karliner, Oxford
November 12
‘An Introduction to the Sociology of Fascism’ - Jack Napier, Cambridge
November 19
‘The Lives of Things: Making, Growing, and Dying in Anthropology’ - Anna Malpas, Oxford
November 26
‘Stories of Sociology: Learning to See the Social World Differently’ - Yuqi Liang, Oxford
See full programme poster here.
-
Explore current research into human thought, behaviour, motivation and decision-making.
Students will encounter different areas of psychological research while gaining insight into how Psychology develops beyond the school curriculum and at university.
PROGRAMME
Mondays 7:00-8:30pm (UK time) | Online
26 October
‘Mental Health: History, definitions, and debates’ - Isaac Winterburn, Oxford
02 November
‘Family and Peer Relationships Across Childhood and Adolescence’ - Pin Chen, Oxford
09 November
‘Affective Political Polarisation and Political Psychology’ - Dominykas Ragelis, Oxford
16 November
‘Participatory Research: What it Means and Why is Works’ - Lois Ann Parri, Cambridge
23 November
‘From Conformity to Culture, How Social Norms Shape Our Emotions’ - Yiran Ge, Oxford
See full programme poster here.
-
Explore some of the ethical questions created by developments in medicine, healthcare, psychology and technology.
Drawing on perspectives from different academic disciplines, students will examine how researchers approach difficult questions involving autonomy, responsibility, decision-making and emerging technologies.
PROGRAMME
Wednesdays 5:00-6:30pm (UK time) | Online
October 28
‘Playing God with DNA? Medicine, Ethics, and Gene Editing’ - Arvin Gouw, Cambridge
November 04
‘Arts-Based Healthcare Research with Minoritised Communities: The Ethics of Creative Narrative Reclamation’ - MacKenzie Isaac, Oxford
November 11
‘AI in Healthcare: Requirements for Ethical AI’ - Marina Camacho-Sanz, Cambridge
November 18
‘Ethics of Digital Interventions for Mental Health: Remote Therapy and AI-Mediated Therapy’ - Lois Ann Parri, Cambridge
November 25
‘Ethics of Infectious Disease’ - Jolie Zhou
See full programme poster here.
-
Explore the impact of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies through perspectives extending beyond pure STEM approaches.
Students will encounter researchers examining the political, legal, economic, psychological, ethical and social questions created by technological change.
PROGRAMME
Thursdays 5:00-6:30pm (UK time) | Online
October 29
‘When AI Knows It Is Being Tested: Can We Trust AI Safety Evaluations?’ - Varad Vishwarupe, Oxford
November 05
‘Digital Coloniality: An exploration of racial discrimination against 'Blackness' in Generative Artificial Intelligence models’ - Sara Badran-Tetley, Cambridge
November 12
‘AI, technology, and Religion’ - Marina Camacho-Sanz, Cambridge
November 19
‘Multidisciplinary Innovation Studies and the Science of Progress’ - Jan Meyerhoff-Liang, Oxford
November 26
‘AI and the World of Work’ - Ambika Tandon, Cambridge
See full programme poster here.
Pricing
The standard registration fee is £150 per student for a complete five-week subject series, including all five lectures and Q&A sessions (Equivalent to £30 per session).
Discounts are available through our School Access schemes, and for means-tested students.
Payment will be arranged via invoice following completion of the booking form.
School Access
Schools can provide access to the Autumn Lecture Series in two ways:
School-funded group places
Schools can arrange places centrally for groups of students, with discounted rates available according to student numbers.
Student and family registration
Schools can also share the opportunity directly with interested students and families. Partner schools receive a dedicated registration code providing 20% off the standard individual registration price.
There is no obligation to reserve places at this stage.
The complete Autumn programme, including individual lecture topics, speakers and timings, will be released by the end of September.
Interested in offering the series to your students?
Schools can register their interest now to receive the full programme when it is released, together with information about school access, discounted rates and group bookings.
We will then keep you updated as the individual subject programmes are released.
