- Published on November 11, 2026
July Weekend Courses
Taught in the beautiful setting of Madingley Hall, our Weekend Courses offer you the opportunity to discover new subjects, learn from some of our finest academics, expand your professional and social networks and become part of a supportive learning community.
You can book to stay in the comfortable rooms at Madingley Hall, with views over the woods, gardens and courtyard. Each en-suite room has wi-fi, TV, phone, and tea- and coffee-making facilities. Breakfast is also included.
If you choose to stay nearby, no problem. You’ll still be able to enjoy the grounds during the day and enjoy the award-winning cuisine in our elegant dining hall.
The following courses will run from 2 – 4 July 2027
A History of the Hollywood Musical
This course looks at the evolution of the Hollywood musical from the beginnings of the sound revolution in 1929 through its glory years in the golden age of Hollywood to its near disappearance at the end of the studio era and its replacement by Broadway stage hits like Funny Girl and Gypsy. There will be excerpts from the great movie musicals of the Golden Age like 42nd Street and An American in Paris all the way through to The Producers and Chicago, not forgetting the Astaire-Rogers classics. In so doing, the course reveals the emergence of a genuine American art form and looks at how the Hollywood musical evolved from the Broadway musical comedy to create something specifically American and cinematic.
Tutor – Dr Colin Shindler
How are Big Data, AI, and Digital Transformation Shaping the Future of Healthcare?
This course explores how big data and AI are transforming healthcare, with a focus on integrating patient data into data-driven decision-making. We cover the fundamentals of health data governance and the ethical considerations of AI in healthcare, including data privacy, bias, and transparency, as well as the evolving nature of this ecosystem. Designed for professionals and students, the course provides valuable insights into the future of healthcare innovation.
Tutor – Dr Fatemeh Torabi
In Search of Venerated Landscapes: Hunters and Farmers from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age
For thousands of years people held a close connection with the landscapes they lived in. They imbued it with meaning: stone and wood monuments, caves and springs and the land around them. This course takes you on a journey through sites in the UK, Malta and France to better understand what certain landscapes meant to people from the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Ages. During the course we will study caves and stone circles, long barrows and wooden monuments in Britain, in an attempt to ‘decode’ their meanings.
Tutor – Professor David Jacques
Transforming Society: Politics, Economics and Social Policy
Britain is undergoing rapid social change, for example, in relation to the consequences of Brexit, the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. This course explores politics, economics and social policy to explain recent social transformations. Topics covered will include an introduction to socio-economic theories of change. A review will be provided of the social policy successes and failures of Thatcherism, New Labour and the Coalition government which, to varying degrees, altered Britain. The efficacy of recent developments in social policy including Brexit, the government’s response to the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis will also be explored.
Tutor – Dr Nigel Kettley