Oxford Academic Resources

The BLSE program brings critical, creative, and pedagogical approaches to bear on literary study – with the aim of cultivating the imagination and the interpretive and expressive powers that come with it. The resources outlined below will help you chart your path through the summer. See the BLSE Student Handbook for information on academic policies.   

Classes

  • Class meeting times and rooms are posted in the Bread Loaf Oxford office at the start of the session. Please note that classes do meet on July 4 and that there is no auditing of classes at the Oxford campus.
  • Class attendance is mandatory, except in cases of illness or emergency. Please notify both your faculty member and the Bread Loaf office staff if you must miss a class for these reasons.
  • If you need to drop/add a course, you can only do so during the drop/add period: July 2 - July 4 at 5pm EDT. You will need to get approval from Oxford campus coordinator, Gail Borden (gborden@middlebury.edu). Faculty cannot approve a drop/add. Because of the compact nature of the term, we discourage “shopping” for courses.

Advising

  • Oxford on-site director Jeri Johnson can help you with any academic or residential issues that arise during the summer. The Bread Loaf Oxford office staff can make an appointment.
  • BLSE dean Emily Bartels (along with BLSE director Lyndon Dominique) serve year-round as your advisors and can help you with long-term and short-term planning. Emily will be visiting the Oxford campus this summer and holding group meetings for all first-year students. Other students are encouraged to schedule individual meetings with her, to discuss any aspect of your Oxford or BLSE experiences.   

Co-Curricular Events

A full calendar of lectures, the all-school play, High Tables, and other events designed to complement the work you do in the classroom is posted in the Bread Loaf Oxford office (Staircase VII, Chapel Quad) and on BreadWeb.

Bread Loaf Teacher Network (BLTN)

The Bread Loaf Teacher Network, headed by director Beverly Moss, supports teachers year-round as they engage with peers on designing and implementing innovative culturally- and community-based pedagogies – working across differences to foster advanced literacy skills, social justice, and social change. For more information, please see the BLTN website. 

Ken Macrorie Writing Center 

The Ken Macrorie Writing Center, directed by David Wandera, is staffed by trained BLSE students, who can help you develop discipline-specific writing skills in the context of your summer work. We encourage you to sign up for individualized sessions. We will share further information this spring about navigating the difference in time zones between Oxford and Vermont.

Libraries

You have access to both the Lincoln College library and the Bodleian Library, a top research library. You (and your passport) will need to attend the Bodleian Registration session on July 1. Please note that Bodleian Library materials generally do not circulate, but many titles in the Lincoln College Library do. You may also access to materials online from the Middlebury College’s Davis Family Library: see Middlebury’s off-campus resources for more information.