Danielle Kuntz, English with an emphasis in creative writing major, studied abroad at the University of Oxford in Fall of 2021.
A native of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Kuntz used her Murphy Scholar Travel Funds to participate in the Oxford Programme for Undergraduate Studies, which provides supervised independent study in a personalized and flexible framework in Oxford, England.
Hendrix College is one of the select participating US colleges and universities to take part in this Oxford program. Hendrix students study under the guidance of Oxford tutors to the same standard and in the same manner as matriculated Oxford undergraduates.
Even though Kuntz "didn’t know what to expect in the first place,” she feels that her “Oxford Experience” exceeded her expectations and created a space for her to feel at home in the city.
Courses are taught in the tutorial system where students meet with their major tutor every week and a minor tutor bi-weekly with tutorial essays due at each meeting. It is a rigorous reading and writing program that created space for Kuntz to grow personally and academically.
The list of possible subjects of study is extensive and includes many types of classes found in the humanities and social science areas at Hendrix. While at Oxford, Kuntz took a tutorial on James Joyce’s Ulysses and studied a breadth of work from C.S. Lewis to Victorian women’s literature and its effects on contemporary writers, such as Irish novelist Sally Rooney.
The program also boasts built-in travel breaks, and students often have the opportunity for travel in Europe and beyond. This gave Kuntz an opportunity to visit Portugal as well.