剑桥大学FitzwilliamCollege写作竞赛赛题公布

英国的顶尖大学热衷于为高中生举办写作竞赛，来帮助学生提升进入大学前的各项综合能力。

比如说我们熟知的John Locke写作竞赛就有牛津大学的参与。

作为英国顶尖的两所大学，牛津大学与剑桥大学以学院制闻名，不同学院高度自治，也会举办自己学院的专属写作竞赛。

今天要介绍的这门写作竞赛就来自于剑桥大学的 FitzwilliamCollege，专为Year 12学生设计，截稿日期在2024 年 3 月 1 日。

如果你未来对申请人文社科专业感兴趣，这门写作竞赛你可千万不要错过了。

它包含了 8 大赛区，有我们熟知的经济与历史，还有一些小众但有趣的考古学、土地经济、中世纪、斯拉夫语言学等。

这也符合 Fitzwilliam College 学院想要学生的画像，它曾在官网中描述学院的宗旨：seeks out students with a passion for their subject and who have investigated it outside the classroom.

接下来我们来看看每个项目中有什么题目（题目后打⭐号的是我们觉得很有意思的题目）：

Ancient World and Classics

What qualities made heroes heroic in ancient literature? Discuss with reference to any text or texts of your choice.

How can the study of dead languages help us to understand ancientsocieties? Answer with reference to any period and region of your choice.⭐

"lmagery is the most important source for studying women in the ancient world.” Do you agree? Discuss with reference to any period and region of your choice.

"The study of art and/or archaeology reveals people the texts ignore."Discuss with reference to any people, period and region of your choice.

What led to either a) the development of Athenian democracy or b) the fall of the Roman Late Republic?

"Ancient philosophy is not relevant to modern political or ethical debates"Do you agree? Discuss with reference to any text or texts and any political and/or ethical debates of your choice.⭐

Archaeology

To what extent can the archaeology of the environment prepare us for the era of 'global boiling'?

"Archaeology only deals with interpretations, never facts." Discuss.⭐

To what degree is modern fiction and poetry more effective than archaeology in telling stories about the past?

Economics

本赛区仅限英国当地学生参加，如果符合条件且感兴趣欢迎私信我们了解题目。

History

In 1869, as throughout history, old and new worlds collided. We invite applicants to examine, in their essays, a topic of their choice, connected to the changes taking place in or around the year1869. Essays may focus on a particular event, a person, a political movement, or even a process of social, economic or cultural change, but they should consider the interaction of 'old' and 'new' forces which the chosen topic illuminates.

Land Economy

When it comes to decarbonizing the economy, "it's not terribly difficult to know what needs to be done, though it is of course immensely difficult to get the relevant actors (government and others) to do it"(Barry, 1999). Discuss this statement, preferably drawing on evidence from the UK.⭐

The current Conservative government led by Rishi Sunak has unexpectedly decided to scrap part of the HS2 project. lrrespective of your overall political views towards the current government, do you think this was a sound decision from an economic point of view?

Some claim that modern communication platforms, such as Zoom, and the work-from-home revolution will lead to a decline of inner cities. Do you agree?⭐

Medieval World

"A World lit only by fire" - is this a fair characterisation of the thousand years of history between AD 500 and AD 1500?

Is European Medieval history a study of white men?⭐

Are peasants more interesting than kings (answer with reference to the history of any part of the world in the middle ages)?⭐

Was High Medieval Europe (c.1100-1300) essentially going through the same experience as Kamakura period Japan(1185-1333)?

Did the Hundred Years' War create England and France as nation-states?

To what extent was English imperialism the main cause of political change inmedieval Britain and Ireland?

Slavonic Studies

Slavonic Studies = 斯拉夫学

Select any single work of Polish, Russian or Ukrainian literature or visual art (a film, a painting, an architectural drawing, or a poster) and discuss the ways in which it reflects some of the principal political and social issues of its age.

'Images of the past are central to concepts of contemporary national identity.' Discuss with respect to either Polish, Ukrainian or Russian culture. You may focus on one work of contemporary literature or art from one of the three countries, or you may examine the rhetoric of contemporary politicians from one or more of the three counties.⭐

'The history of every nation is constantly being rewritten to suit the needs of the present.'Discuss with respect to either Poland, Ukraine or Russia.⭐

Select a Polish, Russian or Ukrainian writer, artist or filmmaker and discuss the relevance of their work for the present. Be sure to support your discussion by offering a detailed analysis of one work.

'The current Russian waged war on Ukraine is a war of identity.' Discuss⭐

如果你已经看到这里，相信你对这门竞赛应该是有兴趣的。

也许你与申请并入学牛剑的学生们在寒假的经历，就差这么一门写作竞赛。