Welcome to Summer School 2027
A celebration of ideas, discovery and lifelong learning
It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 2027 UCT Summer School –
a celebration of curiosity, conversation and lifelong learning.
This year’s programme brings together an exceptional blend of scholars, researchers, writers, artists and practitioners to explore the questions shaping our world today. With sustainability as the thread running through the programme, we invite you to engage with subjects as varied as artificial intelligence and neuroscience, democracy and social justice, housing and urban life, public health, climate and conservation, history, literature, music and the creative arts.
There are many ways you can participate. Alongside our traditional lectures and courses, the 2027 programme includes performances and lecture-recitals, panel discussions, workshops, book-related events, campus tours and excursions across Cape Town. From exploring UCT’s greenest building and the heritage of our campus, to encountering the pipe organ at St Andrew’s De Waterkant, or stepping inside an artist’s studio, the 2027 edition of the Summer School offers everyone the opportunity to learn and engage with people, experiences and ideas both inside and beyond the lecture theatre.
We are delighted to welcome back some of our much-loved presenters and performers, while also introducing many new voices and experts. We are especially proud to showcase the depth of scholarship and research across UCT, with contributions from the Neuroscience Institute, Centre of Criminology, Land and Accountability Research Centre, School of Public Health, and other departments and centres across our institution.
But Summer School is about much more than the programme. It is about community: our alumni, students, staff, friends of UCT, and members of the wider public, coming together to exchange ideas, discover new interests, encounter different perspectives and connect with one another. The success lies with our participants. So please join us, whether for a single lecture, a hands-on workshop or the entire two weeks. We have no doubt that your curiosity will be challenged, your thinking stimulated and you will be inspired to explore new ideas and possibilities.
Welcome to Summer School 2027. We look forward to learning, discovering and sharing ideas with you.