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Today, St John's is home to approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 graduate students, 100 fellows and 25 College lecturers. Nearly every subject studied at the University is represented in St John's. A vibrant international community, it fosters intellectual rigour, creativity, and independence in its students, teachers, and researchers.
St John's was founded in 1555 by Sir Thomas White, a wealthy London merchant. White was Master of the Merchant Taylors' Company, and established a number of educational foundations including the Merchant Taylors' schools.
Although primarily a producer of Anglican clergymen in the earlier periods of its history, St John's also gained a reputation for both law and medicine. Fellows and alumni have included Archbishop Laud, Jane Austen's father and brothers, the early Fabian intellectual Sidney Ball, and Abdul Rasul, one of the first Bengalis to gain the degree of Bachelor of Civil Law at Oxford.
More recently, graduates of St John's have included the novelists and poets A.E. Housman, Robert Graves, Kingsley Amis, Philip Larkin and John Wain, as well as former Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
| # | Episode Title | Description | People | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Creative Commons | The history of the future | The founders lecture 2016, by eminent historian and Honorary Fellow, Professor Sir Brian Harrison, FBA. | Brian Harrison | 14 Jun 2016 |
| 11 | 2000 Women Plenary and Panel Discussion: Leadership, Participation and Equality | The President of St John's, Professor Maggie Snowling introduces a discussion of leadership, participation and equality and how 2000 Women and an ongoing St John's Women’s Network might best support women to ever-greater success and fulfilment. | Maggie Snowling, Rowena Ironside, Sarah-Jane King, Nadia Motraghi | 16 Jul 2015 | |
| 10 | Lady White Lecture 2015: If not you, who? If not now, when? | Alumna and entrepreneur Caroline Plumb talks about the challenges of overcoming fears and expectations of normality to help find our path to success. | Caroline Plumb | 02 Mar 2015 | |
| 9 | Human Chain | Is the study of Arabic literature in the western academy going round in circles or moving forward? What has been the most important recent development in the field? | Julia Bray | 12 Jun 2014 | |
| 8 | Can historians write the History of Sport? | The Annual Founder's Lecture is given by eminent historian and Emeritus Research Fellow, Dr Ross McKibbin is entitled 'Can historians write the History of Sport?' | Ross McKibbin | 27 May 2014 | |
| 7 | Brave New World: how women can lead the way | In this provocative talk that celebrates women past, present and future, Clare Shine explores what it will take for women to overcome the ties that still hold them back—and lead. The Lady White Lecture 2014 at St Johns College. | Clare Shine | 23 Apr 2014 | |
| 6 | Creative Commons | Language and Medieval literature. | The President of St John's College, Professor Margaret Snowling, in conversation with Dr Carolyne Larrington, Supernumerary Fellow in English at St John's. They discuss Carolyne's interest in medieval English literature. | Dr Carolyne Larrington | 23 Aug 2013 |
| 5 | Creative Commons | Dyslexia, Language and Learning to Read | Eminent psychologist and President of St John's, Professor Margaret Snowling talks about her research for the Founder's Lecture 2013. | Margaret Snowling | 23 May 2013 |
| 4 | Creative Commons | Phytoplankton: the Ocean's Microscopic Flora | The President of St John's College, Professor Maggie Snowling, in conversation with Dr Heather Bowman, a Fellow in Biological Sciences at St John's. They discuss Heather's research work as a biological oceanographer. | Heather Bouman, Maggie Snowling | 22 Apr 2013 |
| 3 | Creative Commons | Why are we still trying to understand the outbreak of World War One? | In this St John's College Research Centre 2012 Annual Lecture, Professor Margaret MacMillan examines the reasons why this question has remained important over the last 100 years and suggests some possible explanations for the outbreak of the war. | Margaret MacMillan | 29 Oct 2012 |
| 2 | Trusting what you're told: Founder's Lecture 2012 | The 2012 Founder's Lecture on Imagination and Testimony: Trusting What You're Told delivered by Professor Paul Harris, Harvard University, Emeritus Fellow and formerly Tutor in Experimental Psychology at St John's. | Paul Harris | 15 May 2012 | |
| 1 | The Energy Challenge (Founder's Lecture 2011) | Sir Christopher surveys the technical and political challenges of providing sufficient energy in the face of rising population, climate change, and fossil fuel depletion. | Christopher Llewellyn-Smith | 08 Jun 2011 |