Justin

After officer training in the Royal Navy and a long career in business management I studied art history (Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic and Modern Art) for four years at the University of Oxford, and then completed a doctoral thesis on medieval naval weapons systems with Exeter University. I continue to research and study, including recently a course at Oxford on Islamic art, and as an external student of the University of Athens studying the culture of ancient Greece.
I am a qualified teacher, regularly tutoring Art History and Classical Studies at independent sixth form colleges in Oxford, and academic research, academic writing and critical thinking. I am also a consultant in art history to English Heritage, the BBC and other institutions, and until recently was a senior academic manager of the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
I am an Accredited Lecturer for the Arts Society specialising in Nordic art and architecture, the Dutch Baroque, Spanish art, Islamic architecture, art and architecture of classical Greece and Rome, and 18th century British easel paintings. I am a Preferred Speaker for a major cruise line in art history and the history of the Baltic and Mediterranean. I am a published naval and art historian, and recently completed writing a series of study skills learning materials for UK university students.
I am an elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and of the Royal Historical Society, and a member of the AI and Arts group at the Alan Turing Institute.

Tutoring Experience

I tutor private students - online via Zoom, or in-person locally - in art history, history, classical studies, critical thinking and academic writing for A-level, CIE, IIB, Advanced Placement (US) and first degrees, and lecture in history in the University of Oxford's international graduate programmes. I hold qualifications in the history of art from the University of Oxford, and in further and adult education teaching, and for four years was senior lecturer in marketing, business studies and art history at Oxford FE College and formerly Director of European Culture and Business Studies for a Japanese management school at Oxford and in Washington DC.
I tutor art history, classical studies, critical thinking and academic writing, and Oxbridge admissions tests for tutorial colleges in Oxford, and for some years I was also an academic pastoral tutor.
My current and recent students include successful high school candidates for Oxford, Cambridge, the Courtauld Institute, UCL, Edinburgh, York and UEA, from the UK, USA, France, Germany, Poland, Syria, Thailand, China, Korea and Russia, and UK-based undergraduates and post-graduates studying modern political history, classics and art history. I also advise doctoral candidates. Several of my high school students remain in contact with me throughout their university studies.

Tutoring Approach

My relaxed but structured approach using the Oxford tutorial style of mutual discussion of set work develops confidence and enthusiasm, and enables my students to achieve their full potential. My students are guided to understand the key topic issues, enhance their skills in research and in the analysis of source material, and to create effective essays, all of which improves their results and are transferable skills attractive to employers.
Recent students have been helped to lift their grades from a pass to a good pass or A* at A-level, Merit to Distinction grades at Pre-U, 4 to 5 at AP, and from a 2.2 to a 2.1 or a 1st at degree level.
I also offer online tutoring, which is flexible and can be very effective. Properly planned and enhanced by my tailored study packs, online tutorials offer a high degree of interaction and have some advantages.