Student Voices – On the Roof of the World
In 2025, a new course was added to the timetable for Summer School:
On the Roof of the World:
An Introduction to the Art and Architecture of Tibet and the Himalayas
This course was conceptualised and taught by Dr Jordan Quill, who completed his PhD at the Courtauld in 2025. Jordan is able to provide a singular experience in his teaching not only because of his academic experience at the Courtauld and Oxford University, but also due to his extensive and ongoing travel to Himalayan and high-altitude Tibetan-speaking regions of India and Nepal.
Like many of our Short Courses lecturers, Jordan also has worked with several museums closely, most recently at The British Museum as Project Curator: Tibet, which allows him and his students access to various different institutions for hands-on learning.
Students have throughoughly enjoyed Jordan’s teaching and his friendly demeanour, accounts of which you can find below.
To find out more about the course content and delivery, you can visit the course page from our 2026 Summer School here.
Student Blog Post: Bringing Wonder Back to the Classroom
After the 2026 iteration of On the Roof of the World, student Amanda Hultin wrote a blog post on her experience in Jordan’s classes.
We received exuberant feedback from the 2025 cohort for the first outing of 'On The Roof of the World' - The following excerpts gives us an idea of students’ experience:
"The Courtauld's championing of Tibetan Art is important and valuable"
“The course allowed me to go deeper into an area of art history that has been of interest for many years, but one where it is difficult to find accessible opportunities for study. The course provided this opportunity brilliantly. Dr Quill’s lectures were engaging, informative and intellectually interesting. The study visits to the British Museum, the V&A, and to a Tibetan temple were highlights. It is a great privilege to be able to handle historical artefacts as part of the course. The Courtauld’s championing of Tibetan Art is important and valuable. I hope that The Courtauld will arrange further courses to allow students to deepen their understanding further. It would also be interesting if the Courtauld were to arrange study trips to the Himalayas to allow study of Tibetan art in situ.”
– David Skinner
"Jordan was an excellent teacher: very knowledgeable, engaging and inspiring"
“On the Roof of the World was a wonderful course about a fascinating and rarely covered part of the world. Jordan was an excellent teacher: very knowledgeable, engaging and inspiring, and his enthusiasm for his subject was infectious. Our group of students still meet up with him informally to pursue our shared interests. I hope the Courtauld will offer more courses on Asian art.”
– Fiona Hodson
"I was delighted by the immersive nature of the course"
“I have spent over 50 years looking at & studying the “Canon of Western Art” and I really welcomed the opportunity to study the art & material culture of a region about which I knew nothing.
I was delighted by the immersive nature of the course – a rich visual, auditory & scented journey through the history, art, architecture, religion & visual culture of the region.
My fellow students shared my enthusiasm & thanks to the continuing generosity of Dr Quill, we have visited exhibitions & museum collections related to the broader region of Tibet, the Himalayas & South Asia.”
– Anne-Marie Martinelli
"The course could not have been richer and was delivered in a clear, balanced way"
“I completed this 5 day course at the Courtauld in 2025 and would not have missed a minute of it. The approach was immersive in that we were taught about the landscape of the various areas, the political history, the development of faith groups, festivals, the emergence and development of approaches to a variety of art forms, architecture, clothing, painting, textiles, dance and an introduction to the Tibetan language. The course could not have been richer and was delivered in a clear, balanced way that enabled understanding, maintained enthusiasm and retention of the information studied.”
"The course was wonderful, an immersive experience, both fascinating and enriching."
“Having attended many summer school courses at the Courtauld, I was delighted and excited to see the title, ” On the Roof of the world” as I had travelled in the region. It brought me back to London and the Courtauld after an absence. The course was wonderful, an immersive experience, both fascinating and enriching. The tutor was very engaging and personable and created an atmosphere for discussion and exchange.
Friendships and learning continued through our whatsapp group after the course.
I look forward with anticipation that follow up courses may appear.”
– Linda Brown