An architectural cross-section by Haworth Tompkins depicting the possible design of the Warburg Institute   The Warburg Renaissance fundraising campaign has taken a major step forward after receiving a generous £500,000 donation from the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust, which takes the total raised to £2.3 million, almost halfway to the £5 million target.

Who are refugees? Where do they come from, and where do they go? How does the international community respond to refugee crises caused by war, environmental disasters and other factors, and how do we find global solutions to help those who are forcibly displaced? One of the most complex, compelling and arguably misunderstood features of today’s world, the refugee phenomenon is the focus of our new free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Refugees in the 21st Century, developed by the School of Advanced Study’s Refugee Law Initiative .

The Institute of English Studies ( IES ) at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, has appointed Professor David Amigoni , an international expert in Victorian literature, as chair of its Advisory Council. He succeeds Professor Dinah Birch CBE, University of Liverpool’s pro vice-chancellor for cultural engagement. Professor Amigoni has held a variety of leadership roles at Keele, including head of department, director of the Research Institute of Humanities, and head of the School of Humanities, and has published extensively in the field of Victorian literature.

Professor Roger Chartier, a leading scholar in early modern European history and culture, was awarded a Doctor of Literature honoris causa  from the University of London in this year’s School of Advanced Study’s graduation ceremony on 6 December.