COURSES, INTERNSHIP, ADVANCED STUDY OPTION, CREDIT, and ATTENDANCE
The program maintains the same academic standards that prevail on campus in
Canton. The courses are taught by professors from British universities and
are offered exclusively for St. Lawrence University Program participants.
Throughout the semester, all students take Encountering British Culture, which culminates in a four-week, credit-bearing internship.
ND 250L: Encountering British Culture (Director)
This required course, taught by the director, is intended to enrich students’ understanding
of the social and cultural contexts encountered as participants on this program.
In the first 10 weeks of the program, this course meets about once a week;
it includes readings, films, reflection on the home stay, and assignments
related to program excursions in and out of London. During the final month,
each student has an internship as a way of continuing the study of British
culture. Placements are arranged by the program office, and students produce
a final paper, the last assignment for the ND 250 course, putting their research
on the particular workplace environment into the context of the entire course.
The program has developed internships in fine arts, publishing, education, government, banking, and social work, with such organizations as the October Gallery, Leighton House, the Almeida Theatre, The King's Head Theatre, First Boston/Crédit Suisse, OXFAM, MacMillan Publishing, Bloomsbury Publishing, the National Trust, Good Housekeeping, The National Portrait Gallery, and the Green Party.
Attempts will be made to provide internships for students with particular interests, and students may assist their placement by pursuing contacts on their own. They should be aware, however, that final placement is at the discretion of the program director.
During the first ten weeks of the semester, students take three courses from among the electives that are listed below.
English/PCA 212L: The London Stage: Plays in Performance
The course will involve reading, viewing, discussing and writing about 10
plays being produced in London during the semester. Formal classroom study
of the plays and their production will include attendance once a week at
a range of plays, representing various forms of theater, plus additional
guest lectures and tours.
English 312L/PCA 437L: Contemporary British Theatre
Students with appropriate preparation should take this upper-level course;
it will include the 10 plays forming the basis for the preceding course
and about 8 additional plays. Prerequisites: 1) For Eng 312, two 200-level
or higher English courses, one of which includes the study of some dramatic
texts; 2) For PCA 437, students must have 125, or 215, or any 300-level
PCA course.
ENG 247L: Writing in London
This writing course combines creative non-fiction and journalistic forms intended to give students an opportunity for directed writing about the city of London . No pre-requisites.
ENG 218L/PCA 218L: Shakespeare: Text, Performance and Material Culture (Fall
only)
Course offered in collaboration with Globe Education at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Throughout this course students will be asked to think about the relationship between Shakespeare’s written texts, their performance on stage and Renaissance culture. The module seeks to demonstrate the historical and current value of Shakespeare’s plays through an examination of language, performance space, the materials of theatre practice, the cultural conditions in which Shakespeare’s plays were produced, and the unique relationship between actors and audience at the Globe.
The course is broken down into weekly lectures, seminars, workshops and occasional performances or screenings of films. Students will be required to perform in a short scene in order to experience the theatrical process and the relationship between dramatic language and the body.
By the end of the semester students should be familiar with the textual and performance features of, and be able to respond critically to, a Shakespeare play. Students will have acquired a vocabulary of dramatic and critical terminology, and hopefully will have attained a new appreciation of theatrical processes, the cultural and ideological influences upon Shakespeare’s texts, and the post-modern reception and redefinition of Shakespeare today.
Enrollment limited to 10 students. Course participants will have the opportunity to work with students from other U.S. universities for elements of this programme. Offered fall semester only.
Economics 262L: Economic Integration of the European Union (Spring Only)
Designed for the novice, this course will examine the processes of integrating
the economic systems of individual European countries into a viable unified
entity and will offer a critical analysis of the European Union policies in
their broader political-economic context. The course will also address the peculiar
and often problematic relationship between Great Britain and the European Union,
while focusing on the external dimension of Europe in the global economy.
Fine
Arts 261L: Art & Architecture in Great Britain
An introduction to the study of art history: the appreciation of art and understanding
of works of art in their historical context. British painting and architecture
form a major focus of the course, making the most of the extensive collections
of art and architecture in London and elsewhere. Visits to major galleries,
museums and important buildings are supplemented by classroom instruction.
Government 214L: Issues in British Government & Politics
This course introduces the theory and changing practice of political life in
Britain. It starts with a consideration of political behavior, moving thence
to discuss the state and its efficiency in governing Britain. The course turns
finally to examine the legislative and other functions of Parliament and the
influences brought to bear upon it.
History 244L/Sociology 244L: The Legacy of British Imperialism
This course is designed to explain how the imperial past continues to shape
British realities. Its aim is to review the influence of imperialism on the
political culture of Britain and to explore its contemporary legacy. It considers
the issues of political culture, literature, the media, and related institutions.
Advanced Study Options
Students who are majoring or minoring in fine arts, history, government,
sociology or economics may apply to take the 200-level course course (one
more likely to count toward the major/minor). Using the “advanced
study option,” students take the 200-level course but also have an
independent tutorial with the professor, culminating in a research paper
which substitutes for some of the 200-level assignments. Research topics
typically provide students with the opportunity to make use of unique resources
in London.
To apply, students must begin, before leaving campus, by getting the Advanced
Study Option form from CIIS. The student then consults with the appropriate
department chair. After that conversation, the chair will complete and sign
the form, which should be returned to CIIS. Upon arrival in London, the student applies to the course professor;
the nature of the research project is determined once the student has been
accepted. Students are advised to take only one advanced option course.
Credit
For St. Lawrence students, credits earned in London are considered resident
credits; therefore, no special residency waivers are required, nor is there
any transfer of credit. Each student registers for the normal four-course
load, and grades are averaged in the cumulative G.P.A. Students from other
institutions will receive a St. Lawrence University transcript for passing
the four units of credit which constitute a normal course load at St. Lawrence.
While all courses taught in London have been approved for St. Lawrence credit, some departments may limit the number of courses taken abroad that may count toward a major. They may have other regulations about how such courses fit into a major. Students must therefore confer with their advisors and department chairpersons well in advance of going abroad in order to plan their academic programs and avoid problems.
Attendance
Class attendance is obligatory.