COURSES

Below you will find examples of courses offered during previous Spring Semester Programmes. Most of these will be offered for the Spring 2012 Programme. Check back later in the year for more details.

An interdisciplinary approach to history, politics and the study of social trends, Britain Today challenges students to dissect and examine contemporary Britain. In history, students encounter the formative events of the state such as the Conquest, the Reformation, the English Revolution, the development of Liberal Democracy, and the impact of war in the twentieth century. In politics they engage as witnesses with national and local government and Parliament. In social trends, they probe the factors that unite and divide British society. The course is excursion intensive and makes special use of London's resources as a world capital and centre of government. Each student enrolling in the program at the London Centre is required to participate in this course.

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A study of the evolution of the British school from the foundation of the Royal Academy in the eighteenth century to today's 'Brit Pack.' Students will learn to make detailed, firsthand appreciations of: Great eighteenth-century artists whose works range from satirical paintings to scientific subjects and society portraits; Nineteenth-century landscape artist and other Victorian movements; and Modernism's two strands--figuration and abstraction--with examples of each from painting and sculpture. The course concludes with a detailed study of contemporary artists, their work, patrons, and treatment by public opinion and the media.

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Students will study a substantial series of texts and attend at least six plays in this course, each challenging students to think critically about theatre and its ability to shape the thinking of its audience. The course is a journey through different theories of theatre, including:  Tragedy in which the feelings are purged through catharsis; Social theatre, in which problems and abuses are addressed; Political theatre, designed to promote awareness of or opposition to the political and economic system; Avant-garde, which probes the divide between life and the stage; and the theatre of gender, race, and sexual orientation.

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This course is an English literature course structured around Shakespeare plays in production at the time of the class. Five or six plays are selected and students study them as scripts, taking an actor's or director's approach rather than a scholar's. The primary consideration is the relationship of the play to the audience. This course covers the movements of characters on and off the stage, how an actor might present a character or interpret a speech, which aspects of the play a director might seek to emphasize, and so on. From this approach, an appreciation of Shakespeare's poetic skill, his use of imagery and metaphor, and the underlying themes of the play, arise naturally and easily. Students also consider what advantages the modern theater has over an Elizabethan playhouse and vice versa, and how Shakespeare leveraged the advantages and coped with the disadvantages. Students will see at least six British Shakespeare productions in London or in Stratford.

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Please Note: course offerings are subject to change at any time without notice, due to on-site availability and total programme enrolment. All syllabuses may change due to new material or excursions.

EXCURSIONS

So far, bookings include:

Theatre
All students will see:

• Bingo at the Young Vic starring Patrick Stewart
• Julius Caesar at Shakespeare's Globe
• Twelfth Night in Stratford-Upon-Avon
• Offanbach's Tales of Hoffmann at the English National Opera's Coliseum

Bookings so far for 'Theatre: Audience and Society' include:

• 'Tis A Pity She's A Whore at the Barbican's Silk Street Theatre
• Juno and the Paycock at the National Theatre
• She Stoops to Conquer at the National Theatre
• Backstage tour of the National Theatre (tbc)

Shakespeare students' events:

• Henry V at the Rose Theatre, Kingston
• Comedy of Errors starring comedian Lennie Henry at the National Theatre
• A Midsummer Night's Dream at eh Lyric, Hammersmith
• Lively Action Workshop at Shakespeare's Globe
• Coriolanus starring Ralph Fiennes (cinema, tbc)

Galleries, museums and places of interest
TBC

Field trips and other activities

• Tower of London and Thames River Cruise
• Three-day trip to Edinburgh, including visit to Edinburgh Castle and various galleries
• Two-day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, including visits to Shakespeare's 'Five Houses' and performance of Twelfth Night
• Day trips to be confirmed
  

Take a look at the calendar of events (to be confirmed) for dates

Please note: some dates may change, and new dates are added regularly as they are made. If you are looking to make personal plans during your time in London, check the calendar first and also email us with your intended dates, just to make sure you don't miss out on any of our bookings.