Courses 2024
“In a land of myth and a time of magic …” These iconic words that began each episode of the TV series Merlin reflect our own sense of the beauty and mystery of London and the British Isles. As part of our London study abroad program, students will study the folklore and literature of the United Kingdom, especially as they are represented in the theater, fiction, and cultural traditions centered in London. Students will attend a wide range of theatrical performances, discover the various expressions of the supernatural in the city and beyond, and learn about the origins of the city’s multiculturalism in the migrations that followed World War II.
London Study Abroad 2022 represents a comprehensive program that engages all students with three different faculty and subject areas which are brought together to make one six-credit-hour study abroad course experience. While there will be three teachers and three types of subjects, they will all be taught together to all students as part of a 3 hour seminar each day. Students will all meet together from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. to discuss readings and to explore their developing understandings of the city, its history and culture, and how the texts and course projects connect to it.
Because there will be group outings (e.g., Cambridge, Kew Gardens) and group theatre trips, we will typically use the first hour of class to discuss the previous day’s activities and to segue into a discussion of that day’s texts/topics. This will probably be the first time that you as students have had 3 teachers teaching together. While we faculty all have our own specialties, we have found that the best part of a project like London Study Abroad is seeing how three different areas of English Studies can come together to present a larger picture. As such, our choices for books and activities build on each other.
However, since we do not have a 6-hour study abroad course at ECU, you will need to choose two of the following three courses to register for in order to make up your 6 credits. The work of the program is the equivalent of 6 credit hours of work, but will be the same for all students regardless of which courses you register for. Everyone does the work of the program; which courses show up on your transcript is simply an administrative issue. Choose the two that will be most useful to you and your program of study at ECU.
- English 2570/7465: Supernatural London (Dr. Kitta)
- English 3950/6515: British Children’s Literature (Dr. Banks)
Group Assignments
Students will work to complete all of the assignments of the study abroad program, and based on their own interests in the different course topics, they will also have the opportunity to go “deeper” on projects of their choosing. Those projects will be negotiated between each student and the faculty. Common to all students will be the following:
- Daybooks: Students will complete their “daybooks” as digital projects. As part of these, students will write almost constantly about the texts we’re reading, focusing on a particular issue/theme, but you will also be expected to write about the texts before/after class and to include evidence of your discoveries through London related to our study abroad program. Your digital daybooks (blogs) will also be spaces for including pictures and videos you collect as part of your trip, and will be spaces for you to interact with others from the group. More specifics about daybook assignments will be forthcoming.
- Daybook Analysis/Program Synthesis: In the last week of the trip, you will write a critical essay that analyzes your daybook entries and program experiences across all your coursework. This essay serves as your study abroad “final exam.” Additional details to follow.
