SU London Program
London, England
Southwestern University, in collaboration with IES, has created a program in London, England specifically designed for Southwestern students. The SU London Program is a fifteen-week, sixteen-credit program for students who have attained at least sophomore status at the start of the program.
Students apply to Southwestern, not to IES, directly.
Dates
Application Deadline: March 1
Program Start Date: August 23
Program End Date: December 8
Cost
The tentative cost for this fifteen-week program is equal to Southwestern’s on-campus tuition, room, and board charges for the fall semester of the academic year during which the program is run.
A $250 non-refundable application fee will be charged to the student’s SU account upon applying to the program. Please note: should a student not be accepted to participate in the program or should the program not make, Southwestern will refund the $250 application fee.
The program cost includes:
- Tuition for sixteen credits
- Housing in a modern residence hall, Nido King’s Cross
- Food stipend in the amount of £240/month
- IES on-site staff and access to the IES Center
- Medical insurance
- Airport pickup and transfer: Heathrow Airport and for arrivals ONLY
- Comprehensive on-site orientation, including a welcome lunch and bus tour of London
- Local transportation passes within London
- Ground, and air, when applicable, transportation on all IES organized cultural excursions, day trips, and field trip
- Entrance fees during cultural excursions, day trips, and field trip
- Hostel and breakfast costs during organized field trip
- Tickets to nine theatre performances
The program cost does not include:
- International airfare to and from London: students are responsible for their own flight arrangements
- Passport and visa expenses
- Personal expenses: Internet café, toiletries, activities, snacks, personal travel, etc.
- Additional fee for participation in the optional Academic Internship
- Textbooks
Courses
The curricular focus of the SU London Program changes every fall. The curriculum of the 2013 London Program will include courses in English and Sociology. Several courses are also cross-listed with other departments. Students majoring in these fields will find the course offerings especially appropriate, though students in all majors can fulfill general education requirements, gain general elective credit, and benefit from the experience of living and studying abroad. Credit transfer is not required as students enroll through Southwestern. Courses taught by Southwestern faculty are developed to take advantage of on-site educational opportunities within London. In addition to courses in the focus disciplines, the following basic courses are offered every year:
British Life and Culture (UST39-224)
All students in the SU London Program enroll in this core course to ensure a common educational experience and to provide the background necessary for understanding British culture. This core course examines the traditions and institutions that have shaped British life in the 21st Century. Visiting lecturers from British academic, political, and social institutions as well as field trips to locations in London and throughout southern England are planned as part of the course. The course is designed to help participants develop an appreciation and understanding of the British culture in which they now find themselves residing. This course is taught by a British faculty member.
Theatre Arts in London (THE73-114)
A theoretical and experiential survey of the theatre, its past and its present, with an emphasis on the role of theatre within society. Emphasis will be on attending performances in London. This course is taught by a British faculty member.
This course satisfies the Fine Arts Lecture (FAL) general education requirement.
Academic Internship
Students are placed with organizations in London to gain practical experience in their field of study. Requires the permission of the SU Internship Coordinator in the Office of Career Services. An additional fee applies.
2013 Curricular Focus:
English:
Expats and Anglophiles: American Writers in England - ENG10-754
This course examines the phenomenon and texts of the American expatriate writer in England, beginning with the major literary monuments of Henry Adams, Henry James, Edith Wharton, T. S. Eliot, and Ezra Pound. This course will examine the historical roots of the enduring American-English divide in literary studies, and will consider alternative transatlantic ways of thinking about Anglo-American literary history. If time allows, we will also look at the work of the latest generation of American expat writers in England.
This course satisfies the Writing Attentive general education requirement.
This course satisfies the Humanities Division requirement.
Food and the City: London - ENG10-334
This inter-disciplinary course takes the city of London as its primary text in an investigation of the relationships between cities and food. Relying on Carolyn Steele’s work, we’ll look at the ways in which food supply and distribution have shaped the city of London, visiting the streets and markets that she writes about. Next we’ll examine how the first huge hemispheric global exchanges of food commodities shaped what came to be known as English food. Finally, we’ll look at the current nutriscape of global food exchanges, the rise of a new English cuisine, and the well-meaning, but often conflicting, goals of cosmopolitan and “slow” or traditional foodways.
This course satisfies the Writing Attentive general education requirement.
This course satisfies the Humanities Division requirement.
This course is cross-listed as ENV49-304.
Teaching of Writing: An Intercultural Service-Learning Experience - ENG10-444
The teaching of writing is a course in the theory and practice of writing center-based pedagogy. One of the aims of the course is to prepare you to work as a writing consultant in the Debby Ellis Writing Center. Our larger aim is to inspire you to become an “organic intellectual,” in the words of cultural theorist Antonio Gramsci. In the process of all the reading and writing and talking about writing that we’ll do, we’ll also discuss the mechanisms and politics of “grammar” and review some conventions of usage and style. Finally, you should expect to do a great deal of writing – some formal and some informal – as well as to engage in serious reflection about your writing practices.
Sociology:
Social Problems - SOC34-124
This course is designed as an introduction to the sociological study of contemporary social problems. Students will learn about how social problems are defined and the consequences of social problems for individuals and groups. After an introduction and a discussion of the theories and perspectives used by sociologists to examine social problems, we will then focus on two substantive areas: problems of inequality (by sexual orientation, class, race, and gender, and immigration status) and problems of deviance (e.g., drugs, crime, and violence).
This course satisfies the Social Science Division requirement.
Sociology of Work - SOC34-254
This course provides upper-division course work to enrich students’ understanding of the world of work by drawing on sociological perspectives and theories. These objectives will be met through an exploration of topics in the contemporary workplace including: the historical, theoretical, and empirical foundations of research on work, globalization, human capital, social capital, employment segregation and discrimination. Students will be required to read the assigned employment related pieces from American journals (e.g., Gender and Society), English journals (e.g., Work, Employment and Society) and international journals (Work and Occupations). Students will also be required to read select policy reports from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and compare them to the trends that emerge from Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission. Dr. Byron will also use the British environment to enhance this course as well.
This course is cross-listed as BUS30-354.
Globalization in the Contemporary World - SOC34-284
This course provides upper-division course work to enrich students’ experiences of the contemporary world by drawing upon sociological perspectives and theories. These objectives will be met through an exploration of contemporary world issues including: globalization, capitalism, and other social, cultural, and demographic processes. Moreover, using a global, regional, and national framework will help emphasize the interconnections between these topics. Students will be required to read a number of articles and book chapters/books that address issues that are seemingly consistent throughout our global community.
Housing & Meals
Students are housed in double rooms for single occupancy with a private bathroom in a modern residence hall, Nido King’s Cross. Each room includes two beds, two writing desks, and two wardrobes. Bedding is provided, but students are responsible for providing their own towels, which can be bought on-site or at the students’ convenience. The private bathroom facility in each room contains a toilet, sink, and shower. Additionally, each room has a live data port with free, 24-hour Internet access via an Ethernet port. To utilize the data port, students need to bring their laptops that contain an Ethernet PC card, as this card acts as a modem for access to the Ethernet.
Between eight to sixteen students share one kitchen, which is equipped with basic cooking equipment. In addition to basic utensils and dishes, students share a lockable fridge, cabinet storage, dishwasher, two stove-tops, and two ovens. The kitchen is also furnished with a dining area. Additionally, there is a café on-site serving hot and cold meals.
There are coin-operated laundry facilities in the basement of the residence hall, as well as in common rooms on various floors, which are furnished with comfortable seating and Wi-Fi. Some floors contain a television in the common room, while others have been established specifically for reading and studying. All residents have access to the fitness facility on-site for a required one-time induction fee of £10.
Along with 24-7 security coverage, there is an electronic key-card entry system to the residence hall. Each student will have one key that provides access to the front door, bedroom, and kitchen. The front desk in the reception area of the residence hall is also staffed 24 hours a day.
The student housing is within walking distance of stops for London buses and the Underground or “Tube”.
Students are provided a monthly meal stipend of £240 for the purchase of food.
Cultural Activities & Excursions
Local cultural excursions in London include a backstage tour of the West End Theatre, a guided tour of the Globe Exhibition, cream tea, attendance at the Tower of London Key Ceremony, attendance at a professional soccer (football) game, and a tour of the British Museum.
Day trips to the following locations are also cultural components of the program: Bath, Cambridge, and Brighton. The day trip to Bath includes round-trip bus transportation, a guided tour, and admission to Stonehenge. The Cambridge trip includes round-trip bus transportation and a guided tour of the city. Round-trip train transportation, a guided tour of the city, and entrance to the Royal Pavillion are included in the day trip to Brighton.
Additionally, students participate in a three-night/four-day field trip to Edinburgh and Inverness, Scotland. This field trip includes a flight to Inverness, a bus to Edinburgh, and train transportation to London. Students share rooms in a hostel on this trip. Breakfast is included each day. Additionally, two lunches and one dinner are included as part of the field trip. Students are responsible for all other meals. A guided tour of the Cairngorm Mountain Reindeer Centre, a boat trip at Loch Ness, a visit to Urquhart Castle, a guided hike through the Glen Coe Valley, and a visit to Edinburgh Castle are components of this field trip.
Apply Now:
Click here to apply now.
Southwestern University Faculty Contact
Reggie Byron
Assistant Professor of Sociology
p: 512.863.1419
e: byronr@southwestern.edu
Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton
Associate Professor of English
p: 512.863.1415
e: piedmone@southwestern.edu
