Learning Abroad
Quick Facts
Program Type: Faculty-Led
Minimum GPA: 2.5
Field of Study: Art, English, Humanities, Theatre
Eligibility: Course Prerequisite(s), Good Academic & Judicial Standing, Minimum Age: 18
Dates / Deadlines
Term: Summer
Year: 2022
App Deadline: 02/15/2022
Decision Date: Rolling admission
Start Date: 05/14/2022
End Date: 06/18/2022
British Studies - The London Eye: The City as Performance
About the Program
London is an unparalleled space for spectacle, performance, and “play” in all its senses. Students in “The London Eye” will earn 6 upper-division credits in English (and satisfy the University’s International Requirement) by living and playing in London, exploring the myriad ways the city has been imagined on the page and on the stage. The five-week course will include trips to the theater (including the restored Globe and, as part of an overnight excursion, the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon); novels that map London, such as Mary Poppins and Mrs. Dalloway; many of London’s museums and galleries; and the city itself, in all its spectacular and labyrinthine glory.
The program is subsidized by the English Department’s Gordon B. Hinckley Endowment. We are committed to keeping costs low and making study abroad in London accessible to as many students as possible; the program is designed for both English majors and non-majors alike. Students live and study at the Foundation for International Education (FIE) campus in Kensington Park, one of London’s most beautiful and exclusive neighborhoods.
City & University
“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that
life can afford.”
--Samuel Johnson
London is a city that is at once ancient and modern, and students who pursue the English Department’s London program learn about the city’s history by exploring its present. The topics of the courses we offer in London change every year, but exploring and learning about the city itself is a constant. Every course prominently features London’s many museums and collections—from Tate Britain and the National Gallery to the British Museum, the V&A, and Sir John Soane’s Museum—and introduces students to a range of London’s iconic neighborhoods. Students live and study in Kensington Park, one of London’s most beautiful and exclusive areas and an excellent home base for exploring the city. The cost of the program includes a transportation pass that allows students to travel freely within Central London (zones 1 and 2) by underground and bus.
We believe that the chance to experience London and travel independently is just as important as our course activities. To this end, our classes in London meet Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and program activities are generally scheduled Monday through Thursday, leaving long weekends open to allow students to explore the city and travel beyond it. What London students explore and learn is limited only by their imaginations and interests. In recent years, students in the program have devoted their free time to seeing West End shows at reduced student prices; seeking out experimental theater in and around London; visiting tourist destinations like St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, Greenwich, Hampstead Heath, Kew Gardens, and the palace of Henry VIII at Hampton Court; exploring the city’s underground comics scene; rock climbing in the London suburbs; and traveling to Ireland, Scotland, France, Spain, and beyond.
Excursions
Students live and study at the Foundation for International Education (FIE) campus in South Kensington. FIE provides classrooms and accommodations, a computer lab and student lounge, and furnishes London students with a mailing address. Students live in shared suites (two to four people), each of which has its own bathroom, and all students share a large kitchen and common area. Rooms are cleaned and fresh linens provided once a week, and the building has live-in staff. For more information about the flats and FIE (including photos!), visit https://www.fie.org.uk/fie-kensington-campus.
South Kensington is a very safe neighborhood, and FIE takes security and student safety seriously. Twenty-four-hour emergency assistance is available, and overnight guests are not permitted in student accommodations.
Accommodations
Housing Type: Apartment
The Foundation for International Education’s accommodations arm, Educational International Services, provides our housing in the safe, beautiful, upscale neighborhood of South Kensington. Students live in a multi-story apartment building with good WiFi in dorm-style rooms with ensuite bathrooms housing two-four residents each. A large kitchen and lounge are provided exclusively for our students. The building is served by a team of resident managers who live in. All rooms are cleaned and clean sheets provided once per week. Overnight guests are not permitted.
Diversity & Identity Abroad
From race, age, gender identity, social class, sexual orientation and beyond, your host country may view social identity differently than we do in the U.S. To explore how travelling may impact your identity(ies), consider visitng our Diversity & Identity Abroad page for tailored travel tips, health and safety information, engagement recommendations, and more!
Truly the best thing I have ever done for myself and well worth the investment. Study Abroad was my greatest adventure yet!
Krista Maack, Summer 2018 Participant
The cultural immersion was amazing I felt like I got a really good sense of what it is like living in London and I was able to discover a lot of history that I never knew and would have been much less interesting if I were to just read about it.
Summer 2018 Participant
London Eye Study Abroad is an exceptional opportunity to explore historic, accessible, cosmopolitan London. The program offers context, location, guidance, and time to ensure you will get the most from your adventure.
Summer 2018 Participant
Scholarships
Annually, the University of Utah Office for Global Engagement awards over $250,000 to students who participate on Learning Abroad programs.
Deadlines
- June 1st: Academic Year, Fall , & Fall Break
- November 1st: Calendar Year, Spring, Winter Break, & Spring Break
- February 15th: Summer
- October 1st: All Program Terms (Financial Need Scholarship only)
If you are the recipient of Financial Aid or an Office for Global Engagement Scholarship, it will be applied to your U of U student account according to the regular disbursement schedules. Be prepared to make some payments before aid is released.
Departmental Contribution
Every matriculated student participating on the program will receive a $1500 scholarship from the English Department’s Gordon B. Hinckley Endowment for British Studies. This is already reflected in the program budget.
Affordablility
One of the most prevalent myths about learning abroad is that it's overly expensive, but that doesn't have to be the case. Selecting a program that meets your budget goals is key to making it a reality for you. Costs vary, so it's best to set goals and know what you want and are willing to sacrifice when choosing a program.
SHORT-TERM & SUMMER PROGRAMS
Short-term options are ideal for students whose schedules and obligations limit how long they can learn abroad. They may be more affordable than longer programs when considering the overall advantages. For example, short-term programs allow you to complete a course in as little as 7 days, leaving your schedule open for other academic, professional, or personal commitments
For more tips on making your program affordable, check out our affordable programs page.
Costs
Review the Budget Sheet for information about ESTIMATED costs for this program.
Academics
Professors Gambera and Stillinger co-teach a single six-credit course: English 5660. It will appear in your transcript as two sections of English 5660 and will count as two separate 5000 level electives for the English major. The course also satisfies the International Studies requirement. We will meet in the classroom three mornings a week (MTW), and many Thursdays will be devoted to excursions connected to the course. In addition to the morning classes, every week there will be planned activities connected to the course readings and taking advantage of London’s unparalleled cultural resources, including walks, museum visits, and exploring historic sites in the city. These activities will generally be scheduled so as to leave long weekends open for students to do their own exploring—in London and more broadly. We will also take an overnight trip to Stratford-upon-Avon to watch a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Our syllabus will be a mix of works that originated in and focus on London. Theater schedules will partly shape the order in which we do things, but, as much as we can, we’ll proceed chronologically—moving from the Middle Ages into the Renaissance, across the Great Fire of 1666 and into the foggy London of the 19th century, and ending with the modern and post-modern city all around us. (Expect to discuss Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway in the Rose Garden at Regent’s Park, one of the novel’s settings.) We’ll start with one of the first texts to originate in London, the General Prologue from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (in modern English translation) as a way of understanding London’s medieval roots. That week, we’ll retrace the pilgrimage from London to Canterbury (by train rather than horseback). We’ll then explore Renaissance London through studying a Shakespeare play and watching it performed in Shakespeare’s hometown. Theater is a central part of London’s identity as a city, so we’ll plan to read and then see at least two other plays. These selections will be determined once the theater schedule for the spring is released in early 2022. (This page will be updated as we know more.) We will read plays and discuss them in the classroom before seeing them put on—and afterward, of course, we’ll discuss the play and the performance.
The final week of the course will be devoted to contemporary London when we read Caleb Femi’s Poor, a memoir centered on the experience of a young black man in 21st century London, and selections from other contemporary London authors.
Lively participation in the discussion will count significantly in your grade. In addition, while we’re in London, you’ll be responsible for writing very short papers, reading responses, and discussion posts; a longer paper will be due several weeks after the class meetings end and you’ve returned home.
Courses and Credit
- Available Credit(s): 6 credits
- Applicants are required to enroll in the program courses
- Please consult with your Faculty Director and Academic Advisor to determine course enrollment
- Click on the Courses Offered link for more information, including prerequisites
Faculty Directors
- Disa Gambera, Ph.D
- Associate Professor (Lecturer) and Honors Advisor
- Department of English
- d.gambera@utah.edu
- Tom Stillinger
- Associate Professor
- Department of English
- College of Humanities
- tomstillinger@gmail.com
- Jane England
- Adjunct Assistant Professor
- Department of Theater
- College of Fine Arts
- jane.england@utah.edu
An optional, non-transcripted program designed to help you turn your international experience into transferable skills that you can then use in school, your communities, and at work. In addition to taking classes, you can enrich your time abroad by participating in badge opportunities such as, Career Development, Language Immersion, Research Experience, and Community Engagement:
The badges listed in the Available Badges section below are included in this program. Some programs offer opportunities to earn additional badges through independent options. Students interested in earning multiple badges can participate in the Global U Program and receive special recognition at graduation.
The Learning Abroad Handbook outlines the University of Utah's eligibility requirements, financial policies, conduct standards, administrative procedures, academic expectations, as well as visa and passport guidelines for Learning Abroad Programs. ALL participants are subject to the rules and regulations in the Learning Abroad Handbook. It is every participant's responsibility to read the Learning Abroad Handbook and contact Learning Abroad with any questions.
2007
Bridging the Gap: Black British Writers 1789 to the Present
(Professor Wilfred Samuels)
2008
Professors Norm Council and Mark Matheson
2009
Underground London
(Professors Scott Black and Andrew Franta)
2010
The London Eye
(Professors Disa Gambera and Thomas Stillinger)
2011
The Bloomsbury Group and England Between the Wars: 1910-1939
(Professors Mark Matheson and Vince Pecora)
2012
Graphic London
(Professors Stuart Culver and Barry Weller)
2013
Street Scenes: Imagining London from Blake to Post-Colonialism
(Professors Stacey Margolis and Matthew Potolsky)
2014
Underground London: Crime and Disorder, 1720-1840
(Professors Scott Black and Andrew Franta)
2015
Cabinets of Wonder: Art, Literature, and the Logic of Display
(Professors Paisley Rekdal and Lela Graybill [Art history])
2016
Filth, Fog, and Fantasy
2017
Street Scenes: Imagining Cosmopolitan London
(Professors Stacey Margolis and Matthew Potolsky)
2018
The London Eye: The City as Performance
(Professors Disa Gambera and Thomas Stillinger)
2019
London Underground: Crime and Disorder
(Professors Scott Black and Andrew Franta)
