2026 London Seminar in Literature & Culture
“The Knowledge”: Wandering Weird London
At A Glance
- May 9 – June 13, 2026
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Students enroll in two sections of ENGL 5660 or HONS 5660 (these are repeatable courses) and earn 6 credits.
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Estimated cost for 2026 is $5,000 (exclusive of airfare, food, and incidental expenses).
- Application Deadline: 02/15/2026
About the Course
Over two millennia, the ancient city of London has become a veritable palimpsest of the macabre, haunted by innumerable chilling tales, the natural and the supernatural. This course will explore how the uncanniness at the intersection of London's geography and its history has enabled the dark flowering of peculiar stories, especially within the genre of horror. We'll follow in the literal and figurative footsteps of some of London's most famous and infamous literary walkers—William Blake, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Machen, Virgina Woolf, Iain Sinclair, and Peter Ackroyd among them—in pursuit of the mysteries and mayhem of their creations and their true-life inspirations. Film screenings and excursions to dim galleries, operating theaters, and backstreets will lead us through a myriad of spooky encounters with ghosts, gods, and practitioners of the occult, and an overnight visit to Bury St. Edmunds, in East Anglia (hopefully lit by a blood moon), will land us right in the midst of one of the largest witch trials in history. Lace up your walking shoes and join us as we tramp (and write) our way through the damp dark in search of our very own weird tales!
Why London?
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.
Possible excursions include:
- walking tours of London
- museum and gallery visits
- overnight trip to Bath
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.
“Studying in London allowed me to personally connect with my favorite texts in a way I couldn't before. Being able to literally step inside some of the places described by Woolf, Shakespeare, and Dickens was an extraordinary experience that I'd recommend to any student of literature.” – 2022 Participant
“This is a very worthwhile experience that focuses mostly on immersing yourself in the city.” – 2023 Participant
“It was a wonderful experience that changed the way I think about literature. I want to go back someday.” – 2023 Participant