Study Abroad | London
Summer 2025: Academics

Course Code: ANTH SOCI 345 (1A)

Instruction Language: English

This course will focus on the emerging global cuisine in London and examine it as a cultural phenomenon inextricably linked to immigration. Taking a historical perspective, the course will explore the role of culinary dishes adopted as “national dishes” in the UK, from fish and chips to chicken tikka masala, and analyse their origins and evolution into iconic British foods. The course will explore the role of the British Empire in assimilating and appropriating global cuisines and study the cultural impact this has had on the communities involved. The course will also introduce students to European legislation and how it created classifications to promote regionally important food products while analysing recent challenges such as the debate between the EU and the UK over fisheries and how the scope of our global cuisine may be impacted by the UK leaving the EU, and “Brexit.” Finally, the course will ask students to apply creative and original thinking by drawing lessons from global food cultures in how to address issues such as the rise in food banks, food waste, the rise of obesity and other health issues, the welfare of animals and global warming and review options for a sustainable future such as organic farming and “slow food.”

Course Code: AHST/SOCI 380

Instruction Language: English

Have you ever looked at a painting or a photograph and been affected by its message about politics, race, gender, sexuality, or the environment? This course examines the relationship between art and society and considers how artists use their work to impact political activism and social change. Students will consider how the work of activist artists helps develop social awareness and empowers both individuals and communities. They will be given the opportunity to critically engage with how art in its various forms targets causes including the race, decolonisation, gender, utopianism, war, climate crisis and social engagement. The course will examine the creativity, tactics and organization skills employed by artists in the work they produce and in reaching a wider audience and evaluates the success of their campaigns.

Course Code: AHST 355 (1B)

Instruction Language: English

London is famous for the richness and diversity of its museums and galleries and there are over 250 registered art institutions in London. Through hands on experiential visits, this course will introduce students to? the range and breadth of the museums and galleries in London. It will aim to build an appreciation of the variety of museums and galleries available, while offering first hand visual experience of the different art forms including visual art and theory of museums. Students will be asked to explore concepts such as the role of the permanent collection and exhibitions, curating and display, methods of interpretation and learning, marketing and branding and debates around decolonisation. The course will be heavily based on experiential learning with visits to world-famous museums and galleries such as Tate Modern, Tate Britain, the British Museum, the Wallace Collection, the V&A the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Migration Museum.

Course Code: MKTG 345 (1B)

Instruction Language: English

London is one of the world’s top fashion capitals, a creative and entrepreneurial hub with a rich history. Study the spectacular evolution of fashion from small dressmakers’ workshops serving the elite to an explosion into mainstream global consumption in which marketing and communication principles revolutionized the business of fashion forever. Let us introduce you to marketing in the context of the fashion industry in this course which will ask you to step out of the classroom and into high scale boutiques, bustling market places or the world’s largest museum of applied arts The V&A, all located a short walk from our study center. Learn about the role of marketing communication, its cross-functional importance and its contribution to fashion business success and meet professionals in the sector who will narrate their experience in the sector and provide you with the most current case studies. Topics covered include the marketing planning process, modern fashion communication, segmentation, the internal and external marketing environment, and the marketing mix in the world of fashion. This engaging course will provide you with strong transferable knowledge and skills, applying theory to practice every step of the way.

Course Code: PSYC 310 (1B)

Instruction Language: English

The course explores human behaviour from the social point of view and in a cross-cultural perspective, both in theory and in practice. This course in cross-cultural psychology, through elements of sociology, ecology, anthropology, biology, sociology, gives students the opportunity to discuss the shaping and deployment of human attitudes, behaviour, values, communication process and social organization. Specific attention will be devoted to issues such as the individual vs the social, mental health and cross-cultural communication. The course aims at providing students with the opportunity to apply methodologies of inquiry focusing on how relationships and behaviour in cross-cultural contexts take shape.

Course Code: HIST/SOCI 335 (1B)

Instruction Language: English

The aim of this course is to offer students a new perspective beyond the walls that we inhabit. The British Life & Culture class seeks to introduce students to British ways of life and cultures within a social and historical context and to draw parallels and comparisons with the experiences students are living through at home. Through a combination of pre-recorded lectures and activities, students will be encouraged to make informed, critical comparisons between what they know of and observe in the US and how that contrasts with British society and cultural values. Students will be introduced to significant cultural and historical sites in London through online virtual tours which will support the lectures and learning activities.

Course Code: SOCI 335 (2B)

Instruction Language: English

London, home to nearly 9 million people, is arguably one of the most diverse cities in the world, with 40% of its population born abroad and 300 different languages spoken in the capital. Through reading, discussion and fieldwork, this course will focus on the character of ethnic, national and religious diversity in London and how different transnational communities have dealt with arriving, settling and living life as migrants in London. Starting with the post-war period and the 1948 British Nationality Act, the course will explore the experiences of minority ethnicities living in London and cover the period right up to the present day, exploring political and cultural responses within London to different groups (the South Asian community, Windrush generation, EU community etc.) and exploring how these have changed over time. The course will introduce students to the distinctive form and nature of Britain’s multiculturalism and critically analyse the legacy of the British Empire. Through classroom teaching and field trip-based research, students will assess the way in which London has experienced the process of immigration and integration and explore the creation of complex communities whose cultures shape the modern city today.

Course Code: ENGL/THR 310 (1A)

Instruction Language: English

This course will introduce students to?one of the richest components of London life – its theatre and drama scene. The course will introduce students to the specific national flavour of British theatre – from fringe to subsidized to West End – focusing on an array of wide-ranging works, including adaptations and new writing. There will be a focus on exciting and contemporary plays, ranging from enchanting to hilarious to shocking, reflecting some of the more provocative staged works. The course will look at the role of the Artistic Director in the UK, at the variety of different drama available, at the imagination behind adaptations of renowned works such as Shakespeare’s plays and their impact, and at new writing and the way in which it might challenge preconceptions of theatre as a “high culture” form of art. In addition to discussing the relationship between form and content, the course will place a number of the plays in their cultural, historical and critical context and assess the role of contemporary drama in challenging the status quo.