Spring 2009 London courses

Students on the program earn 14-15 credits.

All students take this team-taught course:

• LOND 933. Colonialism’s Impact on the Shaping of English National Identity 6 credits. 3 HU, 3SS
This course will critically examine the way in which the interaction between England and its colonial “peripheries” – the Caribbean and Africa, the Indian subcontinent and the Far East –ultimately helped shape national English identity. Students will explore the memories, myths, and histories underwriting dominant representations of English identity as well as those invoked by minority populations that work their way into, contest, or modify, standard narratives. We will explore greater London as a site in which English identity was formed and contested. Ms. Needham & Mr. Volk

Students elect one of the following courses:

• LOND 932. The Place of “Islam” in British Discourses of Multiculturalism and Immigrant Identity 6 credits; HU
Through select contemporary literary texts and relevant theoretical/critical essays, this course will examine how “Islam” is positioned within dominant (white) discourses of multiculturalism and immigrant identity in present-day Britain. We will examine The Satanic Verses, My Son the Fanatic, White Teeth, Brick Lane, and Maps for Lost Lovers. With The Satanic Verses as our paradigmatic text, we will also examine some of the significant debates and controversies surrounding it as they relate to our subject. The course will be reading and writing intensive and require significant student engagement. Ms. Needham

• LOND 934. Museums and the Shaping of Knowledge 6 credits SS
Every museum is a narrative, every visit to a museum a chance to explore the ways that narrative shapes and reflects how we think about the past and the present, underlying ideologies that represent or challenge dominant thought, and assumptions about how we learn. This course is intended for students interested in the myriad ways we look at and conserve the past via the organization of material culture and what that reflects about contemporary thought and social and political practice. London is a city of museums, and the class will visit a number of museums each week and will meet with curators, education and outreach directors, and academics involved in museum studies. Mr. Volk

Students also elect one of the following courses:

• LOND 907 - A History of London 2 credits SS
This course explores the history of London from its Roman origins to the present day and examines how royalty, trade, religion and transport have shaped the city's pattern of growth over 2,000 years. Course work consists of weekly lectures, guided walks and discussions of readings from contemporary sources. Students are given an opportunity to investigate an aspect of London history of particular interest to them. Ms. Bowers-Isaacson

• LOND 908 - The London Stage 3 credits HU
This course aims to expose students to contemporary British theatre in all its variety. It will encourage critical thinking about different ways that drama may present human beings in significant action and about different ways that live performance may generate imaginative responses. At its heart will be discussion of productions in the current London repertory, with plays ranging from classical to contemporary, and venues including subsidized, commercial and fringe theatres. Ms. Vinter