Classes

Second day of class. I rather adore all of my courses (no surprise there), and my professors are all very lovely. Here's a brief run-down on what I will be studying:

London Theatre - For this class, we read one play a week and then see it performed here in London (or Stratford-upon-Avon, for the Shakespeare plays). We also have to attend one fringe theatre production. Later in the quarter, we will be writing, staging and performing our own "playlets" in small groups.

Modernist London - A study of modernism and modernity in London. We're reading: The Picture of Dorian Gray, selections from Henry Mayhew's London Labour and London Poor, The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad, London Scene by Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, the Vorticist manifesto from Blast 1,  and selections from George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London. Our excursions include: a Jack the Ripper tour, tour of Greenwich Royal Observatory and National Maritime Museum, visiting the London transport museum, a Dalloway walk, visiting the Tate Modern, and an Orwell walk.

Art, Architecture & Society - Once a week, Peter Buckroyd takes us on a long walk. He takes us to important places and monuments and teaches us about architectural styles, history, and London society. Some of our scheduled walks are: Greenwich, Hampton Court, Stratford-upon-Avon, St. Paul's Cathedral & Wren Churches, Canal Walk, Stonehenge/Stourhead/Avebury, Post-Modernism, and several pub-crawls (for academic purposes, of course).

Contemporary Britain - I'm not actually taking this class, but I'm probably going to attend most of the meetings and excursions. We'll be looking at the monarchy, Britain's relationship with Europe, the place of religion, homelessness, terrorism, and Britain's future. Some of our excursions are: Trafalgar Square & St. James's Park, palaces & monuments, the Imperial War Museum,  Mayfair, the Blitz, the old docks, and a mosque.

~L