The London Program courses are designed for the program and are taught by a combination of Binghamton faculty and program faculty based in London. Each course carries four units of credit unless otherwise noted. Course approval for non-SUNY students must be granted by the student's home institution. We recommend that Binghamton students speak to an academic advisor in their school about any study abroad plans.
Binghamton Courses for Spring 2013
Each course is 4 credits. Students may choose to take 3 courses to total 12 credits, or 4 courses to total 16 credits.
English 450W: The British Experience
Professor Rosenthal
The British Experience course is designed for students in different disciplines to engage in the study abroad experience from the perspective of their own academic
interests and majors. In Britain, students will explore aspects of British and European culture with the goal of seeing and writing about American culture from the
perspective of what they have learned by seeing their country from abroad. Students will meet in class to assess and analyze these experiences from the perspectives of their own disciplines. This variable credit course is appropriate for students in any major, but some students who are not English majors may find it advantageous to work with a professor in their own department to do a project that can be assessed in Binghamton for course credit in that department. English majors, likewise, may take this course for English 450R credit or for independent study credit in an area needed to fulfill
a department requirement.
English 245H/400H: Shakespeare on Stage
Professor Clements
London offers a rich menu of Shakespeare productions. From the plays available during our stay in London, we will select for study a group that promises variety and interest, including fringe theatre. The class will read the plays, see them, and discuss the productions as well as the complex implications of the texts. The goal of the course is to discover the attraction of Shakespeare through the ages and to consider the connections between our culture and the one in which he wrote. In
addition to seeing the plays in London, we will also go to Stratford-upon- Avon to visit his birthplace and to attend one or more theatre performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Students taking this class will have a guided tour of Shakespeare's Globe and Rose theatres, and will also see a play production at the Globe. All interested students on the program will be invited to join in these activities.
ENG 227/ENG 228 British Literature I & II
Professor Church
A survey of shorter works of poetry, prose, drama, and fiction in the long history of British literature, ranging from that of Chaucer and Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet) through the Augustans and Romantics to the Modernists. We'll pay special attention to writings thematically pertinent to students' studying abroad, works concerned, for example, with being young, traveling, being a stranger, meeting new people, carpe dieming, thinking about an education, the joys and meanings of art and life, the present and the future. In the UK, particularly in London, we'll have an extraordinary opportunity to visit illuminating sites associated
with our readings and discussions. Students will take the course as either ENG 227 British Literature I or ENG 228 British Literature II.
ENG 380S Modern British Film
Professor Church
A study of some important British films that depict modern life in the UK, especially London. We'll watch the films together, and then discuss their qualities and meanings. We'll also visit sites pertinent to British filmmaking. Films will include Patrick Keiller's London (1994), Paul Andrew Williams' London to Brighton (2006), Shane Meadows' This Is England (2006), Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People (2002), Bruce Robinson's Withnail & I (1987), Christopher Petit's Radio On (1980), Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead (2004), Richard Lester's A Hard Day's Night (1964), Ken Loach's Kes (1969), Danny Boyle's Trainspotting (1996), and Sally Potter's Orlando (1993).
English 422L: Modern British Theatre
Professor Clements
Modern British theatre, with London as its center, blends tradition and innovation to produce a remarkable blend of writing and performance styles. This course draws on London's rich cultural diversity as well as its centuries-long theatrical history to explore how the written word is realized on stage. Through regular theatre visits, participatory class exercises, and a final performance project, students gain understanding of the constraints and opportunities shaping theatre in
London today.
Art 200L: British Art and Architecture 'in Context'
Professor Sparti
This course will give students the opportunity to be exposed to and engaged with British Art and Architecture, past and present. We will be focusing on major painters, sculptors and architects in Britain from the time of Henry the VIII to the present. Rather than adopting a conventional chronological approach, British Art and Architecture will be studied through themes and historical events which deeply affected the arts. London itself will be our 'extended classroom': weekly visits to museums, galleries, churches and other institutions will provide the basis for on-site discussions in front of original works.
Binghamton University Faculty at the Semester-in-London Program
BERNARD ROSENTHAL served several terms as Chair of the Binghamton
University English Department and more recently as Resident Director of
the Semester-in-London Program. He is the author of numerous articles
and books and has been engaged with the London program for many
years.
JOSEPH CHURCH, an Associate Professor in Binghamton University's
English Department and a recipient of the State University of New York's
Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, has published extensively
on psychological and philosophical issues in literature. He received his
Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine.
JANINE CLEMENTS has great experience with the London stage and has
taught theatre studies at universities in the United States and Great Britain.
She is a member of the Directors' Guild of Great Britain and has both
directed and acted in many critically lauded productions in the U.S. and
the U.K.
DONATELLA SPARTI is Associate Professor in the History of Art at
Syracuse University's London Program, where she has taught courses on
European and British Art and Museum Studies, and where in 2007 she
received the Michael O'Leary Prize for Excellence in Teaching. She
received her Ph.D. in Art History from the Scuola Normale Superiore di
Pisa, Italy. She is the author of two books and over 35 articles in scholarly
journals.
JOSEPH KEITH, the faculty director for the Semester-in-London
Program, is Associate Professor in the English Department at
Binghamton University. He received an MA from The Johns
Hopkins University and a PhD from Columbia University.
