London Summer Term

Course meets on Tuesdays from 5:00-5:50 p.m.
Professor Tim Vercellotti

This course introduces students to the politics, geography, and culture of London and surrounding southeastern England. Students examine the local and national political institutions that function in London, the role that the River Thames has played in the development of London and surrounding areas, and the changing demographics of the region. The course studies the uniquely English norms that shape human behavior in shared spaces in London, including pubs, restaurants, mass transit, and religious institutions.

Professor Chidike Okeem
Meets the Social/Behavioral Perspective requirement

This course will introduce students to criminal justice in the UK, with emphasis on the capital city of London. Students will explore historical landmarks related to criminal justice and also be introduced to some of the contemporary institutions of British criminal justice. Pressing issues of crime and justice in London will be addressed. Field trips will include visits to a Crown Court, the Tower of London, the Inns of Court, a Metropolitan Police station, and the Houses of Parliament.

Professor Tim Vercellotti
Designed to meet the Ethical Perspective requirement (pending approval)

Many of the major advances in Western political and social thought came from philosophers and other intellectuals based in London from the 17th through the 20th centuries. Some were natives (Hobbes, Locke, Wollstonecraft, Macaulay, Mill); some were expatriates (Marx, Engels, Lenin); and some were passing through (Gandhi). This course will examine their impact on London and the world beyond, and London’s impact on them. Field trips will include visits to Westminster Abbey, Highgate Cemetery, the National Portrait Gallery, the London Zoo, and University College London, where Jeremy Bentham’s preserved body sits upright in a display case to welcome visitors.

Professor Hilary Haft Bucs
Designed to meet the Elements of Culture (CA) requirement for Business, Engineering, and Pharmacy, or Global Cultures (CUL) for Arts & Sciences (pending approval)

This course will explore Jewish culture in London past and present, with an artistic emphasis on Jewish comedy. We will identify aspects of Jewish culture and examine how Jewish immigrants influenced both the Anglo-Jewish population and British culture in theatre, food, fashion, visual arts, and activism. We will investigate the role the Holocaust played in Jewish immigration to London, and the rise of antisemitism, as well as ways to combat it. For the comedy portion of the course, we will compare and contrast elements of Jewish humor in film, TV, theatre, and stand-up comedy. Field trips will include a Jewish History Walk in Whitechapel and the East End, and visits to the Freud Museum, Ben Uri Gallery, the Old Globe Theatre, the National Theatre, a comedy club, famous Jewish restaurants, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Imperial War Museum.

Professor Jennifer Beineke
Meets the MATH requirement for selected majors, or counts toward 40-credit minimum for General University Requirements, or counts toward the Women’s and Gender Studies minor. Can also be adapted to meet the College of Engineering 300-level MATH requirement. 

The word cryptography comes from Greek words meaning “hidden writing.” We will explore hidden messages and their evolution over time in the UK. We will learn basic mathematical techniques to allow us to encrypt and decrypt messages, and we will study the impact of British women on cryptography—including Mary, Queen of Scots, the computer programmer Ada Lovelace, and the women code-breakers of Bletchley Park. Field trips will include the British Museum, the Science Museum, the Tower of London, and Bletchley Park.

The costs are subject to change pending final budget approval.

The cost for one session (3 weeks) is currently estimated to be $6,600.
The cost for two sessions (6 weeks) is currently estimated to be $11,880.

The cost includes: roundtrip airfare, Boston to London; tuition; room and board (19 meals per week); airport transfers; and field trips.

London and the surrounding areas will serve as our classroom during the summer term. Field trips will take us to:

• A cruise on the River Thames
• The Tower of London
• Westminster Abbey
• The Houses of Parliament
• The Old Bailey
• Royal Courts of Justice
• Inns of Court
• British Museum
• Highgate Cemetery
• The London Zoo
• The National Portrait Gallery
• The Museum of London
• The Science Museum
• Bletchley Park
• The National Theatre

Applicants should have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 at the close of the fall 2023 semester, and must have earned a semester GPA of 2.0 or higher for the fall 2023 semester. We will consider applicants with cumulative GPA’s below 2.5 if they provide a name and contact information for a faculty member who can provide a reference indicating that the student is prepared to succeed in a study abroad program.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Marcus Davis
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Director of the Study Abroad Program
Phone: 413-782-1444
Email: marcus.davis@wne.edu

Professor Tim Vercellotti
Director, Western New England University London Summer Program
Phone: 413-782-1724
Email: tim.vercellotti@wne.edu