London, England

Please join us for an information session to learn more about the Penn Summer Abroad London program. We will be holding information sessions on the following dates:

• November 15, 2023, 6 – 7 p.m. in Fisher-Bennett Hall, room 330
• December 5, 2023, 12 – 1 p.m. in Fisher-Bennett Hall, room 330
• January 12, 2023, 2 – 3 p.m. on Zoom

All students register for a total of two course units (c.u.)*. Course offerings are subject to change. Course registration is completed by the Penn Summer Abroad office for students who confirm their intent to enroll and submit the required pre-departure documents.

Cultures of the Book

ENGL 1600 (1 c.u.)

• Fulfills requirements: Sectors 1, 3, 4 of the English major and Sector IV Humanities and Social Sciences of gen ed

This course aims to challenge everything you thought you knew about books, reading, and writing. For this special “London edition,” we will focus on how cultural heritage has (and has not) been collected and exhibited in the city’s extraordinary libraries and museums. We’ll begin with the British Library, the largest national library in the world (and once part of the British Museum). We’ll explore the library’s rare treasures and learn how its staff use the latest technologies to make these important books accessible to a new generation of readers. At the same time, we’ll turn a critical, historical eye on the British Library as an institution, tracing its origins back to eighteenth-century imperialism and linguistic nationalism. How have Enlightenment values shaped what “counts” as literature? Who decides what texts are saved and read? With this history in hand, we’ll consider counter-archives where individuals have, over the centuries, saved what otherwise would have been lost. Roaming the back alleys of London, we’ll visit small zine libraries and collections of political ephemera. Throughout our discussions and site visits, we’ll keep an eye on the ethics of collecting cultural heritage and the passions that drive it. As a capstone assignment, students will collaborate on producing their own digital humanities project(s).

London Theater Experience

ENGL 1899 (1 c.u.)

• Fulfills requirements: Sector 6 of the English Major, Sector III Arts & Letters of gen ed

London is one of the most exciting theatre centers in the world, and the focus of this course will be on live performance. We will attend theatrical productions 2-3 times a week, seeing a wide range of plays produced by companies such as the Royal National and the Globe, and staged in a variety of spaces, such as those in the mainstream of the West End (London's equivalent of Broadway), and in smaller, more experimental Fringe Theatres (what would be off-Broadway in New York City). Tickets will be arranged in advance. Readings for the class will range from plays to criticism and will include materials that a) prepare us to think and speak critically about theatre in general, and b) engage a range of specific perspectives on the particular productions we see. The class may be enhanced by visits from London theatre professionals occupying a range of positions (actors, designers, directors, etc.), and/or by field trips designed especially for this class.

London in the Movies

ENGL 1951 (1 c.u.)

• Fulfills requirements: Sectors 2 & 6 of the English major

This course examines the central place of the city in the history of cinema, with a specific focus on London. Within this framework we will investigate the different dimensions of film form and the importance of historical and cultural contexts with special emphasis on themes of ideology, gender, race, and sexuality. Films to be discussed include Alfred Hitchock's 39 Steps (1935), Stephen Frears's My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) and others.

Students are housed in a private student residence in London.

Tuition and fees are subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and may change without notice. Tuition and fees below reflect rates for 2023. Rates for summer 2024 programs will be available in spring 2024.

• Tuition for summer 2023: $5,012/c.u. General Fee: $432. Total: $10,456
• Program fee for summer 2023: $3,760
  • Penn Summer Abroad deposits ($500) will be credited to students’ accounts when final program costs are posted
  • Includes administrative costs, accommodations, all breakfasts and dinners, and excursions
  • Program fee does not include airfare