Study Abroad
Leslie Bell is studying Comp Lit, at the University of Wales, Swansea, UK
Sarah Westerlund is studying English at the University of Savoie, France
Over the past two years 2005-2007 Chris Prentice has studied in Sheffield, England (for a year) and in Trujillo, Spain (for a summer).
Sarah Kramer studied abroad at the University of Essex, 2006-2007.
Leslie McMurtry worked towards her MA in Creative Writing at the University of Wales in Swansea, 2006-2007.
Semester in London
The English Department's Semester in London offers a unique experience.
For example, in the 2007 Semester in London, we read plays, considered staging, and compared our ideas to what we saw enacted in theatres. We studied theatre history through guided walks, backstage tours, guest lectures, and class work based on engravings and architectural drawings, and we traveled to Bristol for a backstage tour of a working 18 th-century theatre and to Stratford-upon-Avon to visit Shakespeare’s grave at Trinity Church, walk down ancient cobbled streets, wander through a butterfly farm, stroll along river banks, and see a production of Macbeth by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The 2008 Semester in London gives students an opportunity to learn about a London that is not the mythic city often imagined. In the postcolonial literature course, we study authors from Lewis Carroll to Zadie Smith and then experience the diversity of London itself by visiting the Asian community of Southall and taking Mrs. Dalloway's walk. We visit a number of important historic and cultural sites around London, and in the English theatre history course, see several live theatre productions.
Join us for a Semester in London, and be inspired.
Study Abroad
Sarah Kramer studied abroad at the University of Essex, 2006-2007:
The Roman Baths
The University of Essex provided a wonderful exchange experience, and I would recommend it to any student, especially those studying English. Because the university is somewhat isolated from the city center of Colchester, England, it functions, like most universities as its own mini-society. Nearly half of the student body is made up of exchange students, so not only did I meet British students but continental European and Asian students as well.
Bath
Colchester provided a way to experience life in a small town but London was very close, about a 45 minute train trip away, so it was easy to make trips into the city. I bought a student rail card, which came in handy when I travelled to Bath, England, as well as to Edinburgh, Scotland and Cardiff, Wales. (All the pictures are from these places.) Many smaller airlines also make travel into mainland Europe affordable.
Cardiff Castle
Class sizes were small and only met once a week. Because UK undergraduate students attend university for three years, my classes were a mixture of middle division and upper division courses. One of the aspects of the UK university system I liked was how immediately students become immersed in their specific degree scheme. Many UK students couldn’t believe that as an English major I’d taken a statistics class; students in British universities have been narrowing curriculum choice since what we would call high school. I took four literature classes, each a year long. Most classes had a lecture and then smaller discussion classes, both of which met once a week. Because the class was held over such a long time period it allowed a lot of time to ruminate on the material, which is good for any literature course. Grades were determined using a department-wide rubric and based on three essays and a final exam.
The Guinness Storehouse
I did miss coffee houses that stayed open past seven and a library that was open longer than two hours on a Sunday, but I highly recommend taking an exchange at Essex or any other university to any student who wants the opportunity. Please contact me at skramer7@unm.edu if you have any questions.
