If you are taking my London as Text course this summer in London, you should plan to go to the following places as part of our scheduled field trips. Specific assignments that relate to these field trips will be posted on the class page.
I recommend that you take advantage of the first weekend’s excursion to Hampton Court Palace. While I’m not sure if your attendance is optional, I strongly encourage you to experience this impressive structure, as it is a kind of metaphor for the dominant British identity and will likely be a point of discussion in class.
Week 1
The Museum of London will be our first field trip.This museum will give you a sense of the varied histories and artifacts that make up the narrative of “London.” Their collections span the history of London, from the pre-historic to the virtual. While you should use your time here to get a sense of the London’s diversity, you will also be examining a particular aspect of London’s culture. What items seem to dominate “London”; which are surprising?
Week 2
This week takes us to Westminster Abbey and the National Portrait Gallery, both located in the heart of London, near the British Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, and pigeons. We will examine not only the grandeur of the abbey, but will concentrate on the historical personages of London and their significance to British culture. What figures have a dominant voice in London’s narrative; what portraits should? Are there any missing? What ideas about “Britain” do the figures communicate? How?
Week 3
Morality, crime, and punishment are the themes of this week’s field trip to the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Both structures are architecturally stunning, but their respective grandeur both speak different tales. Or do they? What are the messages of morality taught by both? Do they agree? If not, how do they differ, and when? What voices are supported, and which are silenced?
Week 4
Our final week’s field trip takes us to the Tate Modern Gallery, the Millennium Bridge, and the London Eye. The modern and the contemporary meet on the banks of the Thames and inspire controversy. London defines itself by what it resists as well as by what it embraces. And what a way to end: riding a huge ferris wheel that gives us stunning views of the city we’ve lived in for a month.
Take a look at the web sites. I will have specific goals for each place we visit posted in the syllabus, but you may want to familiarize yourself with what each has to offer and what you might be interested in seeing.
Finally, please remember that you need to pay a bit for these field trips. If you haven’t done so already, visit the London page of the EC web site and select “Pay Now” from the menu along the top. Then select “EC England, then the last item: “EC England – Other amount you want to pay today.” Here, enter $36.50. Be sure you enter your name in the shipping address and not the person on the credit card (if it is different), otherwise the EC administration might not know who the payment is for.
