Director Spring 2011: Professor Faye Dudden, Department of History
Prerequisites | Course descriptions | Living arrangements | Extra costs | Deadlines | Further information | Helpful Links
The London History Study Group offers students a chance to do intensive historical research while enjoying the cultural resources of one of the world’s greatest cities. Drawing upon the extraordinarily rich archival resources available in London and its environs, students engage in original primary-source research and produce a paper capable of making a genuine contribution to historical knowledge. The Group will engage questions related to British-American interaction, and students will be guided in a semester of historical inquiry at the archives, libraries, and museums of London. Student research interests may be centered on British history, but archival materials in London will also support inquiry in a wide range of other historical specialties, including the history of the United States as well as African, South Asian, and Middle Eastern history.
Prerequisites
Upon acceptance into the program, history concentrators must enroll in HIST 242: Modern Britain and HIST 242L, London Archive Preparation, a quarter-credit evening course specifically designed for participants in the Group Each student should have taken HIST 200: History Workshop prior to departure. These courses provide an introduction to the themes covered in History 349 in London, and to the skills needed for archival research.
Required courses
History 349: History of the City of London A lecture course taught by Dr. John Scofield of the Museum of London, an expert on the social, cultural and architectural history of the city. Walking tours led by Dr. Scofield will enable students to move outside the classroom and explore the city’s varied past.
History 482: An American in London: Seminar in British-American Interaction (Prof. Dudden) Close examination through reading and discussion of selected Americans whose travel experiences in England were historically and culturally significant. Subjects will range from Pocahontas and Benjamin Franklin to Henry Adams and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Emphasis on critical interpretation of texts and on writing skills. Prerequisite: History 242.
History 491: Independent Study in British History The director serves as mentor for each student’s major research project. Many students choose a topic in British or Commonwealth history, but other fields and subjects are encouraged. Using a combination of primary and secondary materials, the student produces a 30–40 page paper. Students will consult with the director about this paper soon after acceptance into the program to discuss their individual topics and begin research in and secondary sources available in the United States. This paper often serves as the basis for an honors or high honors thesis in history; some have been published as scholarly articles in professional journals. Prerequisite: History 200.
English 332: Contemporary London Theater and Culture (Instructor - TBA) A study of drama, both classic and modern, as represented by plays in production in London during the semester. Students will see and study roughly ten plays, focusing on theoretical and technical aspects of drama, as well as on what specific productions reveal about British culture or contemporary London.
Classroom facilities
Colgate hires classroom space and offices from Florida State University at the London Study Centre, centrally located near the British Museum. The center also has a small library, study space, and limited computer facilities.
Library and research facilities
The National Archives at Kew is the archive most heavily used by Colgate history students. The director arranges an orientation at National Archives and credentials for all students. For particular research topics, access to some of London’s innumerable other archives and libraries may be necessary. The Director will advise students and help them to gain access to such institutions. In the past, LHSG students have worked at the British Library, the Imperial War Museum, the Women’s Library, the London Metropolitan Museum, the National Maritime Museum, the Army Museum, the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, the British Museum, the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, and similar institutions.
Field trips
The group will take three field trips outside of London. There will be a day-long trip to Blenheim Palace (Winston Churchill's birthplace) and Stratford-upon-Avon. Participants will also travel to Stonehenge, Avebury, and Bath, and they will travel to the continent to visit the Great War-era battlefields on the Western Front in France and Belgium.
Living arrangements
Housing in London is more costly than in Hamilton, but Colgate has made arrangements with an agency in London to provide students with reasonably affordable, centrally located apartments near the British Museum.
Extra costs
Costs above Colgate’s tuition include room and board, airfare, and necessary out-of-pocket expenses. On the average students can expect to spend $5,500-$6,500 more than a semester on campus. These increased costs are used in calculating aid packages for students who receive financial aid, provided this is their first study group experience.
Students who are planning extensive personal travel will need to increase their budget accordingly.
In London students will need to commute from their lodgings to classes and to museums and theaters in various parts of the city. Monthly transportation passes, for both bus and underground, are available from the appropriate transportation offices in London. Food costs are also higher than those in Hamilton, but sharing the expenses of cooking with flatmates is cheaper than dining out. A certain number of theater tickets will be funded through the programme, but students may well want to see additional plays, and London also offers a great wealth of other cultural opportunities, many of which come with a price tag. Nonetheless, economy is possible. Certainly there is a great deal to do that costs little or nothing, from visiting museums to exploring the city on foot, one of its greatest pleasures of living and studying in London.
Estimate of Student Expenses
Deadlines and information sessions
Information sessions will be held on Tuesday, October 27 at 11:30 and Monday, November 9 at 7:30 p.m. Both sessions will take place in the third-floor lounge of Alumni Hall. All interested applicants are encouraged to attend.
Applications are available at the History Department and in the Office of Off-Campus Study. Full applications should be submitted to the History Department office (Alumni 330)by Friday, December 20, 2009.
Further information
Further questions may be addressed to the Director, Professor Faye Dudden (fdudden@colgate.edu)
Helpful links