Living London: Literature, Theater, Art, and the City
Theater, literature, and the arts flourish in London. The city has an incomparably rich literary and cultural history is arguably the world’s preeminent city for theater. The goal of the London program is to provide Carleton students with an immersive experience in this exciting milieu, with a focus on the life and times of Elizabethan and Jacobean England, encompassing literature, theater, art, music, architecture, and history.
To deepen students’ appreciation and understanding of all aspects of theater
To learn about the historical and aesthetic interrelations of the literature, art, and architecture of Tudor and Stuart England through observation, writing, experience, and original artistic production
To gain new trans-historical and cross-disciplinary perspectives on the English Renaissance
To help students challenge their own literary, aesthetic, and personal values
To expand students’ curiosity and ways of thinking through exposure to new ideas, environments, and another culture
To engage in a grand thought experiment in imagining and absorbing the world of the English Renaissance
None. The seminar is open to Carleton students of any major.
ENG 281/381: LITERATURE, THEATER, AND CULTURE IN TUDOR AND STUART ENGLAND (6 Credits)
The course focuses on the relationship between literature and material culture during the Tudor and Stuart dynasties. This era of violence, plague, war, superstition, imperial expansion, and the slave trade also saw a flourishing of writing, science, technology, music, architecture, and the visual arts. Studying the literary works, theaters, historical sites, and artifacts of the period, students will explore what life was like in Elizabethan and Jacobean England.
Instructor: Pierre Hecker
Requirements fulfilled: English: Traditions 1, Historical Era 1; International Studies; Literary & Artistic Analysis; EUST country-specific course; Medieval and Renaissance Studies core course; Theater and Dance, section 5 (6 additional credits, in literature, criticism, or history).
ENGL 282: LONDON THEATER (6 Credits)
Students will attend productions of both classic and contemporary plays in London and Stratford-upon-Avon and do related reading. Class discussions will focus on dramatic genres and themes, dramaturgy, acting styles, and design. Guest speakers may include actors, critics, and directors. Students will take backstage tours, keep a theater journal, and work on theater criticism and reviews.
Instructor: Pierre Hecker and Jane Edwardes, former Theater editor for Time Out [London]
Requirements fulfilled: English: Traditions 1; International Studies; Literary & Artistic Analysis; EUST country-specific course; Theater and Dance, section 5 (6 additional credits, in literature, criticism, or history).
ARTS 117: VISUALIZING RENAISSANCE ENGLAND (6 credits)
In this introductory course, devised for all skill levels, students will explore England through on-site observational drawing, watercolor, and mixed media. The critical observation and artistic rendering of England’s artifacts, artwork, architecture, gardens, and landscapes will afford students a window into British culture as they acquaint themselves with the country’s visual vocabulary. The course will address the technical aspects of drawing, including how to use line, value, composition, and color effectively. Additional components will include journaling, tours of historical sites, and museum and gallery visits (including the National Portrait Gallery, Hampton Court Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral, etc.).
Requirements fulfilled: Arts Practice; International Studies; EUST country-specific course; Studio Art six-credit course with a 2-D emphasis, Medieval and Renaissance Studies supporting course.
Instructors: Juliane Shibata [and staff]
Pierre Hecker, Associate Professor of English
He also teaches for the Medieval and Renaissance Studies and European Studies minors as well as the Summer Humanities Institute. He is particularly interested in the intersections of literature, visual culture, and performance. Courses taught include Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Revenge Tragedy, Drama, Film, and Society, and Murder. He has directed Carleton’s OCS programs in England and Ireland. He received his M.F.A. in Film from Columbia University and D.Phil in Renaissance Drama from the University of Oxford.
Juliane Shibata, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art
Prof. Juliane Shibata received her MFA from Bowling Green State University, having previously graduated from Carleton College with a BA in Studio Art. Juliane has taught Studio Art courses at Carleton as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Art and Art History; has taught for Carleton’s Summer Humanities Institute; and taught the Visualizing Ireland, Visualizing the Renaissance, and The Art of Tudor and Stuart Britain courses on the college’s Off-Campus Studies programs in England and Ireland. For the Living London program, she’ll have a particular interest in the intersections between Art History and studio practice as students immerse themselves in the city’s artistic culture, past and present. Juliane exhibits her work both nationally and internationally. She was included in the 2019 “Blanc de Chine” International Ceramic Art Award exhibition in Beijing, China; was the recipient of the Tile Heritage Prix Primo award at the 23rd Annual San Angelo National Ceramic Competition; and received first place in the 62nd Arrowhead Regional Biennial. She was awarded Artist Initiative grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board in 2014, 2018, and 2020. Her work belongs to the permanent collection of Northern Arizona University’s Art Museum and the Brown-Forman Collection.
Students will live in central London throughout most of the program. On excursions, accommodation may be in hotels, hostels, or university residence halls.
In addition to frequent class meetings at London museums, theatres, National Trust properties, and other sites of literary, theatrical, and historical interest, group excursions will include trips to places such as Oxford, Canterbury, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, Windsor, Hampton Court, Chastleton House, Greenwich, and others. A mid-term break will allow time for individual travel.
Program dates roughly correspond to the Carleton academic term. Specific dates will be communicated to program participants.
All Carleton-sponsored 10-week off-campus study programs charge the Carleton comprehensive fee, which includes instruction, room and board, group excursions, public transportation, medical and evacuation insurance, travel assistance, and most cultural events.
Students are responsible for books and supplies, passports and visas (when required), transportation to and from the program sites, and personal expenses and travel during the seminar. Students will receive a program-specific Additional Cost Estimate at the time of acceptance.
Student financial aid is applicable as on campus. See the Off-Campus Studies website for further information on billing, financial aid, and scholarships.
