Program Description The program will use the rich heritage of London’s built environment to introduce students to the changing elements of architectural design and the evolution of urban space from medieval times to modernity. During a series of guided tours to different districts, students will have the chance to examine the historical record and material culture of commercial, governmental and residential buildings, churches, monuments, theaters, museums, railways stations, parks, squares, and bridges.
The FOOTSTEPS in LONDON program is designed to take advantage of the urban environment of greater London in the hands-on teaching of Architecture, Urban Design, History and Ethnography. Most of the teaching occurs on site in different urban settings and museums around the city. We conduct numerous guided tours in various districts, including visits to historic commercial, governmental and residential developments, churches, monuments, parks, bridges, several internationally significant museums and a few theater performances. The ethnographic course examines London as a “global city” by guiding students through the study of several of London’s celebrated ethnic neighborhoods as another way of understanding the relationships between spatial environments, communities and culture. We will also make a day trip to Oxford to contrast its more homogeneous traditional urban environment with the evolving and modernizing spaces of Greater London.
Program Eligibility
2.5 GPA for undergraduates, 3.0 for graduate students
Program Dates May 22 - June 11, 2010.
Location(s) The trip includes 21 nights at the Thistle Kensington Gardens Hotel on Hyde Park with great breakfasts included (www.thistlehotels.com/kensingtongardens ). Also included are trips to the Theatre, the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Tate Modern, Kew Gardens, the Victoria & Albert Museum, St. Paul’s, the Tower of London and the John Soane House Museum. Among the many excursions will be visits to the historic Portobello and Camden Markets, a day to the lovely historic town of Oxford and visits to the Observatory, the Naval Museum and the Queen’s House in nearby Greenwich.
Courses Offered ARCH 2401 – Appreciation of Architecture
ANTH 2051 – Introduction to World Ethnography
Expected Program Costs Program cost for 21 nights will be $2,800. Breakfast is included in the hotel plan and there are many eating establishments of all types throughout the neighborhood. The students should budget approximately $1,500 for food during the 21-day stay in London.
The program cost includes bus and subway passes for the entire time we are in London. Airfares are not included and students are expected to make these arrangements themselves. They should budget $800 - $900 for flights. We will meet them at, and return to, Gatwick Airport with a hired coach as a part of the program budget. The train ride to Oxford is covered, as well.
Itinerary (Tentative)
Before departure there will be two meetings to establish working groups for Week One student projects on London’s districts and their peoples: The City, the East End, Soho, the West End, Whitehall, and the Docklands.
May 22 – depart Baton Rouge
May 23 – arrive London; coach to hotel; London Eye and dinner in Soho; discussions of student projects
May 24 – classes begin with a morning tour of the Museum of London; Week One is dedicated to student group projects with afternoons for site visits and research
May 25 – morning walking tour of Kensington Gardens and the Architecture Exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum; afternoons for site visits and research
May 26 – morning visit to the Enlightenment Gallery at the British Museum; afternoon for site visits and research
May 27 – full day for guided research, site visits, and project preparation
May 28 – Student Group Presentations
May 29 – Portobello Market
May 30 – Free Day
May 31 – Bank Holiday; morning lecture and walk through Holland Park to Kensington High Street
June 1 – morning lecture and guided walking tour of the Tower of London, “The City,” Leadenhall Markets, the Guild Hall, Lloyds of London, and St. Mary Ace in the financial district
June 2 – morning lecture and guided walking tour of the early West End developments, such as Bedford Square, the John Soane House Museum, Soho, and Regents Street
June 3 – guided walking tour of the Docklands and Greenwich, including the Observatory, the Queen’s House, and the Naval Museum
June 4 – morning lectures
June 5 – Camden Market; the canals and Regent Park
June 6 – Free Day
June 7 – Day trip to Oxford
June 8 – morning lecture and guided walking tour of Kew Gardens
June 9 – morning lecture and guided walking tour of Westminster Abbey, Whitehall, Banqueting House, Trafalgar Square, and the National Gallery addition
June 10 – morning lecture and guided walking tour of the Southbank River Walk from the National Theatre to the Design Museum, including the Tate Modern and the Greater London Authority headquarters
June 11 – written exams handed out at 8:00am, due in by 2:00pm
June 12 – Free Day
June 13 – leave hotel for home or points east….
The program will also include one night at the theatre, to be scheduled as available.
