Overseas and Off-Campus Programs and the English Department

The English Department’s curriculum is generally flexible enough to allow students to participate in an Overseas Studies Program of their choice.  However, majors should keep in mind that they are required to be on campus fall semester of their senior year to complete English 450.  For upcoming programs check with Overseas and Off Campus Programs

Suggest Overseas and Off-Campus Programs for English Majors:

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Scotland Abroad Program (next scheduled for Fall 2012 with Kurt Fosso)

While attending Lewis & Clark, students may choose to participate in Study Abroad Programs. The Scotland Program is a General Culture Program which provides students with an opportunity to explore the Scottish Highlands and attend school at the University of Glasgow for a semester, as well as explore Scotland through day and weekend trips. While in the Highlands, the trip is hosted by Eddie Stiven, a Scottish playwright, scriptwriter, educator, and actor.

Scotland is a country with a long history and richly developed traditions.  Because it is primarily an English-speaking area, it is tempting to think that life there might be similar to life in the United States.  While that will be true in some measure because of the British legacy in this country, a major focus of the program will be the attempt to discover ways in which Scotland is unique in relation to other parts of Great Britain as well as the United States.

The program will include several foci.  In a broad way, we will be exploring Scottish history, traditions and arts.  But we will do so in several different locations in order to understand regional issues and local traditions.  Part of the program will be located in the Highland area of Scotland.  Another segment will be in Glasgow where urban concerns are paramount.  Scotland’s relations with other parts of the region will be explored as well, including the Shetland and Orkney islands.

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Italy: Sienna Abroad Program (next scheduled for Spring 2013)

Using Siena as a base, students will explore Italy through the study of its language, history, literature, and art.  Excursions to regional areas of interest, particularly Tuscan hills towns, Florence, and a week in Rome that will include a walking tour of major sites with an art historian.

Program Course Descriptions:

1) Topics in Art History
This course offers on rotation a series of different topics of Italian Art History.  Based not only on specific time periods but also on themes that tie various historical or cultural eras together, each semester offers an opportunity to explore topics ranging from a brief but exhaustive panorama of Italian Romanticism, to a specific theme-based topic such sas the use of the portrait in the Renaissance.  For each historical and cultural era or topic, we’ll examine major themes and artists, thus opening windows onto the cultural and historical worlds of each topic or period.

2) Modern Italian History
On March 17, 1861 the Italian Parliament convened for the first time.  That date, symbolic of Italian unification, could also be taken as the beginning of the long process, which ended in the creation of a government and a nation.
By looking at the most significant periods of Nineteenth and Twentieth century Italian history (Unification, birth of Sovereignty, the Great War, Fascism, the Second World War, the Resistance, the constitution of the Republic), we will trace the profound social, political and economic transformations that changed the face of the population and its sense of national identity throughout over 150 years of history.

3)  Cultural Anthropology
This course introduces students to the panorama of Italian culture through the study of its traditions, rites, celebrations and beliefs, which form the basis of the historical and social evolution of Italian identity.  Students first become familiar with methodological and conceptual instruments, then apply them to the specific situation Tuscany and Siena in particular.  By looking and celebrations and manifestations – including the famous Palio – we can observe social, public, secular and religious orders present in cultural legends and traditions that contribute to the formation of the Sienese identity.  We also examine perceptions of identity in relationship to foreigners and tourists and the interactions of “outside” cultures with the city’s daily life.

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New York City

This program is designed by the Art and Theater Departments for students with demonstrated interest and background in art and theater, whether they are majors in these departments or not.  The focus will be on contemporary theater and art being done in New York City and the surrounding area.  An internship is also an integral part of the program. This internship is arranged by the student (with advice from faculty and the Center for Service and Work)prior to arriving in New York City; credit may be arranged in departments other than art and theater.

On average, students will attend theater once weekly.  While legitimate theater will be the focus of the program, different groups will be exposed to examples of performance art, opera, and dance.  Group discussions will take place after performances.  Student performance will be evaluated based on discussion, critical essays, final exam, and creative projects.
The focus of the art component of the program will be on art, usually contemporary exhibitions, taking place in New York.  The group will visit major museums, galleries, and auction houses to see these exhibitions.  Also students can expect to meet with artists, curators, critics, and publishers involved in the visual arts of New York.  Student performance will be evaluated based on critical essays, creative projects, and final exam.

The third course in the architectural history of New York will introduce students to the various architectural styles of New York as the city has evolved since the seventeenth century.  While there will be some class lecture/discussions, most of the course will be conducted in the field, visiting various parts of the city which best exemplify the various types of architecture to be found in New York.

Students can arrange internships with a variety of theater, art, and other organizations in the city.  This may involve internships like apprenticing for a painter, working for a theater company, or interning for business or civic organizations in New York.  Students work at these internships three days a week.

Because of these internships, applicants for the program should bring sufficient training in their major to be useful to the individual/organization where they intern.  Likewise, students should carry the knowledge gained at their internships back to campus to enhance their studies in their major fields.  The ideal applicant would be either a sophomore or junior at the time of application.  They would also have academic preparation in theater or art.

Curriculum: 
Art 309: Art of New York
Art and Art History through the resources of New York City.  Exploration of how art gets made, how it reaches the public, and the process of its interpretation and display.           

Theater 250: Theater of New York  Contemporary theater in New York including traditional and experimental work, American plays, plays from the international repertoire.  Attending and discussing productions.  Meeting with playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and producers to investigate current trends in theatrical writing, production and criticism.
            
HIST 233: History of New York-  An overview of the architectural history and urban 
structure of New York.  Particular emphasis is given to examining the process of continuity and change in New 
York architecture from the colonial period to the twentieth century.

Dept. 444: Practicum-   Internship relating to student area of academic interest.

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London

This program is designed by the Music Department and focuses on the arts in England, especially in London, and the relationship of music, theater, and the visual arts to English culture.  In addition to attending weekly concerts, plays, visiting galleries and museums, students will embrace social and economic questions related to the arts through classes, lectures and group discussions.  The program is open to any student, but those with well-defined interests and experience with one of the arts will benefit the most.  Binding us together will be a consideration of how the arts reflect our conditions (past and present), including aspects of political and economic environments, and issues of corporate, private and government sponsorship.  Although the program focuses on the London arts scene, the program takes several weekend field trips to such sites as St. Ives (St. Ives Tate Gallery), Bath, York, and Cambridge.  At least one longer weekend field trip is taken outside of England to Scotland or Wales.

Curriculum:  

                      
IS 241: Contemporary England 
An examination of the history and current issues affecting the lives of today’s people who call Britain “home.”  As one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the world, London provides a place where the old and new worlds meet dramatically.  Much of this course considers the question “What does it mean to be British/English?” 
            
IS 250: The Fine Arts in Contemporary London 
Focusing on the visual arts, this course asks provocative questions (e.g., What is Art?), and seeks to explore answers through lectures, discussions, and visits to prominent galleries and museums, including the National Gallery, the Tates and the Sir John Soane Museum.

Other topics include arts funding, arts education, and performances and issues in the fine arts in areas not covered by the music and theatre courses.  A large component of this course is a required individual experiential learning project in one area of the arts.  These take the form of internships*, practicums, private study/performance, or research projects.

* A T4 visa is required for internships, which is an added cost of about $500 not included in the program fees.
            
MUS 362: Topics in Music and History This course provides opportunities for in-depth study of an area of music history plus an overview of classical music in various London venues, including chamber music, symphony orchestras, opera, choral groups and solo recitals.  Weekly attendance at concerts, both as a group and individually, augments the academic coursework.  This fulfills a music major requirement.

TH 251 Theatre in London 
This course provides an overview of London theatre offerings, in a variety of idioms from West End, Fringe, and regional companies.  It also includes an historical overview of British theatre traditions.  All aspects of theatre (acting, directing, playwriting, design and funding) are discussed. Weekly attendance of productions is supplemented by other field trips and meetings with actors and producers.

Relationship to On-Campus Curriculum:
This program is of great benefit to students with a strong background or interest in one or more of the fine arts.  Arts immersion, especially in music or theatre, in what many consider the world’s capital of the arts offers a depth of experience and opportunity for comparisons far beyond what we can replicate on campus or in Portland. These students return to campus with a wealth of new ideas, increased skills, and critical perspectives that often become an integral part of the success of their senior projects or upper division study.  In addition, because of the overlap in themes in the London curriculum, all students are able to study and compare various art forms as a cohort in a way that is not possible with a more typical Lewis & Clark students’ course schedule.