Centre-in-England

Centre-in-England at the University of Reading (Fall 2012) and Centre-in-London (Spring 2013)

Centre-in-England (at Reading)

This program provides an opportunity for a few selected Centre students to live and study at a major British university with British and other international students. It has had great appeal for Centre students who seek a somewhat more independent "exchange-student" experience at a foreign university, rather than the more typical Centre experience where students do not live together in one place but take classes abroad with other Centre students and regular or adjunct Centre professors. About 20 percent of Reading's 12,000 students are from other countries, including about 125 visiting American students from institutions similar to Centre.

Centre selected the University of Reading for this program because of its long-standing reputation as an attractive and welcoming home for American and other international students, the variety and strength of its academic programs, its leafy location near London, and the professionalism of its Visiting Student Office, which organizes very low-cost excursions to Edinburgh, Stonehenge, Bath, etc.

Eligibility. Students may not apply for this program unless they have a 3.0 academic average at the time they apply; this is a requirement of the University of Reading.

Program dates. The program begins when you arrive in London the Thursday morning after you fly out of the States on Wednesday, September 26; flights to Europe arrive the next morning. (Do not make plane reservations until this date is confirmed in early spring.) The final class is on Friday, December 14. Once you arrive, you meet up with a Centre professor and the other Centre-in-England students for an orientation to living/studying abroad, to London, and to Reading. You will stay in the Bloomsbury district of central London, near the British Museum and University of London, and will be introduced to some major museums, historical sites, and theatres. On Sunday, you move into your hall at Reading, a pleasant, bustling town of 175,000 people upstream on the River Thames, about half way to Oxford. The Centre orientation is followed by a six-day University of Reading orientation, which includes social events, excursions, student fairs, and lectures about travel opportunities in Great Britain and the continent.

Housing in Reading. You will probably live in single rooms, each with its own washbasin, telephone, and computer port. There is a small kitchen for every eight rooms, and students are not segregated by gender or year. You will take your meals with, compete on intramural teams with, and have social events with the 250-300 other students in your residence hall. So that visiting students make friends with British and other international students, Reading typically does not house all students from an American institution in the same residence hall but, rather, spreads them out. Unlike most modern British universities, the 300-acre campus at Reading includes a lake and much green space. Trains between London's Paddington Station and Reading leave about every 20 minutes and continue until 2:30 a.m. The express train takes 23 minutes and can cost students as little as 12 pounds round-tip—about $19.00.

Coursework. During the 10-week Reading term, you generally select three or four courses from those available from many departments. Typically, a course may have two lectures a week, occasional individual meetings with the professor, two papers, and some kind of final examination—although this regime will vary widely depending on the course and department. Students may not use a Reading English course as their required junior seminar.

There is a non-refundable $350 deposit/surcharge for this program. In addition, students pay their own round-trip airfare, currently about $850. You may be able to save money by canceling your car insurance while abroad. If selected, the $350 deposit/surcharge is due by Tuesday, March 6. A 15-minute video about visiting students at Reading is available in the study abroad office in Old Carnegie. You can learn more about the University at reading.ac.uk.

Psychotropic Medication and Counseling. The kind of counseling and support services available at Centre are generally not available abroad. Because any significant life transition can exacerbate and complicate already existing mental health issues, students who are currently on psychotropic medication and/or have been in mental health counseling are encouraged to consider participating in a shorter program during CentreTerm or the summer. In addition, those students are urged to meet with a Centre Student Assistance Program counselor prior to their leaving to develop a support plan for their time abroad.

Centre-in-London, Spring 2013

London, a city of eight million, is perhaps the most dynamic and diverse city in the world. In the 21st century, it still lives up to Dr. Samuel Johnson's famous 18th century dictum: "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." Students live and study in the Bloomsbury district, the academic and intellectual quarter in the very heart of the city and in walking distance to the West End theatre district and most of the great London sites: Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Regent's Park, etc.

Faculty Co-Directors. Co-directing the 2013 Centre-in-London program are Prof. Anthony Haigh (drama) and Prof. Ken Keffer (French and German). Both are accomplished Centre teachers and study-abroad veterans who have led students abroad during many CentreTerm trips. Both have directed the London program; Prof. Haigh has directed it twice, and Prof. Keffer has also directed the Strasbourg program four times.

Food and Housing. Students will live in twin-shared rooms in the Nido Student Living building near Kings Cross/St. Pancras stations, a hub for the major London tube lines and trains. The Eurostar fast train to Paris now leaves from the recently renovated St. Pancras station—one that features a 300-meter martini bar. Your central London location is a short walk from the British Library and an easy walk from the British Library and the University of London's Birkbeck College, where classes meet. On the way to class, you will walk through the leafy squares where the late John Maynard Keynes, Virginia Woolf, Charles Dickens, William Butler Yeats, and other British luminaries once lived. Each twin-share room in Nido includes computer ports, a private bath, and either a kitchenette in the room or a nearby kitchen. The facility features 24-hour security, a gym, a cafeteria, a laundromat, and optional weekly activities for its international student clientele. At regular intervals, students are given food money sufficient for shopping and preparing wholesome meals—though not sufficient for eating out in restaurants, or even fast-food places, in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Program Dates. Students fly out of the States on Tuesday, February 12, and arrive in England the following morning (Wednesday) where (and when) the program formally begins. There is a five-day break for optional individual travel from Wednesday, March 20, 2013, through Sunday, March 24, coinciding with the end of Centre's spring break. After exactly 11 weeks, the program ends in London on the morning of Wednesday, May 1. Students may fly out of London on May 1, or choose to travel in the U.K. or Europe on their own after May 1 and fly back later from London, Paris, Rome, Frankfort, or wherever. To make post-program travel easier for those flying out of London, Centre will rent storage bins for one suitcase per student in Nido Student Living until the morning of Monday, May 20.

Centre Excursions. Centre will arrange and pay for academic and cultural excursions in and around London on some Wednesdays (regular classes are held on MTRF) and weekends. In addition, Centre will sponsor one or two excursions outside of the greater London area.

Courses. All students in the program will take Drama 341 (Contemporary British Theatre). Students read, study, view, and discuss a wide variety of productions ranging from the latest West End shows to government-subsidized theatre at the National to experimental and "fringe" theatre staged in warehouses and pubs. About half the cost of our theater tickets ($205) will automatically be added to your spring 2013 bill; Centre subsidizes the rest. No prerequisites. Taught by Prof. Haigh. In addition, students select three of the following four courses:

a. Montaigne and Shakespeare (ENG 312): Shakespeare's plays are public. Montaigne's essays are private. Both authors are intensely skeptical of human claims to knowledge. It is this skepticism that allows Montaigne (1533-1592) and Shakespeare (1564-1616) to break free of dogmatism and to replace brittle knowledge with language at the speed of thought; readings from Shakespeare's histories and tragedies as well as from the last two books of Montaigne's Essays. No prerequisites. Taught by Prof. Keffer.

b. British Politics (GOV 451): An introduction to the structures, processes, and issues of the modern British political system using London as a primary resource. During the first half of the course, students in teams of two will research, visit, and write profiles of London constituencies for a class-produced London Political Travel Guide. During the second half of the course, students will choose and "join" one of the hundreds of British political pressure groups, from pro-fox-hunting to anti-nuclear and every imaginable social, political, economic, and cultural topic in between. The class will discuss current British political issues such as political parties, electoral reform, the European Union, devolution, and civil rights. No prerequisites. Taught by Centre Adjunct Prof. Todd Foreman.

c. The Art of Walking in England (HUM 267): Readings in the non-fiction and fiction of walking; daily walks and rambles in London, environs and farther afield (Lake District); authors include Wordsworth, Thoreau, Emerson, Hazlitt, Stevenson, Chesterton, and Dickens; some study of the philosophy of art (aesthetics) for walks into parks, gardens and museums in London. No prerequisites. Taught by Prof. Keffer

d. Popular Culture in the Time of War: The Blitz Spirit (HUM course): A study of the effect of WWII on London through the music, film, radio, theatre, and literature of the time. The wartime spirit of the Londoner is regularly evoked, even today, in the face of terrorist threats. The Battle of Britain and the Blitz are iconic moments in the English cultural landscape. Visits will be made to the Cabinet War Rooms, Bletchley Park, Chartwell, the Imperial War Museum, the Museum of London, the British Film Institute etc. Popular culture was not only used as propaganda and as morale booster, but also reflected the spirit of the English, and particularly the Londoner. No prerequisites. Taught by Prof. Haigh.

More Information

Internet, Laptops, and phone communication. Constant communication with everyone in the world is less available in London than it is in Danville. Indeed, if you want to spend huge hunks of time Facebooking and Skyping and avoiding the environment and people around you, you should not apply for this program; you can do those things in Danville and save the slot for students more interested in being immersed in London, England, and Europe. Wireless internet is available both in the classroom and in the student apartments. Although you may turn in all work hand-written, if you own a laptop, you should definitely take it.

Most students find it easiest to simply buy an inexpensive cell phone once they get to London. Students can usually buy one for 5 GBP and load on calling time as they need it. (It's about as inexpensive to call the States as it is to call in England with this system.) Early in the London orientation, the co-directors will take all students to the many electronics/phone stores along Tottingham Court Road.

Grades/Independent Studies. Mid-term warning grades of D or U are issued after the seventh week of the regular term, just as in Danville. All London courses count in the GPA, just as in Danville. The Pass-Unsatisfactory option is not available in any Centre study-abroad program. Only students whose schedules require that they take a particular course not offered in London in order to graduate on time have the possibility of arranging an independent study with a professor in Danville.

Pre-Registration/Convocation Credits/Netlibrary. While in London, you pre-register for future courses via email with your regular advisor. You will automatically receive six convocation credits for your time abroad. While abroad, you may access articles on any database at our library. However, if you wish to use an e-book abroad, you must register with Netlibrary before you leave campus.

Study Abroad Medical Insurance. Students studying abroad through any Centre program receive travel and accident insurance at no additional cost. Centre’s Study Abroad Insurance, while provided through EIIA (Educational & Institutional Insurance Administrators), is administered through Chartis and WorldRiskTravel. Every student studying abroad with Centre College receives a contact and information card as well as a passport sticker. Each has the Centre insurance policy number, which is the only information needed to receive services. The categories of coverage provided are: accident and sickness ($100,000 limit with a $500 deductible); emergency medical evacuation and emergency family travel ($200,000 limit); accidental death and disability ($200,000 limit); and repatriation of remains ($100,000 limit). For specific questions, please contact the Center for Global Citizenship office at 859.238.5285 or leigh.cocanougher@centre.edu.

Counseling and Support Services. The kind of counseling and support services available on campus are not available abroad. Because any significant life transition can exacerbate and complicate already existing mental health issues, students who are currently on psychotropic medication and/or have been in mental health counseling should consider participating in the three-week Early Summer Strasbourg program or one of the CentreTerm programs abroad. In addition, those students are urged to meet with a Centre Student Assistance Program counselor prior to their leaving to develop a support plan for their time abroad.

Application Procedure. Applications and faculty recommendation forms can be picked up from the bookshelf at the Center for Global Citizenship or at one of the three study abroad meetings November 21, 29, or January 5. You should give the recommendation forms to your faculty recommenders early in January. Turn in your completed application at the Study-Abroad office no later than noon on Wednesday, February 8. You may not email your application in. The selection committee may interview all applicants. You will learn of your status by e-mail on February 25. Because competition for slots in Strasbourg is sometimes strong, students are encouraged to take the essays they write as part of their applications especially seriously.

Program Cost. The cost (tuition & fees, room, board) for the London program is the same as for study in Danville, except for a $350 surcharge In addition, students pay for their own airfare; some have found www.studentuniverse.com and www.statravel.com helpful in this quest.

All financial aid arrangements (both merit and need-based) remain in effect. Students with remaining loan eligibility are eligible to borrow additional money for these additional educational expenses. Remember that you may be able to save some money by canceling your automobile insurance while abroad, since you may not drive a car or other motorized vehicle while on a Centre abroad program.

$350 Deposit by NOON, Tuesday, March 6. In order to hold your slot, you must pay the nonrefundable $350 deposit plus the $100 book charge (or $450) at the Cashier’s Office in Boles Hall by noon on Tuesday, March 6. If you later decide to withdraw from the Centre-in-London program, the $350 non-refundable deposit is, as its name implies, not refundable.

Obtaining a Passport. If you do not currently have a passport that will remain valid for at least one month after your return, you should begin the process of obtaining one as soon as you are selected, since it can sometimes take six or more weeks. You can now do this at the Danville post office at the bottom of Main Street.

To see photos from past Centre-in-London experiences, click here.