London, Shakespeare and Studying Abroad

(1 Credit Hour) · Undergraduate

This course will explore the academic, personal and spiritual dimensions of studying abroad. It will do so with a specific focus on being in London, on the art of William Shakespeare, and on the significance of these things for reflecting constructively on your study abroad experience. Engaging with a Shakespeare text from various literary, theological and personal perspectives, students will explore the intersection between local cultural encounters and their intellectual growth. Course activities will allow students to reflect on the text in relation to their own fields of study and areas of interest; and they will allow students to work in community, with the opportunity of learning from one another. By filtering their study abroad experience through the lens of one of London’s most culturally relevant figures, the class will equip students with tools to process and articulate what they are going through as study abroad students and global citizens. This course will encourage them to approach their time in London as academically rigorous, culturally enriching and existentially meaningful. Through a shared set of site-specific experiences, discussions and assignments, students will be prompted to increase their intercultural competency, and understand both themselves and their study abroad location in more depth, approaching a range of activities with curiosity, openness, and self-reflection.