September Seminars

Students have?four options for their interdisciplinary September seminar.

London Seminar:
The goal of the September seminar is to give participating students the opportunity to study in London, one of Europe's most exciting capital cities. The seminar, which will be designed each year by the current resident director, will take an interdisciplinary approach to some aspect of British or European culture. While in London, students will be housed in double or triple rooms; since 2004, these have been at the IES Residence Hall, in the vibrant neighborhood of Chelsea. There are many restaurants in the area, some of which give discounts to students from the residence hall. IES?is minutes from museums, parks, cinemas, and shops and within easy walking distance of two tube stations, South Kensington and Sloane St. The seminar will be held each morning, Monday to Thursday. There will be group trips to museums, galleries, theatre events, and other sites in and around London and various Friday trips?outside of London. Students will have a short break following the seminar, before moving to Lancaster, to?allow for?local travel.

The seminar for September 2006 has been? Living in Troubled Times: Conflict and its Consequences in Britain,?taught by Professor Caroline Hartzell of the Political Science Department.

In Fall 2007, Professor Jim Udden of Gettysburg College's IDS/Film Studies Program will lead the seminar, Cinematic Globalization and the British Empire.

Previous seminars have been taught by members of the English, Economics, History, Philosophy, Biology, and Psychology Departments.

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Lancaster Seminars:
Students have the option of enrolling in a 4-week interdisciplinary seminar at Lancaster University instead of participating in the London Seminar. Lancaster typically offers?seminars focusing on aspects of British history, culture and environment?specific to Northern England (see descriptions below). Each seminar includes a field trip related to the week's teaching. Students enrolled in the seminar will live in University housing and will have a chance to meet other study abroad students. In addition, there is a two-week break between the seminar and the start of term which will allow for travel opportunities.

This Scepter'd Isle: Aspects of British History and Culture
?This Scepter'd Isle' is how John of Gaunt described the virtues of Britain in Shakespeare's Richard II.? We have used it to describe this programme which allows you to immerse yourself in some important aspects of the history and culture of Britain.? The subject areas, history, literature, religion and politics, are both important in themselves and also particularly relevant to north west England, thus enabling you to relate readily to a good deal of the programme content.

Changing Places - Lancaster and the Lake District: historical, geographical and cultural perspectives
Our environment is not static - any visit to the UK provides an instant snapshot of hundreds of years of human impact on our surroundings.? A glance at most city skylines gives an insight into their religious, economic and industrial pasts.? Likewise a ?simple country scene' can encompass mounds showing ancient earthworks, a dried-up river course, stone walls revealing medieval farm boundaries and through it all, the modern highway, perhaps following the route of a Roman ?street'.? Our landscape is constantly changing and developing, but is it always for the better?? By examining two locations - Lancaster and the Lake District - we will introduce you, in the first three weeks, to the rich history, geography and culture of northwest England.? The final week of the programme will investigate changing approaches to tourism: why Lancaster is expanding its tourist potential, and how tourism in the Lake District will have to embrace active conservation if its beauty is still to be evident in the next century.

The World About Us: Explorations in the History, Principles and Applications of Science
We live in a world which is infinitely varied and endlessly fascinating, and this programme provides an opportunity to learn more about it.? The topics have been specially selected to give you a wide-ranging view of historical and modern science and offer a foundation on which you may be able to build in your subsequent studies.? You do not need a scientific background to take the course as it is designed for both scientists and non-scientists.? This programme provides an introduction to four areas of science.? We have grown used to living alongside remarkable advances in science and medicine and perhaps take them for granted, so it can only be beneficial to put these in context by exploring some of the attitudes and belief systems of bygone centuries.? After this introduction we move right up to date, looking at concepts in modern physics and astronomy in a non-mathematical way, the principles and practical applications of ecology and the principles of geology.