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Ursinus in London
Academics - Internships - Travel
Fall Semester 2002
Twenty-two
Ursinus students embraced adventure this past fall semester, studying in
London, England, the world’s second greatest city. The full-immersion
experience, coordinated via the Ursinus study abroad office and CAPA (Center for
Academic Programs Abroad),
afforded students the opportunity to live,
work, and learn in the heart
While
a majority of students in the program were English or business majors, students
from a variety of
other departments also participated--including politics, exercise and sports
science, chemistry and communication studies and theater. A pair of Ursinus faculty members--English Professor Dr. Carol Dole and business and economics professor Dr. Carol Cirka-- spearheaded the academic portion of the program, leading classes in British literature, international business, and marketing. In addition, a London-based instructor taught a popular British Politics course, often engaging students in spirited debates on the similarities and differences between U.S. and U.K. culture. Group excursions were also organized to dozens of historic locations, including the Tower of London, Canterbury, Bath, Stonehenge, and Windsor Castle. The outings were designed, in part, to build upon readings and classroom discussion related to British Empire, a uniting theme in the program’s core course, London as Text.
A group shot in
Castle Coomb-- a quaint, old-English town-- during a weekend excursion. One special facet of the Ursinus in London program is its internship option. Students who decide to take advantage of this opportunity are placed at job sites related to their fields of study, each earning college credit, a greater level of interaction within British culture, and a distinctive resume-builder. In fall 2002, a majority of Ursinus students choose to take on this experience, spending 15 to 20 hour weeks at places of employment which stretched across the spectrum of the professional world, from education and publishing to accounting and laboratory research.
Aside
from the expected "grunt" work, tasks included
constructing and carrying out company presentations, writing reports, helping to
care for patients, and planning innumerable events, often offering students the chance to
interact with top business professionals, heads of government, and, for a lucky
few, even British royalty. Among the internship placements were:
Vaneesha dealt directly with patients during her
physical therapy internship. Along with coursework and internships, a limited amount of time in the program is designated for travel. Extended weekends and a weeklong break in mid-semester are set aside specifically for students to trek-- by bus, train, and plane--to a host of neighboring European nations. More than any other European city, London is considered an ideal "launch pad" for long-term and weekend travel, offering an array of transportation options--including four airports and the high-speed Eurostar land train. In three months' time, individual students and professors had their passports stamped in:
Students Elizabeth Drobit-Blair and Nicole Frates pose inside
Rome's Colisseum, during a visit to the Italian capital.
For more information on Ursinus in London 2002 and/or upcoming Ursinus study abroad programs, contact study abroad coordinator Melissa Hardin (mhardin@ursinus.edu).
Last Updated: 01/24/2003 Designed by Dan Reimold (dareimold@ursinus.edu) Photographs courtesy of Vaneesha Vallabh (vavallabh@ursinus.edu)
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