Courses

All students will enroll for six hours of coursework. Graduate students, scroll to the bottom of this page. Undergrads, read on!

In most cases, undergraduates will take the following two courses.

SOCI 3375N Urban Society in Comparative Perspective with Dr. Price
Contemporary London is the culmination of two millennia of continuous urbanization and is now arguably the greatest, most important city in the world. If you want to study the city as motor of culture, there is no better choice than London! In this class, we will take London, \”The Old Smoke,\” as a case study in medieval urbanization and city growth from various theoretical perspectives. We\’ll study processes of dereliction and gentrification, and strategies of urban planning and transportation. Along the way, we will tour numerous neighborhoods, districts, and landmarks, including a few out of sight below the pavements.

SOCI 3375O Culture and Society in Comparative Perspective with Dr. Majumdar
London is a global city with a diverse population from just about everywhere in the world, but especially from the Commonwealth (ex-British-colonies), and now from the European Union. Thus, it can be expected that London and the UK have been and are being shaped and reshaped by immigrants of different nationalities who have been imparting their print on this multicultural and diverse city. In this course, we will explore the richness of London’s multicultural history; understand the formation and characteristics of its various immigrant communities; and, try to gain an understanding of its diverse population including its LGBTQ community.

 

Honors students can substitute one of the above with an independent studies course.

HON 4391 Honors Independent Study with Dr. Price
Students in this directed study course will design and carry out original research or conduct an independent scholarly study under the supervision of the instructor. The student and instructor will meet prior to arrival in London to determine the exact nature of the study/area of research. Consent of the instructor is required to register for this course.

 

Graduate Students

Graduate students will enroll in six hours (two sections) of SOCI 5371. In most cases, this will mean doing versions of the two main undergraduate courses that are more academically rigorous, sophisticated, and demanding than the undergrad versions, and which are consequently worthy of graduate credit. This general plan has the advantage of integrating the whole group, as most students most days will be going to the same excursions and so forth. Grad students will work with their professors to develop additional research and writing course components in line with student interest and professor judgment about what will work in the relatively short time available.

Grad students, working in close consultation with a professor, may also structure a section of SOCI 5371 like a conventional \”from scratch\” directed studies course. Past experience suggests that this can be a rewarding, but also more challenging, route to go!