Maryville University in cooperation with the Oxford Study Abroad Program (OSAP) in Oxford, England offers a variety of educational opportunities in this 3-week program. Join many other students and faculty from Maryville and other local universities at Oxford. Learn from Oxford University professors and Saint Louis-area professors. Students will enjoy learning about “things English” through formal classroom settings, lectures “in the streets and fields of England” by course professors, and excursions beyond the campus to England’s popular cultural venues. Students can experience the environs of the most famous university town in the world, as well as have the opportunity to explore other places, with special emphasis on cultural, historical and popular sites in London. Stratford-on-Avon, Bath, and Stonehenge are likely excursions.

Students are enrolled in 2 or 3 courses. Experience the Oxford educational system through the famous one-on-one tutorial system with an Oxford University Don (professor), and/or take advantage of a world affairs course with lectures by over 10 different Oxford professors and former government officials, and/or in a course taught by a Maryville University and other St. Louis-area faculty. Some preliminary readings and/or assignments and post-on-site assignments complete the program.

The opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics will take place in London the evening before the study-abroad program ends. Students have the option of staying over in London for part of the Olympics at their own expense.

• Students live in the center of Oxford in flats with TV, video and wireless Internet access. Rooms are double but many in practice might be single.
• Students embark on a full-day sightseeing tour of London, with return trips scheduled as part of courses.
• Other excursions outside of Oxford. In the past – Stonehenge, Bath, Stratford-on Avon.
• Students enroll in 2 or 3 three-credit courses.
• Students choose from 4 types of course options:
  • Tutorial (one-on-one course with an Oxford Don (professor) – students select a topic of their own interest and Oxford matches a professor (grade point average of at least 3.0 required for the tutorial).
  • World Affairs course led by the leader of the Oxford Study Abroad Program (and a former American diplomat) with lectures by over 10 Oxford professors and former British government officials (see list of topics below).
  • One of 7 courses taught by Maryville University and other St. Louis-area faculty (see course descriptions below).
  • An independent study (Exploring the Culture of Britain), where the student selects 15 different sites/experiences outside their other two classes – structures their free time (see course description below).
• Estimated cost for everything, excluding airfare, is $5,095. This includes room and board, transportation to/from London airport, local transportation, within-London transportation, some excursions, insurance, and tuition for 6 credits.
• 3 additional credits cost an additional $750.
• Airfare from St. Louis is estimated at $1,500.
• A $300 deposit (refundable until March 1) guarantees a participation slot in the program.
• For additional information see Dr. James E. Harf (jharf@maryville.edu) in Gander Hall 101.

Excellent economic value – the total cost of the program for 9 credits is less than half of the cost of an 18-credit on-campus semester!

Course Descriptions

•  Literature and Culture in the Middle Ages (John Marino: English – Maryville)

Students will explore the vestiges of the English Middle Ages by way of sites and the reading of some medieval texts. We will write and ask key questions about medieval culture, history and architecture and relate our modern ideas and medieval ideas to Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, and King Arthur stories. These selections communicate some key perspectives of the Middle Ages. The medieval period was approximately one thousand years long, and we will have much to explore.

• History of Health Care in England (Linda Berry: Nursing – Maryville)

This course explores the history of the health professions from their earliest beginnings to the present. The development of the profession from a social and cultural aspect is emphasized. Learning experiences will include site visits to London’s famous health-related institutions.

• Philosophical Foundations of Western Science 1540 to 2001 (Graham Higgs: Psychology – Columbia College)

This course begins at the birth of Western Science in 1530 with the Renaissance and the Copernican revolution and carries through the contemporary time. The most notable scientists and their ideas are explored in archives scattered through the city of London and Oxford and Cambridge’s unequalled museums and library collections. The course is designed to be taught as exploratory walking lectures. Students will read assigned texts, pick a topic or contributor to the history of science to write about and conduct research during the class in the museums. reaction essays will be required each week. Assignments will be submitted online. Active, engaged participation is mandatory.

• British Museums and Galleries (Germaine Murray: English – Maryville)

This course traces the origins and breadth of London’s major art and cultural collections. The course will also consider how the major collections are organized, presented to the public with regard to ideology and cultural context. Students visit the National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, The British Museum, The British Library, The Churchill War Cabinet Rooms, The Imperial War Museum, The Tower of London, The Museum of London, The Victoria and Albert Museum and various other cultural excursions.

• International Business (Hans Helbling: Business – Fontbonne)

International economic relationships affect everyone in this age of globalization. This course will define globalization and how it explores several major questions. Why does trade spill across national borders? How are international currency values determined? How does the international monetary system function? What are the roles of international institutions? How do multinational corporations adapt to a changing global environment? How important are different cultural norms? As this course is offered in an international setting, an exciting component of this course is to enhance each student’s instruction by attending course-related excursions.

• The Passionate Explorer in Oxford and London – Digital Photography (Scott Angus: Art/Art Design – Maryville)

In this course, students will explore the rich visual street culture of London and Oxford, England.  Students will master the various functions of the digital camera and will create professional images that can be sold, collected or published.  The class will be focused on guided walks that will look at the historic parts of both Oxford and London.  We will be tracing the history of this great country including the time of Henry the Eighth, Shakespeare, World War Two and the impressive London of today that is hosting the 2012 Olympics.  The class will also be exploring the places that many movies, novels and plays such as Oliver, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter and James Bond 007 were based on.  Students will have the opportunity to document these important cultural spaces and create images that inspire the imagination.  Students can expect to graduate with a portfolio of professional images that are equal to those published in National Geographic and the Smithsonian Magazine.

• Exploring the Culture of Britain (James Harf: Political Science & International Affairs – Maryville)

This 3-credit course allows students to prepare for and reflect upon a wide range of both group and individual excursions during their program in London. Students will participate in several day-long excursions in and around London, such as Stonehenge and Bath, Windsor Castle and Hampton Court, and Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon. Additionally, students will select 15 individual excursions in and around London, approved by the program’s head professor at least one month prior to departure for Oxford/London.

These latter 15 locations: (1) could represent a variety of student interests and would be simply used by the student to fulfill the total number of elective credits toward graduation; or (2) may be tied closely to a student’s general education requirements; or (3) may be tied to a student’s major/minor. In the latter two cases, the student should also seek prior approval of the list of 15 sites from his/her campus academic advisor if the course is to be used for a student’s general education requirements or major/minor academic program. The selected sites in these cases will relate to the specific discipline(s) of the general education area or the major/minor program. The student will write two short papers for each excursion, a “before excursion” paper where the student describes the reason for the choice and what he/she expects to find, and an “after excursion” paper where the student reflects on his/her experience. The 15 “before excursion” papers are due prior to arrival in Oxford/London and the 15 “after excursion” papers are due one month following the end of the Oxford/London portion of the program. This allows you expanded time beyond your time in Oxford/London to complete the work.

• World Affairs (Oxford Study Abroad Program faculty from Oxford)

This course focuses on a series of topics associated with relationships among countries: global politics today, clash of civilizations, evolution of modern diplomacy, wars of independence, modern Britain, world attitudes about America, President Reagan’s foreign policy, Bush’s and Blair’s war, America and the Middle East, terrorism, evolution of European security agreements, British foreign policy, war and history, U.S. foreign policy in the 20th century, Arab spring, U.S. and British intelligence, the after-effects of World War II, and Winston Churchill and world affairs. Lecturers include numerous Oxford professors and other former government officials with experiences in world affairs.

• Course with an Oxford Don

This course uses the famous Oxford University tutorial system (Don), where the student meets the professor (Don) in a one-on-one setting on four occasions to present three essays on a selected topic based on a reading list provided by the Don. A grade point average of 3.0 is required.