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ENGL
314 Topics in Literature. ENGL 314 may be used to meet the optional Area 4 requirement if you wish to take nine instead of six hours in Humanities. It should also be of interest to you if you are an English major and minor, IDSE with an
English
concentration, or if you are Art,
Design, History (etc.) major and take elective courses in English. ENGL 314 may be
taken twice for credit when the topics differ; you can, therefore, enroll in
the course again, even if you have
already received credit for ENGL 314.
Course
Description (see Course Calendar for schedule of activities):
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In Ireland students
travel to Dublin, Sligo, and Galway, the literary sites
associated with James Joyce, G. B. Shaw, W. B. Yeats, J. M. Synge, Lady Gregory and the Irish Revival.
Students also visit Glendalough, the site of the 6th-Century Celtic monastery
of St. Kevin. Readings:
Dubliners by James Joyce;
poems by W. B. Yeats (poetry is downloaded
from iTunesU by registered participants each Spring
semester); Course Pack on Ireland and on "Irish Revival." |
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In Italy
students travel to Florence (Tuscany), the cradle of the Renaissance.
Students trace the steps of Dante Alighieri (Divine Comedy) and visit the Uffizi, the Academy, the Duomo & Baptisery,
and many other museums and cultural sites. Possible side trips to Siena and San Gimignano offer invaluable insights into Tuscan history. Readings:
Course Pack
on art and literature:, on Italian Renaissance, on Florence and on Tuscany. |
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In England (last traveled--2002),
students stayed in London's Bloomsbury area near the British Museum, where British Modernism—fostered by Virginia Woolf—was born. Among London’s many other literary-historical sites,
they visited the Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner, St. Paul
Cathedral, the Tower of London, and the Globe Theatre to see a play by William Shakespeare. Readings:
Course Pack on Woolf and
Bloomsbury. |
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In France (last traveled--2002),
students stayed primarily in Paris on the Left Bank and visited literary sites associated with James Joyce, Ernest
Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and many other Modernist writers. Notre Dame, the Louvre, D’Orsay, and the Eiffel Tower provided additional attractions, as
did a field trip to the Palace of Versailles. Readings:
Course Pack on Paris and the Literary
Left Bank. |
Final Projects:
Students are invited to treat
this program as a sophisticated field trip. For
final project they
compile an interdisciplinary electronic Travel Portfolio, i.e., a web site, that presents
their journey and that logs-on their literary/cultural experiences. The projects
are due
at the end of RU Summer III and they are evaluated on the following bases:
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in ENGL 201: a
web site with travel photographs and descriptions of places visited, all in
the context of reading/writing
assignments that anchor students' personal and cultural experiences abroad. |
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in ENGL 314: a
website that presents reading/writing assignments, photographs, and personal
literary logs, as well as a research component (i. e., additional
information about
literary/cultural places, with links to those sites).
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Course-Related
Activities: Prior to departure, each Spring semester, students attend mandatory pre-departure sessions. Individual sessions
are
arranged for those who wish to contract a course for honors credit.
During
mandatory workshops (November through April, every 3-4 weeks,
as needed), students hear content lectures and receive Course Pack materials
for study prior to departure. Participation
in pre-departure sessions is reflected in final grade (missing all or most of them
will result in removal from the Program).
Duration of Study
Abroad Program: the program starts around mid-May each year
and ends in the
first week of June. The final deadline for submitting your final
projects coincides with the end of Summer III, though an "Incomplete" option allows
students to submit project any time during the Fall semester.
APPLICATION FORMS for the program are available on
line:
http://intlprog.asp.radford.edu/studyabroadforms.htm
The DEADLINE for deposits is December 1. Cost:
It varies from
year to year, depending on the Euro/Dollar exchange rate. The current cost estimate for 3 weeks in 2 countries is about $4,800.00
-- $5,000.00 and it includes tuition (3 credit hours), all accommodations,
most meals, round trip airfare to Ireland, round trip airfare from Dublin to
Rome (or Pisa), all ground transfers and transportation, and all admissions. Because
students purchase their own transatlantic ticket to and from Dublin, they are likely to save additional $$$
(which makes the estimated cost smaller). When reservations are being made in January & February; the total cost may need
to be adjusted by additional $100-150.00 by February 15 due to dollar/euro
exchange fluctuation. Financial Aid is available to all qualifying
students.
Eligibility: open
to all RU students and all Academic Levels, though there are the following
prerequisites:
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for students enrolling in ENGL 201, demonstrated completion of
Core 101
and 102;
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for students enrolling in ENGL 314, demonstrated completion of
English Core requirements.
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"Statement of Purpose"
(fulfilled by answering questions on the Application Form).
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Personal
Interview with the Program Director (pending clean record with respect to
conduct and academic performance).
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Materials:
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James Joyce's
Dubliners and poetry
by W. B. Yeats |
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Course Pack with reading materials
and an iTunesU poetry download available to registered and pre-paid
participants each Spring. |
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Notebook for your journal. |
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Travel guides. |

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