Weeks 2 and 3: Boston-London Semester 2017
Weeks 2 and 3 of the London semester were crammed with travel to historic sites in London, as students took in the literature and history of the twentieth century while exploring ancient historical landmarks, too.
On May 29, students visited Westminster Abbey, the resting place of British monarchs and luminaries and the site of Britain’s coronation ceremonies and royal weddings.
All of the teams went on an excursion to Oxford, where they explored Oxford University, Christ Church, and the Ashmolean Museum. Christ Church is one of the larger colleges at Oxford University and has graduated 13 British prime ministers– in addition to being the setting for parts of the Harry Potter film series.
At the Ashmolean Museum, the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology, students could see objects dating from 8000 BC to the present day. The museum holds Raphael drawings, pre-Dynastic Egyptian sculpture, Anglo-Saxon treasures, and modern Chinese painting.
Team E climbed the 500-plus steps up St. Paul’s Cathedral and saw Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at the famous Globe Theatre. On her CGS Snapchat takeover of the trip, CGS student Colby Lucas showed the Crofton dorms, selfies at St. Paul’s cathedral and the beautiful views from the top of the cathedral. After the excursion to Oxford and Christ Church, a Jack the Ripper tour of London’s East End was on the agenda.
The trips integrate with the reading and studying that takes up most of the students’ week. “Mapping the East End Labyrinth” by Laura Vaughan, for instance, meshes with what students learn on the Jack the Ripper Tour. Students read excerpts of Virginia Woolf and George Orwell’s Politics and the English Language as they also study the rise of the Nazis and fascism, the Russian revolution, and the Great Depression.
On June 8, all of the teams heard a talk from Ben Goldacre, senior clinical research fellow at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at University of Oxford. Dubbed a “debunker” by TED Talks, Goldacre exposes “bad science” and criticizes journalists, politicians and advertisers who misrepresent science.
During Week 2 of the London semester, CGS Academic Advisor Heidi Chase was on-site to meet with students and faculty, answer questions, and address student concerns.
As always, students take time between trips and classes to explore London, whether it’s visiting Camden Market, exploring Chinatown, finding vintage treasures at Greenwich Market, or escaping to the tranquil Kyoto Gardens close to the dorms.
