“Oh, to Be in England”: College of Arts and Sciences Faculty and Students Return to the UK for More Unforgettable Experiences

Faculty members from the theater and English departments will each lead a trip to the United Kingdom: one for English literature in York and the other for theater in London.

It's the land of William Shakespeare, Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Brontë sisters and Bram Stoker. And this year, College of Arts and Sciences faculty members will each lead a separate excursion: one to experience the exciting London theater scene and the other to walk in the footsteps of Cathy, Heathcliff and Dracula in York and surrounding environs. Aside from bringing their classwork to life, students will be immersed in another culture, meet new people, try new foods and widen their horizons. And the courses-and trips-are open to all Adelphi students.

The programs are in conjunction with the Center for International Education, which offers a wide range of study abroad programs that students can explore.

Experiencing London Theatre

Students in this fall's Experiencing London Theatre class will once again travel to the city that is the origin of so much great theater. The class provides a general overview of British theater, from Shakespeare to the present, and culminates with a study abroad trip during winter break, from January 4 to January 14, 2025.

The trip will be led by Sean Sullivan, associate professor and chair, and Maggie Lally '82, associate professor, both faculty members in the Department of Theatre.

"It's really an experiential learning class," said Sullivan. "It allows students to get a different perspective on how theater is produced in a different country."

While the trip is primarily in London, the group will do a day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, the location of Shakespeare's birth, and see a performance by the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company. On the other end of the theatrical spectrum, they'll also walk through a warehouse and interact with the cast of an immersive performance.

After these and other performances, they'll meet informally to discuss. They'll even take some tours backstage.

Students will also have the option to study independently on their own time and visit nearby cultural sites.

"I hope many students sign up for this course, not just theater students," said Sullivan. "International study abroad is so great for broadening the students' experience."

Exploring Gothic Cities

Students who love Gothic literature will get to experience the sites that inspired books like Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Over spring break, from March 15 to March 22, students in the Spring 2025 semester English course Literary Landscapes: Gothic Cities will embark on a trip to York, England. This visit will be led by Kelly Swartz, PhD, and Katherine Hill, both associate professors of English.

"York is a cool city with a really rich history," said Dr. Swartz. "It has Viking ruins, Roman ruins, medieval ruins. And its architecture inspired the design of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter."

Students will visit historical literary landmarks, such as Whitby Abbey (the ruins where Dracula by Bram Stoker is set), Shibden Hall (the ancestral home of "the first modern lesbian" and writer, Anne Lister) and the Brontë house, and connect the places to the literary works. Other activities include doing hikes on the countryside, visiting the Jorvik Viking Museum and seeing the medieval Clifford's Tower. There are even plans to go on a ghost tour, exploring York's haunted history. Students will have free time to explore more of York themselves at night.

"Many of these students have never traveled abroad before," said Dr. Swartz. "The great thing about these Adelphi trips is that they offer a safe, comfortable group for first-time international travelers."

The English department has arranged faculty-led trips to several iconic international cities, including Dublin, Reykjavik and Copenhagen, exploring different genres of literature. As for future trips, Dr. Swartz already has some ideas. She'd love a Paris trip, where the class studies English authors who have worked and lived in Paris, or a trip to Glasgow, which holds a rich tradition of English history and literature.