Program Information | Course Information | W&M Faculty | Dates | Deadlines | Program Fees | Eligibility | Handbooks
 
APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Cambridge is a city on the River Cam in eastern England, home to the prestigious University of Cambridge, dating back to 1209. There are 31 University Colleges within the University of Cambridge system. University museums have exhibits on archaeology and anthropology, polar exploration, the history of science and zoology and much more.

Things to Do and See:
"Punting" on the River Cam; Fitzwilliam Museum https://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/; Mathematical Bridge connecting two parts of Queen's College https://www.queens.cam.ac.uk/; Wren Library, designed by Christopher Wren in 1676 and located at Trinity College. https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/library/tourist-information/

https://www.visitcambridge.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLloNbxWoN0

Program Information:
William & Mary’s long-standing summer program in Cambridge, England, is housed in beautiful and historical Christ’s College, one of 31 colleges that comprise the University of Cambridge. Christ’s was founded in 1437 and later endowed by Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII. Cambridge is about an hour-long train trip from King's Cross Station in central London.

Courses for the Summer program generally meet from Mon-Thurs, with excursions on weekends. Possible excursions for the 2018 program could include London, Bath, and Stonehenge.  W&M students are housed in comfortable single rooms in the stately 18C court of the college.  The program price will include breakfast and partial supplements for other meals.

Courses are taught by W&M faculty. Grades will appear on the W&M transcript and will be included in GPA calculations.

Course Descriptions: 
ANTH 350 - The Ethnographic Food Lab: An Approach to Social and Cultural Practice in Cambridge (3) 
The field of Food Studies is one of the fastest growing interdisciplinary projects in the humanities and social sciences. It entails considerations of the multi-dimensional character of food, from its nutritional value, to the impact its production and distribution has on global climate change, to the considerations of heritage and cultural meaning entailed in the ways people eat. This course is designed to address many of these questions through ethnographic methods that are the foundation of Socio-Cultural Anthropology. This course will first introduce an Anthropological perspective through readings to be discussed in class (and building on the 1 credit course), and further familiarize the class with ethnographic methods  through a few readings and simple exercises in observation.  The class will then be divided into teams of 3 or 4 to carry out in-depth observations of particular cites – a regional market, a range of pubs, a food bank, some ethnic eateries - in order to explore the forms of cultural value embedded in these activities. These observations will be guided by the principles of the American Anthropological Association for the ethical conduct of ethnographic work, which we will discuss together. The class is designed so that most classes will be dedicated to field observations; time will also be set aside each week for us to come together and share these observations and start to develop comparative frameworks and theoretical insights.  In the last weeks of the class, student groups will offer brief presentations of their findings with supporting audio visual materials.

ENGL 465: Special Topics in English: British Humor, Culture, and National Identity (3)
How does what we laugh at reflect and define who we are?  And in what ways does a culture’s perception of what’s funny reflect its values and define its sense of self?  In this class we’ll explore how comedy acts as social commentary as well as entertainment in British society.  Humor has a long proud history in the UK, from medieval jester to Music Hall to Monty Python to Mr. Bean to Miranda Hart and Michael Mcintyre--and much of it delights in poking fun at those in power.  We’ll examine comedy in various media including print, stage, radio, film, television, and live performance. In so doing we’ll identify recurring elements such as class conflict, wit and wordplay, music and song, double acts and double-entendre, bawdiness and regional bias, and stock characters such as cockney spivs and pantomime Dames.  Finally we’ll consider the connection between comedians' life stories and their material, and thus to what extent comedy can become an autobiographical, as well as regional and national, art form.

ENGL 465: Special Topics in English: 21st-Century Museum Studies: Cambridge (3)
Welcome to the 21st-Century Museums: Cambridge!  What is the role of the museum in today’s society? Paradoxically the word “museum” can conjure up images of dusty and forgotten items, when in fact today's museums may innovatively interpret the past, embrace the present, and project the future. This course explores the 21st century museum, including aspects of curating culture, history, natural history, and art for a contemporary audience. It also gives students an opportunity to broaden their understanding of the roles of ownership, identity, and authority in a museum's curated displays. Who owns the materials and who interprets the story they tell? These questions are particularly important in museums displaying artifacts from other cultures than the host country, however "appropriated." We also consider the key issue of accessibility for museum patrons, including differently abled or neurodiverse.  This class offers an opportunity for exploration of a variety of local museums in Cambridge and the surrounding area. We will go out sometimes as a class and sometimes in small groups to visit museums and report back on our findings. So the course is field-trip-based and rooted in experiential learning.

W&M Faculty Program Director: Professor Brad Weiss

Teaching Faculty: Professor M. Lee Alexander

Term:
Arrival date:  July 5, 2024 
Departure date: August 9, 2024

Deadlines:
Application ( $75) Deadline: Dec 4 - extended until February 1
                With a deposit ( $700) due deadline:  March 8, 2024 (Friday prior to Spring break)
                And a balance due deadline:  April 1, 2024

Application fee information:
The application fee is due by the deadline and should be paid online at the GEO Marketplace Store. Whoever is making the payment will need student 93#, email, and phone number. The application fee is refundable in the event that you are not accepted into the program or the program is canceled by W&M. 


Program Fees:

2024 Program Fee: $7425

Students are responsible for airfare, visa expenses if applicable, personal expenses and some meals.

To view the estimated costs for this program and important payment information, please visit here. 

Reves Summer Scholarships are available for this program.
If applying for a Reves Summer Scholarship, please apply to the W&M faculty-led application BEFORE applying to the Reves Summer Scholarship. 

Program Features: 

• Welcome dinner
• On-Site Orientation
• Ground transportation
• Fulfills COLL 300
• Farewell dinner
• Re-entry Programming
• Some excursion admissions tickets
• Some day or weekend excursions 
• CISI Insurance
• Housing
• Wifi
• Gym Access 
• On-Site support services
• W&M credits taught by W&M faculty
• Breakfast M-F and dinner M-Th are included in the program price. Some meals are included on excursions

Eligibility:

• Students must be an active W&M undergraduate student in good standing, not on academic or disciplinary probation during time abroad, and eligible to take classes at the W&M Williamsburg campus to study abroad. 
•  Students currently on-campus must successfully complete 1 credit spring course. 
• For more information about eligibility, please visit our Policies that Affect You page.

Handbooks:
Click to view the Summer Abroad Handbook 2024