British Studies at
The College of Charleston

The British Studies Program
Bilateral Student Exchange with University of Northampton
Bilateral Student Exchange with University of Bath-Spa
Bilateral Student Exchange with University of Nottingham
Bilateral Student Exchange with University of Buckinghamshire Chilterns
College of Charleston Summer Study Abroad Courses
British Studies Consortium Summer Study Abroad Courses
Graduate Opportunities in British Universities
British Studies Minor at the College of Charleston

What is the British Studies Program at the College of Charleston?
The British Studies Program provides an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Charleston to study and travel in the British Isles. The Program includes various summer courses taught in Britain by College and British Studies Consortium faculty, a spring semester bilateral exchange with University of Northampton directed by faculty in their B.A./B.Sc. Combined Honours Programme, a fall and spring semester bilateral exchange with University of Bath-Spa, semester and year-long bilateral exchanges with the University of Nottingham, a semester and year-long bilateral exchange with Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, semester and year-long exchanges available through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), and various exchange opportunities offered by other institutions of higher education in the United States and Britain.  In addition, undergraduate students may elect to minor in British Studies. Applications for bilateral programs and ISEP are available at the College's Office of International Education and Programs located in the Multicultural Center, 207 Calhoun Street < https://www.cofc.edu/~oiep/ >. Please contact Sarah Simmonite, Assistant Director <simmonites@cofc.edu> for applications and course catalogs. For information on the British Studies Minor, on academic advising for bilateral programs, and on faculty exchange opportunities with bilateral institutions in the United Kingdom, contact Professor Catherine E. Thomas, British Studies Program Coordinator, in Room 207, 65 Coming Street <thomasc@cofc.edu>.

The Bilateral Exchange Program at University of Northampton
Students from the College of Charleston, along with students from Coastal Carolina University, Lander University, and Winthrop University, attend  the University of Northampton as part of the Palmetto Partnership for International Educational Exchange (PPIE). Students participating in this bilateral agreement pay fees for tuition and housing at their home institution, while attending classes and living on campus in Northampton, England.  For information on accommodation and course offerings, see the Division of American Studies web site at https://www.northampton.ac.uk/international_american_british.php.

The University is located in Northampton, a town of approximately 200,000 people about 70 miles north of London.  The town was the traditional center of the British footwear industry and is the home of the world famous 'Doc Martens' shoes and boots. The surrounding county is recognized as an area of outstanding natural beauty with many important historical sites, including Sulgrave Manor, the ancestral home of George Washington, and Althorp Park, the family home and the resting place of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. For a virtual tour of the campus, see https://www.northampton.ac.uk/about/tours/.

The focus of the program is a course in British Studies, designed especially for international students. The class offers a broad introduction to different aspects of British culture, history, politics, and society.  In addition, students enroll in four courses in the B.A. Combined Honours Programme which includes offerings in American Studies, History, Literary and Cultural Studies, Politics, Psychology, Sociology, and Business. College of Charleston Equivalencies can be found at https://cofc.edu/~mccandla/NorthamptonEquiv. Students can also take advantage of a wide variety of cultural opportunities organized by the International Office. The exchange tutor for the bilateral program with University College Northampton is David Waller. 

The Bilateral Exchange Program at The University of Bath-Spa
Participants in the bilateral exchange program with the University of Bath-Spa may enroll for either the fall or spring term at the partner institution. Students from Bath-Spa will take twelve credit hours (typically four, three-credit hour classes) at the College of Charleston; CofC students at Bath-Spa will take three modules (courses) for the fifteen-week semester.  Each module typically involves one lecture and two hour-long seminars a week.  Students have a wide choice of modules, and handbooks are available for every module. See https://www.cofc.edu/~mccandla/BSUCequivalencies.html  for a list of CofC equivalencies for Bath-Spa courses.  Bilateral exchange students will receive general credit but not grades for passed work.  See the Bath-Spa web site for additional information < https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/ > . There is also a student-produced video on YouTube. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIXtgWVTHvA

Bath-Spa is located about ten minutes from the center of the city of Bath in a lovely rural setting.  The site was once the home of a local gentleman, and the university college has remodeled the dairy, stable, and castle tower to use as classrooms and offices.  A bus runs regularly to the historic part of the town where the Roman baths, Abbey Church, and several museums are situated.  Bath-Spa students also have access to a range of other local universities. Faculty contacts at Bath-Spa are Dr. Denise Cush in Religious Studies <denisecush@blueyonder.co.uk>, Dr. Mike Cardwell in Psychology <m.cardwell@bathspa.ac.uk> and Iftikhar Malik in history <i.malik@bathspa.ac.uk>

The Bilateral Exchange Program at the University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a comprehensive university consistently ranked among the top ten British universities. Its roots date back to 1877 as the University College, Nottingham and it received its Royal Charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham is one of the UK's most popular universities and has a tradition of academic excellence. It undertakes research of international importance and is recognised throughout the world for the excellence of its teaching.  The student facilities are of the highest quality and the University has a comprehensive range of services to support students, whatever their background and specific needs. There are currently over 24,000 students registered, of whom over 4,000 represent some 120 countries outside the U.K. See the University web site for further information <https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/>.

The University of Nottingham is a multi-campus university.  The University Park campus is set in extensive woodland, parks and playing fields, just three miles from the city centre. The University's medical school is located in the University Hospital, the Queen's Medical Centre.  The £50 million Jubilee Campus, opened by Her Majesty The Queen in September 1999 is only one mile from University Park.  The Sutton Bonington Campus, located in a rural setting, ten miles to the south of the city, is home to the School of Biosciences. University accommodation is guaranteed to all new undergraduate and postgraduate students.  A variety of accommodation is available ranging from en-suite rooms in full board halls of residence on campus to independent living in self-catering flats off campus. Full details of the different types and costs of university accommodation are given at https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/accommodation/uniarranged.htm

Approximately 120 miles north of London (about one-and-a-half hours by train), Nottingham's central position and excellent road, rail and air links make it easily accessible. Nottingham is one of Britain's most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities geared towards the needs of a large student population.

The academic work of the University is organized into thirty-one schools, which are grouped into six faculties: Arts; Education; Engineering; Law and Social Sciences; Medicine and Health Sciences; Science (including Agricultural and Food Sciences). The University offers honours undergraduate courses in all the faculties as well as a wide range of postgraduate programs including diplomas, taught Masters and research degrees. Foundation courses are also available in certain subjects.  Full-time students take 60 credits per semester (classes or modules are typically 10 or 20 credits each). See https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/module-catalogue for offerings.

The Bilateral Exchange Program at The University of Buckinghamshire Chilterns University
The bilateral exchange with Buckinghamshire Chilterns offers semester and whole year exchanges with the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Humanities. CofC students at Buckinghamshire Chilterns take four modules (courses) across the 15 week Semester which are equivalent  to 15 credit hours at the College. Buckinghamshire Chilterns' students at CofC do four courses (12 credit hours) which are equivalent to the four modules that they normally undertake. Each Module at Buckinghamshire Chilterns usually involves a lecture and seminar and each student also has a dedicated Academic Tutor. In previous years, exchange students were offered modules in the areas of Psychology, Sociology, Criminology (Criminal Justice), and Policing (a specialized operational program of modules). Other classes are available in English Literature, Media Studies (Communication), Film Studies and Drama/Video Production (Theatre Studies). For more information on courses at Buckinhamshire Chilterns go to https://www.bcuc.ac.uk  – look for the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Humanities.

Buckinghamshire Chilterns is the largest provider of Higher Education in the South Buckinghamshire region. Nestled in the Chilterns Hills and in the historic market town of High Wycombe, the university is less than half an hour from London by car and train (with the station five minutes from the campus). Historically a town and region steeped in the furniture and paper industries, Buckinghamshire Chilterns is one of the only universities in the U.K. to still offer furniture production courses. More recently the university broke new ground in offering a new operationally focused degree in Policing in partnership with local constabularies – the first full time program of this type ever in the UK. The town of High Wycombe is home to the famous John Lewis Partnership and Wycombe Wanderers Football Club and also the lovely but infamous West Wycombe caves (featured in the Kathy Reich’s novel Fatal Voyage).

College of Charleston Summer Travel Courses
College of Charleston faculty regularly offer undergraduate and graduate-level travel courses to Britain during Maymester and Summer School.  Previous courses have included: The History and Literature of Shakespeare's England, In Search of Arthur, Architecture and Historic Preservation in Britain, the London Theatre, Exploring the Arts and Culture of Scotland, Music in Performance in Scotland and at the Edinburgh Festival, and Urbanism in Britain.
 
 

USM British Studies Consortium
Since July 2000, College/University of Charleston students have been able to take classes in London  through the British Studies Program of the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) with which the College has a consortium arrangement.  Students can choose from twenty different undergraduate and graduate courses in anthropology/sociology, art, computer science, criminal justice, English (3 different courses), forensic science, geography, history, intercultural communication, international business (3 different courses), journalism, political science, speech and hearing science, and theatre.  The program is based in London at King's College's South Bank campus. Courses offered through the USM consortium by College of Charleston faculty include a six-credit history course, Royal Britain: The Monarchy from Alfred the Great to Elizabeth II, taught by Professor Amy McCandless.  Brochures describing the courses and the program are available from the International Office in the Multicultural Center and from Dr. McCandless in Maybank/Randolph Hall. For photographs from previous summers, see https://www.cofc.edu/~mccandla/PhotoPage.htm.

Graduate Opportunities at British Universities
College/University of Charleston students who wish to pursue graduate work in Britain are advised to consult the British Council at https://www.EducationUK.org/. The site includes information on types of postgraduate courses offered in the British Isles, entrance requirements for various programs, and forms of financial assistance available to Americans. Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships are also available to qualified American citizens interested in doing graduate work in the United Kingdom.  Students should contact Dr. Trish Folds-Bennett, Associate Dean of the Honors College and Coordinator of Nationally Competitive Fellowships <foldsbennettt@cofc.edu>, early in their College career to help prepare for these prestigious fellowships. Marshall Scholarships are tenable at any British university; the Rhodes, only at Oxford. Additional information on the Rhodes can be found on-line at < https://www.rhodesscholar.org > and on the Marshall at < https://www.marshallscholarship.org/ >.

British Studies Minor at the College of Charleston
British* Studies is an interdisciplinary minor designed to provide an integrative study of British life and culture throughout the ages, to examine the impact of British institutions and customs on the American experience, and to contribute to students’ understanding of the global community in which they live.  (* British will be used in the widest sense of the term; i.e., pertaining to people and developments associated with the British Isles or the present countries of England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland). Students electing to minor in British Studies take 6 credit hours in the history, politics, economics, and/or sociology/anthropology of the British Isles; 6 credit hours in literature, art, architecthure, drama, and/or music of the British Isles; 3 credits in a course pertaining to the British Empire; and 3 credits of an integrative capstone. See https://www.cofc.edu/~mccandla/BSMinor.html.    

For additional information on any of these opportunities, please contact
Dr. Catherine E. Thomas, British Studies Program Coordinator
Department of English, Room 207, 65 Coming Street,
College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424
Tel:843-953-4978
thomasc@cofc.edu
https://www.cofc.edu/~thomasc

 Updated 12 June 2007