Spring 2012: Darwin, London and Literature!

The remarkable impact of British culture on the way we live is nowhere more striking than in the fields of science and literature—a phenomenon largely owing to the groundbreaking work of England’s most influential biologist, Charles Darwin, and three of its most renowned and beloved writers, Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, and Charles Dickens. LIT296W02: Darwin, London, and Literature will explore these intellectual giants and the worlds they inhabited. We will reside in Bloomsbury—London’s “college town.” Our adventures will take us to the British Museum, Canterbury, the Globe Theater, Dickens House, Downe House, The British Museum of Natural History, and the British Library.

CREDITS: 3 Credits Earned
ENROLLMENT: See your advisor—or Drs. Firenze, Musa, or Saraceno to apply.
CLASSES: Approximately six class meetings prior to departure for London
ITINERARY: Several days in London—departing after May 11 (specific dates TBA)
FEES: $2295.00* (plus tuition) includes airfare, lodging, all ground transportation, and instructional activities.
* Fees subject to slight variation.
For more information, please contact your academic advisor or any of the following faculty:
Dr. Richard F. Firenze
F-107 778-5067 firenze_r@sunybroome.edu
Dr. Jennifer Musa
F-111 778-5270 musajm@sunybroome.edu
Dr. Gregory Saraceno
F-105 778-5594 saracenog@sunybroome.edu

Our last day in London

Yesterday was a free day in London without any scheduled class activities.  We all made the most of the free time.  Students visited the zoo, attended Evensong at Westminster, toured the Tower of London, toured the city by bus, visited Hampton Court Palace, spent the day at The British Museum, attended a show and shopped.  Most everyone met for a later dinner at a neighborhood pub.

This morning we began our final day with class in Russell Square where the final five students presented their thesis ideas for discussion.

After class, we had a brief break for lunch and the students chose whether they wished to visit The British Library, which has over 200 beautiful and fascinating items on display such as sacred texts from many faiths, maps, early printing, literary, historical, scientific and musical works from over the centuries and around the world (including the Magna Carta!)

 

OR

 The British Museum, a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present. In plainer terms: The Rosetta Stone! Egyptian Mummies (dating back to 3300BC!) Elgin Marbles!

 

After an exciting afternoon, we met for snacks at a neighborhood pub, The Plough. We enjoyed hanging out together and reminiscing about all of the amazing experiences we shared in London.

Olenka, Mark and Rob

Michelle, Mike, Aaron, Laura and Bonalyn

Brian, Kelsey, Jamie and Magan

Jack, Courtney and Justin.

 

We were even joined by a young Charles Darwin.

Mark conquers “The Codfather”

 

 

 

 

While we all had several last minute things that we wanted to do on our final night in London, Dr. Firenze certainly seemed to accomplish the most!

  

 

I guess this proves once and for all, nothing can make these guys laugh.

 

Well, all good things must come to an end. Tomorrow we will take our final tube ride from London to Heathrow and begin our long journey home.  We had an amazing trip, one I am sure that we will not soon forget. Thanks for following the blog! Cheers! 

 

Much Discussion and The Museum of London: Day 6

Our day began with a class meeting in Great Russell Square.  Five more students presented their theses ideas and we spent a few hours discussing them with regards to “Great Expectations”.

A cold morning in Russell Square. After about an hour, we moved our class indoors.We finished our class about 1pm and, after a brief break for lunch, headed over to the Museum of London.

Getting ready to head out to the Museum of London.

 

After a short tube ride, we arrived at the museum of London.

Dr. Firenze makes some suggestions about what exhibits the students may want to see at the Museum of London.

Dr. Firenze is still giving advice about what to see in the museum.

Some of us took a guided tour of the “War, Plague and Fire” galleries.  Our guide talked about what London was like from the 1550s until the 1660s. We learned about civil war and Oliver Cromwell, the bubonic plague and the “Great Fire of London”. This uplifting hour long tour provided facinating insight into the city’s history.

Our guide, Alejandro, talks about what the city of London looked like in 1550.

Jesse models a fire hat in the Great Fire of London exhibit.

Jamie, Mark, Brian, Magan and John enjoy the museum.

Mark, David and Jack at the Museum of London.

Jack, Mark, Dr. Saraceno and Kelsey at the Museum of London.

Magan, Jamie and Brian get ready to leave the museum.

After touring the museum, we made some evening plans.  Some students plan to ride the London Eye and others plan to take the “Jack the Ripper” walk.  Tomorrow is a “free day” in London and plans are being made to visit the zoo, Westminster, Hyde Park, Hampton Court Palace and the Globe Theater. As we will not be together as a group, there will not be an official blog posting until Monday (our final day in London). 

After a week of little sleep and lots of walking, everyone is feeling a little tired.  However, Dr. Firenze and Dr. Saraceno are still going strong.  They recently found the energy to attend a “Dancing With the Stars: UK Edition” audition.

Dr. Firenze (admittedly a huge fan of the show), wowed the judges with his dance moves.

After making it into the final round, he gave it his best and left it all out on the dance floor.

Thanks for making us proud, Dr. Firenze!

A Dickens of a Walk: Day 5 in London

The weather and the environment cooperated today (not a woodchipper in sight) and we were able to meet in Russell Square for our morning class. After our class and a brief break for lunch, we headed over to the “Temple” tube stop to meet our guide, David Tucker, for a walking tour entitled “Charles Dickens’s London”.  David helped us to picture what London was like while Charles Dickens was alive and also provided a detailed history of the city.  Over the three-hour tour we saw many examples of Victorian and pre-Victorian architecture and David pointed out several of the sites mentioned in “Great Expectations”. 

Below are some pictures from our morning class and from our walking tour with David. You will see images from many of the sites we visited, including Somerset House, St. Mary le Strand Church (where Charles Dickens’s parents were married) and the Inns of Court at Temple (one of the main legal districts in London). You can click on the pictures for a full size image.

Mochacchino and “Great Expectations”. A nice way to start the day.

At our morning class in Russell Square, we spent a few hours discussing “Great Expectations” and five more students presented their theses ideas.

Michelle enjoys her breakfast in Great Russell Square.

After three hours of walking, the students were happy for a chance to sit down and rest.

Tonight the students will continue to refine and focus their thesis ideas and will have to opportunity to work on a cognitive map characterizing the relationships between characters in “Great Expectations”. We will also take any students who want to go to see Westminster Abbey and some other London sites while they are lit up for the evening (the buildings, not the students).

Inspired by all of the Dickens sites and scenery that we saw today, Dr. Saraceno and Dr. Firenze decided to recreate a scene from the Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol”. After they had a brief but bitter argument about who would play Jacob Marley, Dr. Musa suggested that they take turns. I think the reader would agree that Dr. Saraceno’s portrayal of Marley comes across as aggressive and angry, while Dr. Firenze’s  interpretation of the unhappy ghost seems to rely more heavily on emoting indigestion.  God bless us, everyone.

A Woodchipper, a Giant Squid and Flesh-Eating Beatles: Day 4 in London

Our streak of sunny warm days was interrupted by some clouds and rain today. We began with a class meeting in Russell Square.

Although it wasn't raining (yet), we gathered in the Russell Square Cafe for some breakfast. Despite some threatening looking clouds, we decided to move outdoors for our morning class discussion.

However, as you might imagine, having class this close to a working wood chipper is not really productive (even if you manage to ignore the chainsaws and falling tree limbs).

 

So, we reluctantly moved into one of the student flats. (Thanks Jesse, Olenka, Justin and Jack!) We began our discussion by relating our study of human nature to the Shakespeare play we saw last night (Much Ado About Nothing). We had a great discussion about the many examples of mate selection, sexual jealousy and kin seletion we observed in the play. After that, a few students began to discuss their theses ideas. The entire class participated in the collaborative process of helping to focus and refine the ideas. Students will write a paper explaining, exploring and arguing their theses, drawing from their reading and experiences in London.

 

Dr. Saraceno is knocked over by the great thesis ideas being proposed by the students.

 

After class, we headed into the tube for a trip to The British Museum of Natural History, arguably one of the most beautiful buildings in London.The museum, built in 1873, is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 70 million items.

As part of our visit, the students enjoyed a private tour of the newly opened "Darwin Center" which holds tens of millions of preserved specimens and working scientific laboratories. The students were even able to see some flesh-eating beetles at work cleaning a fish skeleton, and, in the tank room, Archie the giant (28 foot)squid. We were also able to see several speciment collected and labeled by Charles Darwin.

 We were not allowed to take pictures on the tour.  If you are feeling left out, you can check out the live ”beetle-cam” from the museum at: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/kids-only/naturecams/beetlecam/.

The students pose on the stairs at the museum entrance.

 

Ready to enter the museum.

 

A view of the main hall of the Natural History Museum.

 

The students pose with Charles Darwin at the museum.

 

The students left Charles and headed out to explore the museum.

There are no class-related activities scheduled for this evening.  The students have plans to visit a restaurant, see a show or just enjoy some time in London.

 

Tomorrow, we plan to have class in the morning and then meet our guide, David Tucker, for a London walk called “Charles Dickens’s London. 

 

In preparation for the walk and to help the students prepare to delve deeper into the Darwinian themes woven through “Great Expectations”, Dr. Firenze and Dr. Saraceno recreated a key scene from the novel. Although everyone appreciates their commitment to the course content, I can understand why none of the students invited the instructors to join them for their free evening in London.

 

Day 3 in London.

We were greeted with another beautiful day in London as we headed out for Downe to visit the home of Charles Darwin.

Our trip to Downe (which is about 15 miles outside of London) began with a walk to the Holborn tube station.

 

We (and many others) descended into the depths of the London underground.

 

We arrived at Victoria Station to catch a train to Bromley. We took some time to admire this palatial structure which celebrates the triumph of Victorian industry.

 

In addition to the glory of Victoria station, some of the students were drawn to the Burger King.

 

Brian and David on the train to Bromley South.

 

Magan, Laura and Aaron on the bus from Bromley South to Downe.

 

The bus dropped us off at St. Mary's, a church attended by Charles Darwin and his family.

 

And after the bus, we walked through Downe to Down House.

 

On our way to Down House, we passed several lovely country homes and cottages.

 

Finally! Down House!

 

Darwin lived at Down House for about 40 years. The home is now a museum dedicated to his life and work.

 

Dr. Firenze read to us from Dickens's autobiography in the garden.

 

Darwin's study, the very room where one of the most influential nonfiction books ever published in the English language, "The Origin of Species" was written.

 

Darwin's garden.

 

Dr. Firenze and Justin relaxing at Down House.

 

Dr. Firenze in front of the greenhouse where Charles Darwin did many of his experiments.

 

We spent some time on the "Sand Walk" where Charles Darwin walked (and thought) each day.

 

Students enjoying the "Sand Walk".

 

After several hours at Down House, we headed back to the bus stop to begin the trip home.We made it back to the flats in time for a brief rest before heading out to Shakespeare's Globe Theater to see a play.

 

Crossing the Millenium Bridge on the way to Shakespeare's Globe for "Much Ado About Nothing".

 

The 'Groundling Gates' at the Globe.

 

Waiting for the show.

 

Jamie, Brian, Justin and Magan get ready to experience the show as 'groundlings'.

 

After an incredible show (and another long day), we made our way back across The Millenium Bridge towards St. Paul’s Cathedral.

After a long and exciting day, everyone was ready for a good night’s sleep.  Dr. Firenze, feeling sensitive about the reaction to his pajamas, switched to a more ‘masculine’ pair.  Unfortuntely, Dr. Saraceno only seemed annoyed by the new look.

 

Day 2 in London

We had a busy second day in London.  We began the day with class in Russell Square and then enjoyed a “Darkest Victorian London” walking tour.  We finished our day with a private visit to Charles Dickens’s former home which is now a museum.

This morning we began with class in Russell Square. It was a beautiful day here in London. We discussed the Enlightenment Period and how it set the stage for the Victorian Era. During our class discussion, we discussed how views of progress, innovation and humanity changed over the 18th and 19th centuries.

 

Dr. Firenze carries the morning coffee out before class (the very same coffee that Dr. Musa spilled moments after he safely delivered it to a table).

 

The class meets to head over to Monument for our "Darkest Victorian London" walking tour.

 

Navigating the tube station.

Monument, designed by Christopher Wren to commemorate the great fire of London in 1666.

 

Our guide, Jean, recreates the sights, sounds and smells of Victorian England.

 

As part of our walking tour we passed Southwark Cathedral, the oldest cathedral church in London.

 

Jean led us down some streets with Victorian Era buildings and described what life was like for the working poor.

Meat pies! (enough said.)

 

Jean described what life was like for Victorian Londoners.

 

We visited this Victorian burial ground where over 15,000 bodies were buried. Neighborhood residents decorate the fence in front of the area to honor those who were buried here.

 

These cottages were built at housing for working class Victorians. Today the garden in front of the cottages is enjoyed by many of the neighborhood residents.

 

Ever the best of friends.

 

The students pose in front of the Charles Dickens Museum.

 

Our guide Paul describes what life was like when Charles Dickens lived in this home.

 

Dickens wrote the words of his final unfinished novel (The Mystery of Edwin Drood) at this desk.

 

Jesse poses with his stone likeness.

 

The students enjoy some time in Dickens's garden.

After another long day, we headed back to the apartments for some rest.  Up tomorrow, a trip by tube, train, bus and foot to Down House, the former home of Charles Darwin and a trip to Shakespeare’s Globe Theater for “Much Ado About Nothing”. As our day comes to a close, there is one final thing that is worth noting. Although Dr. Firenze and Dr. Saraceno have many things in common, their preference for pajamas is not at all similar. 

We made it! Day 1 in London.

It took a van, a plane, a train and a bleary-eyed walk through very busy city streets but we made it to our apartments in London.

Ready to depart for Newark (airport not valley).

Kelsey, Michelle and Dr. Firenze in the airport.

Rob, Mark, John, Jesse and Olenka in the airport.

Navigating the baggage claim at Heathrow on very little sleep.

Heading for the tube.

Having some lunch before our tour at the British Museum. Or was it breakfast?

The British Museum!

Meeting on the steps of the British Museum for our tour of the Enlightenment Wing.

Our guide, Janet, talks about the 150 year "Enlightenment Period" and tries to give us a perspective of the world through 18th century eyes.

Janet tells us about how views of the natural world expanded during the Enlightenment, setting the stage for the Victorian period.

Our guide discusses how appreciation of other cultures, customs and religions grew during the Enlightenment.

Janet concluded our tour of the Enlightenment Wing with an overview of 18th century trade and discovery.

Back to our apartments for a little bit of rest before our evening walking tour of Bloomsbury (our neighborhood).

After a brief rest we joined our guide, Brian, for the “Literary Bloomsbury” walk.

Our guide informed us that T.S. Eliot lived and worked across the street from our apartments.

We learned the history of Russell Square, where we hold our morning class meetings.

As part of our walking tour, we learned about writers, artists and poets who lived and worked in Bloomsbury.

After learning the history of "Queen's Square" (which included tales of King George III's porphyria and Queen Charlotte's unfortunately small nose), we stopped off for a break and conversation with our guide at "The Queen's Larder" pub.

At the conclusion of our walking tour, we learned about the many famous people who have worked in The Reading Room of The British Museum.

We finished our long day at The Plough Pub with some traditional fish and chips and.....

....steak and ale pie.

After dinner at the pub, we all headed back to our apartments for some well-deserved rest.  Dr. Firenze and Dr. Saraceno seemed particularly tired.  We discovered that they had both been in London recently for the royal wedding.

Although Dr. Firenze was a little "freaked out" by the size of the crowd and the noise of the fly-over, Dr. Saraceno thoroughly enjoyed the festivities. In fact, it seems as if Pippa was quite taken with him.

We will meet tomorrow morning for class in Russel Square park. In the afternoon we will enjoy a “Darkest Victorian London” walking tour followed by a private tour of Dickens House.

London, here we come!

The Spring 2011 LIT 292 class departs for London on Sunday, May 22nd!  We have had our final pre-London class meeting and it is time to start packing. Eighteen students are taking part in this year’s class and we are excited to embark on our adventures.

International Study & TRAVEL

LIT292: Darwin and Dickens—Science and Literature in Victorian England

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The remarkable impact of Victorian England on modern American culture is nowhere more striking than in the fields of science and literature—a phenomenon largely due to the groundbreaking enterprise of England’s most influential biologist, Charles Darwin, and most beloved novelist, Charles Dickens.  LIT292: Darwin and Dickens—Science and Literature in Victorian England will explore these intellectual giants and the world they inhabited.

We will reside in Bloomsbury—London’s “college town”—very near Darwin and Dickens’s homes and haunts.  Our multidisciplinary adventures will take us to the British Museum, Downe House, Dickens House, The British Museum of Natural History, the British Library, the Globe Theater, and, of course, a few of Darwin and Dickens’s favorite pubs.

CREDITS:    3 Credits Earned

ENROLLMENT:   See your advisor, Drs. Firenze, Musa, or Saraceno for application.

 ITINERARY:   Several days in London—departing in late May or early June (dates TBA)

 FEES:  $2195.00* (plus tuition) includes airfare, lodging, breakfasts, all ground transportation, and instructional activities.

* Fees subject to slight variation.

Click here for an application.

 For more information, please contact your academic advisor or any of the following faculty:

Dr. Richard F. Firenze, Office: F-107,   Phone: 778-5067, Email: firenze_r@sunybroome.edu

Dr. Jennifer Musa, Office: F-111,  Phone: 778-5270, Email:  musajm@sunybroome.edu

Dr. Gregory Saraceno, Office, F-105, Phone:  778-5594, Email: saraceno_g@sunybroome.edu