Arts & Purpose: Global Literature in London May SST

The London SST course invites students to engage deeply with literature, history, and culture through place-based learning. We will travel to key literary and historical sites throughout London and surrounding areas, reading British literature that grapples with the history and legacy of colonialism while situating texts within the neighborhoods, communities, and institutions that shaped them. Students will experience the breadth of London by interacting with literary voices from African, South Asian, Caribbean, and other diasporic communities that continue to shape contemporary British identity.

Our group will attend performances, readings, and museum visits, including experiences at Shakespeare’s Globe and the British Museum, and conduct research at archives such as the British Library. As we move across the city, students will connect literature to geography, examining how neighborhoods, migration patterns, and historical forces shape literary production and reception.

Throughout the course, we will read through geopolitical, immigration, and social justice lenses, engaging works that range from William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie to contemporary writers such as Hanif Kureishi and Zadie Smith. Students will also explore London beyond traditional literary spaces, visiting diverse neighborhoods, places of worship, navigating public transportation, and developing independence as they live and learn in one of the world’s most dynamic cities.

This course is designed not only to explore literature, but to foster reflection, intercultural understanding, and intellectual curiosity. Through journals, research, and shared experiences, students will consider how stories emerge from place and how London’s layered histories continue to shape contemporary conversations about identity, migration, and belonging.