Structure: Two Semesters
Activity Level: Difficult
Travel Portion:
2025 (FULL):
Start: Sunday, June 1
End: Tuesday, July 1
Price (airfare not included): $6,000 $5,200
Overview
Why participate?
The much-debated and highly publicized June 2016 “Brexit” referendum, in which a narrow majority of British citizens voted to leave the European Union, made newly apparent what has, in fact, been a centuries-old dynamic between the British Isles (England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales) and the European continent. This messy divorce, now in its fifth year and counting, has also revealed tensions within the UK itself, such as the uneasy question of Scottish independence from England, and anxiety over Northern Ireland’s position in the UK. Other divisions abound too, typified by “Megxit” and the near breakup of the beloved English Premier League a few years back. Add into the mix racial, class and religious tensions; a weakened Labour Party; and concern about the vaunted, beloved National Health Service (NHS) as it continues to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic: everywhere you look, divisive challenge abounds. Can the United Kingdom hold itself together?
Honors College students enrolling in the UK program will have the opportunity to answer this question first-hand. In the spring semester, in IDH 4007, we will emphasize coherence and unity, as we study British history, culture, religion, literature and art, and advances in science, technology, medicine and engineering from the pre-Roman and Roman eras, through the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Restoration and Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution, Victorian and Edwardian ages, the World Wars of the last century, and right up to the present. This learning about the United Kingdom will then be tested and extended in situ, as participants travel in the summer, under the IDH 4008 rubric, observing first-hand, in London and Belfast, Wales and Westminster, if despair and dismay over Brexit and Megxit is real, or not. “United we stand. Divided we fall”: does Churchill’s famous formulation, spoken in June 1941, still apply in speaking of the UK?
In this, the fifth year of this program, we will begin our travels in London and the southeast, for our first fortnight (15 days). Then, over two more weeks, we will journey west by northwest from the capital, first to Oxford and nearby Blenheim Palace, and then north to the twin northern hubs, Manchester and Liverpool. Following this, we shall fly to Belfast and Northern Ireland for a long weekend. Returning to Britain, we will sojourn in northwest Wales for four days, and then complete our itinerary in Bath and nearby Salisbury and Stonehenge. There is too much in London and the whole of the UK to ever encompass it “all” in the space of just one month; that said, your travels in London and the southeast, and then the northwest, Northern Ireland, and Wales should provide you an excellent introduction to the UK, vastly deepening your understanding of this fabled nation-state and its current position in the world.
Course focus
- History, Culture, and the Arts
- Technology and Innovation
- Health and Human Behavior
- Philosophy and Religion
- Politics and Society
- Global Issues
- Nature and Environment
- Business, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership
- COURSE SYLLABUS: 2025 Syllabus
Program information
- Spring 2025 (on campus): IDH 4007 (3 credits) - MMC, Thursdays, 9:30AM-12:15PM
- Summer C 2025 (abroad): IDH 4008 (3 credits) - June 1-July 1, 2025
Program highlights
- Exploring Northern Ireland
- Touring Westminster Abbey
- Visiting the Roman baths in Bath
- Attending live theatre performances
- Hiking to the summit of Mt. Snowdon (weather permitting)
- Punting on the River Cam in Cambridge
What is included
- 30 nights in handpicked accommodations
- Domestic flights within program
- Train transportation between cities
- Charter bus for airport transfers and few excursions
- International travel medical insurance
- English-speaking tour guide for some activities
- Local public transportation in London
- Local public transportation in Manchester
- 16 breakfasts, 0 lunches, 0 dinners
- 24/7 support from Faculty Director & Program Assistant
- Admission to The Tower of London, Hampton Court, National Football Museum, and so much more
What is not included
- Roundtrip international airfare to/from London, United Kingdom
- $195.00 Education Abroad administrative fee (OEA Fee)
- FIU in-state tuition (6 credits, $205.57 per credit)
- Passport, visa, and other necessary documents
- Personal expenses
Key:
(#) = number of nights; airplane = flight
Itinerary
Itinerary is subject to change. It is a “living document,” meaning that scheduled "Free Time" may be utilized for in-person quizzes, class meetings, and/or class days.
Students should always consult with their Faculty Director prior to scheduling plans during "Free Time"
Day 1-15: London
While being based in London, FIU Honors students will be exploring the city, attending the theatre, and visiting the many museums in London. There will be visits to Tower of London, The British Museum, National Gallery of Art, National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square, British Library, Westminster Abbey, Imperial War Museum, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral, and more. Additionally, there will be day trips to Chichester and Fishbourne Roman Palace, Canterbury, Hampton Court, and Cambridge.
Day 16-17: Oxford
Train to Oxford. Highlights include Tour of Blenheim Palace and Oxford college visit
Day 18-20: Manchester
Travel by train from Oxford to Manchester. Highlights include visiting the National Football Museum, performance at Royal Exchange Theatre, local football stadium tour, and more. Plus a day trip to Liverpool with visit to the National Slavery Museum and Beatles walking tour
Day 21-23: Belfast
Domestic flight to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Highlights include tour of the Titanic Museum and Black-Cab taxi-tours, and day trip by coach through Northern Ireland
Day 24-27: Llandudno
Domestic flight to Manchester then travel by train from Manchester to Llandudno. Highlights include Great Orme Tram, day trip to Blaenau Ffestiniog with zip-lining adventure in underground Slate Mine, Betws-y-Coed, day trip to Llanberis with hike to summit of Mt. Snowdon (weather permitting), and day trip to Conwy and Conwy Castle
Day 28-30: Bath
Travel by train to Bath with a stop in Chester. Highlights include tour of Roman bath complex and day trip to south Cotswolds and Stonehenge, possibly
Day 31: London
Travel by train from Bath to London. End of program
Faculty Director
James Sutton
Professor James Sutton was born and raised in Michigan; he received undergraduate and Master’s degrees in English from Northwestern and Michigan and holds a Ph.D. in Renaissance Studies (1995) from Yale. His early research focused on the interplay of art, architecture, dramatic performance, politics, and court intrigue in England during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. He currently teaches and studies Shakespeare and his plays’ global appropriation and adaptation, focusing on Slovenia and South Florida. He recently co-edited a book entitled Exile in Global Literature and Culture: Homes Found and Lost, with FIU colleague Professor Asher Milbauer. This publication has led to further inquiry on the relationship of Shakespeare to exile and dislocation. Sutton is an Associate Professor in FIU’s English department, which he chaired from 2008-2016. In early 2017, Sutton spent six months in Slovenia, teaching literature at two Slovenian universities and travelling widely about central Europe. He joined the FIU Honors College—a long term goal—in the fall of 2017 and takes pride in teaching IDH 1001 and 1002 as part of the famous Gerstman/Abukhodeir/Sutton POD ever since. Long the co-director of the successful FIU Study Abroad program, “Shakespeare in England,” Professor Sutton created and launched this Honors College UK program in 2019, journeying to London, York, Scotland and the Highlands, the Lake District, Manchester, and Stratford-upon-Avon. Although Covid-19 nixed travel abroad in 2020 and 2021, Sutton successfully jump-started the program once again in 2022, leading a fantastic group of 20 students to London, Oxford, Manchester and Liverpool, Belfast and Northern Ireland, Wales, and Bath + Stonehenge. This past summer, 20 students joined Sutton to explore London and the southeast, West Ireland and Dublin, Cornwall, Devon, Bristol and Bath. In 2024, he seeks a new cohort of 22 adventurous, curious students prepared for new endeavors in England and Scotland. If you have any questions, please reach out to him at suttonj@fiu.edu.
2025 Payment Schedule
|
1st Payment (Deposit)* |
2nd Program Payment* |
Spring 2025 |
3rd Program Payment* |
Education Abroad Fee* |
Summer C 2025 |
||||||
|
Deadline |
Payment |
Deadline |
Payment |
Deadline |
Payment |
Deadline |
Payment |
Deadline |
Payment |
Deadline |
Payment |
*Payments are non-refundable & non-transferrable