London Theatre in Performance

The class aims to introduce you to the institutions, patterns and structures that make up London's Contemporary Theatre and to develop your ability to analytically review theatre productions from an informed perspective. London's theatre offers a wide variety of theatrical forms and genres in different types of institutions (West End Commercial Theatre, Subsidised Theatre, Fringe theatre) all of which will be examined during the course. The course will use visits to the theatre to both teach you how to review plays as performance and will develop your appreciation of the complexity of the staging process of a play.

Devising London

This class will include researching and reflecting on an aspect of contemporary London (social, cultural, historical and artistic and political aspects of London). This will include visits to sites of relevance to stimulate thinking about London. Secondly, the class will look at the translation of this research into performance, which will culminate in a devised piece of theatre (through the means of student collaboration within the context of teacher led workshops). This course will be of interest to both students with little or no background in performance, as well as those with a keen interest and some experience in the area.

Art and Society

The class examines some of the main periods and movements in the history of the visual arts and architecture in Britain. It relates questions of stylistic development to cultural and social contexts. It develops your skills in the reading of visual texts and considers the role of London as a cultural capital - with regard to its historic buildings, public collections and its place in the contemporary international art market. The class includes visits to museums, galleries and architectural sites.

Writing London: Creative Writing

This class will allow you to respond creatively through writing in two main genres (drama and prose) to the experience of being in London as a student. Seminars are led by a professional writer and organised by workshops and will include theatre visits.

Modern Art in London

This class introduces students to modern art in London, and explores work from the Impressionists to the present day. Topics will include study of the major developments in twentieth century art, including Cubism, Surrealism, Pop Art, Conceptual art etc. through the Young Brit. Artists (Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin etc.), the Turner Prize, and the contemporary art scene in London. Teaching will be through visits to galleries etc., with lectures and seminars to discuss the work; assessment will be through workbooks produced in response to the programme.

The Great Wen: London in the Age of the Victorians 1837-1900

'What is to be the fate of the great wen of all? The monster, called by the silly coxcombs of the Press, "the metropolis of the Empire?"' (Cobbett). The class aims to provide students with a good understanding of the growth of London in the nineteenth century, its population profile, and the causes and consequences of immigration. Students will be encouraged to understand the 'social history versus economic history' debates on the standard of living, drawing upon social investigation from Henry Mayhew to Charles Booth, contemporary literature and newspapers and periodicals, maps and parliamentary materials. The class also aims to explain class relations and the social geography of Victorian London, as well as the issues of health and poverty, vice, crime and policing.