London’s Influence on Pop Culture: Sports, Music, Movies & More
Syllabus and Policy Handout Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA) London Mid-Summer Program – July 7, 2018—July 22, 2018
Instructor: Barry Gresham, Austin Peay State University
London is one of the World’s most incredible cities and one that everyone should have on their bucket list to visit. I had that magical experience last winter by teaching for CCSA and visiting London for the first time. I can’t wait to visit again and explore more of the city as we trace London’s impactful influence on Pop Culture with this course. I have spent over 30 years in sports broadcasting and being able to walk out on the pitch at Wembley Stadium and tour the grounds at Wimbledon is something that I will never forget. I have also been a musician since my youth and London’s musical history is unrivaled. This will be an experience that you will remember for the rest of your life and I look forward to guiding you on this journey as we visit the great city of London.
Note: The content of this document is subject to change at any time. Students will be notified of any substantive alterations. You are responsible for keeping up with any changes given verbally on site in London or in writing.
How to Contact Us and How We Will Contact You
The phone numbers and email addresses listed below can be accessed prior to the trip. Once we get to London and King’s College, students in the class should exchange room numbers, and everyone should know the instructors’ room and phone numbers so that you can reach us over the room-to-room communications system. When you call us in London, leave your name, room #, and a coherent message.
Barry Gresham 931.221.7366 (Dept. of Communication, APSU); Primary email address is [email protected] Cell Phone: 615-617-9959
Email Communication All students must read e-mails that will be sent through the class distribution list. You are required to read each email. Absorb and understand the contents. Do not delete any emails until the course is over. Keep everything until you have received your grades. Email is my primary method of communicating with you. Check your email and check it often and respond when I say “Action required.”
Important Information
Students with disabilities or special needs must contact the instructor and the CCSA office at least a month in advance of the program’s beginning so that accommodations can be made, to the extent possible in a study abroad setting. Students seeking such accommodation must provide CCSA with a copy of the letter on file with their own Office of Disability Services, outlining what services they receive on their home campus.
Students are expected to conduct themselves appropriately at all time. Academic dishonesty and classroom misconduct will not be tolerated. If you are caught cheating or plagiarizing any work for this course, you will be given a zero for the assignment, and I have the option of giving you a failing grade for the course.
Course Description
From the Beatles to Adele, James Bond to Harry Potter, Wimbledon to the Olympics; this course will examine the incredible influence that the British and the city of London have on popular culture. Visit the musical roots of the British Invasion with the London Rock Tour of the homes, venues (Royal Albert Hall) and recording studios (Abbey Road) of some of the greatest artists in the history of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Trace London’s impact on the silver screen while touring the London Film Museum (James Bond Exhibit) and Warner Brothers Studio (Harry Potter Tour). Explore some of the world's most historic sports venues: Wimbledon, Wembley Stadium and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Course Objectives
This course is designed to help students critically view the influence that the British and the city of London have on popular culture by examining its history and current state while tracing the impact in the United States. Course objectives include:
*to acquaint students with the historical development of sports and media in the UK by touring historical sporting venues (Wimbledon, Wembley Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Stadium) *to explore the difference in sports media in the UK and US by touring the facilities of BT Sport, a 24/7 sports cable outlet similar to ESPN in the US *to trace the history of British films and their financial impact at US box offices by touring the London Film Museum *to observe the current state of British filmmaking by touring Warner Brothers Studios London *to compare the current state of the music business in the UK to that of the US through distribution, radio formats and live music venues *to examine the impact of the British (music) Invasion by tracking the beginnings of many of the great artists by visiting early homes, venues and recording studios where some of the greatest music of all time was recorded
Textbook – Pre-Trip Readings
This course will not require a textbook but students will be required to read the following material prior to departure to prepare for the venue tours and to help identify the key sports and entertainment personalities/broadcast entities in London.
Wembley Stadium: Tour - http://www.wembleystadium.com/Wembley-Tours.aspx
Wimbledon: History - https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/atoz/history.html Debentures - https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/atoz/debentures.html Broadcast Rights - http://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=6739076
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park: Guided Tour - http://www.toursof2012sites.com/ Olympic Stadium - https://stadiumtourbookings.london-stadium.com/booking/default.htm
BT Sport Current Broadcast Rights - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BT_Sport
Royal Albert Hall: History - https://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/our-history/
Victoria & Albert Museum: History - https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/about-us/
London Film Museum Overview - http://londonfilmmuseum.com/ History of James Bond Films - http://www.007.com/
Warner Brothers Studios The Making of Harry Potter - https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/our-history
Additional Costs
The majority of required course activities will be covered by the course fees already paid. Students should budget an additional $75-$100 for required activities that are not covered by course fees. This additional amount will be used for admissions or travel fares.
Course Requirements
All students are expected to write their responses in a manner that conforms to normal expectations of a university classroom situation. This means that attention must be paid to details, content, organization, paragraph coherence, paragraph unity, spelling, grammar and punctuation. Please proofread your writing very carefully before it is turned in. You will have approximately TBA weeks to complete everything upon your return to the United States.
Read all articles and essays that will be provided prior to departure to help prepare you for each tour. Research and provide three historical facts on a minimum of three of the venues that we plan to visit. Be prepared to discuss your findings in our first class meeting upon arrival in London.
Students are required to attend each class meeting as well as other meetings designed to address course requirements and answer questions pertaining to the course. Students must participate in all field trips, museum tours, excursions etc. Attendance is mandatory at all CCSA official events on the itinerary. You will be docked points for unexcused absences (this will be determined at the discretion of the instructor).
Attend the following tours (attendance mandatory): Wembley Stadium Wimbledon Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park & Stadium BT Sport Royal Albert Hall London Rock Tour Victoria & Albert Museum (music exhibit) London Film Museum Warner Brothers Studio (Harry Potter Tour)
The dates and times of the tours will be located in your final itinerary. The final itinerary will not be ready until a few days before departure. Check your email regularly until we depart for London.
You must maintain a daily journal of your daily experiences in England which answers the following simple questions: a. What did I see and do today? b. What did I learn from my experience? c. What aspect of British culture was visible today? The journal entries should indicate a time and date on each page. Please use a new page for a new date in the journal entry. Students’ “personalities” should emerge from the records of their experiences instead of being a dry log. Journal entries are more meaningful when they are colorful and detailed. Flesh out your entries. Further, the student should attempt to glean insights and meaning from their daily experiences. Answer the following as part of your entry: How was my experience on X or Y or Z day in England enriched by my London or out-of-London experience on that day?
You will provide two or three short essays (based on upper or lower division course) that will cover topics that we discussed during the trip or venues that we visited in London. These papers will be short (500-600 words) and will be due after the return to the US.
All students will write one long final paper that will analyze the impact the British and the city of London have had on popular culture historically and in the present time. Source requirements and length will be based on whether the course taken is upper or lower division.
An exam will be administered after the trip is completed to cover the information gathered while in London and also from additional assigned readings.
Attendance Policy & Grades
This course is, first and foremost, a study abroad program. Attendance will be taken at all class meetings. Even one absence for which you cannot provide reasonable justification can result in point deductions or a letter grade deduction that may adversely affect your overall course grade. Your instructor must be informed of any situation that is likely to cause you to miss class or not be with us on scheduled field trips BEFORE the fact. Students must attend each class meeting (including field trip events and museum visits) and be punctual. If you become ill, please notify your instructor or have your roommate notify the instructor immediately.
Timetable and Guidelines for Submission of Written Assignments
Your journal, the short essays and the final paper are due by TBA. You can turn them in earlier if you choose. Late papers will be docked points or lowered by a letter grade if a satisfactory explanation does not precede the deadline date. Only the most extreme circumstances or dramatic emergency will be considered “satisfactory.” I must submit final grades by TBA.
All work turned in for grading must be typed (no handwritten assignments). Please double-space the text; do not type on the back of a sheet of paper. Number each of your pages at the top right corner with your last name. Indicate your name somewhere on every single page (preferably top right corner). Include a cover sheet that indicates what we are about to look at e.g. “Jane Doe’s Short Essay on the Wimbledon Tour.”
Lower Division Assessment Method:
Traditional Tests & Quizzes (100) 10%
Explanation: An exam will be administered after the trip is completed to cover the information gathered while in London and also from additional assigned readings
Journals (200) 20%
Explanation: Students will keep a daily journal while in London. In addition to the written entries, students will collect electronic samples (photography, video, etc.).
Short Essays (200) 20%
Explanation: A total of two (500-600 words) essays will be assigned during the trip and will be due after the return to the States. Students will choose from various topics to be determined once the field trips are confirmed and from additional assigned readings.
Summative Component, Final Paper (400) 40%
Explanation: A final paper (800-1,000 words) with a minimum of three required sources will be due at the completion of the course. Each student will analyze the impact the British and the city of London have had on popular culture historically and in the present time by revealing data uncovered during the study abroad in London and other outside research.
Attendance (100) 10%
Explanation: Students must attend and participate in all meetings and discussions before, during and after the trip.
Total Points = (1,000) 100%
Upper Division Assessment Method:
Traditional Tests & Quizzes (100) 10%
Explanation: An exam will be administered after the trip is completed to cover the information gathered while in London and also from additional assigned readings
Journals (200) 20%
Explanation: Students will keep a daily journal while in London. In addition to the written entries, students will collect electronic samples (photography, video, etc.).
Short Essays (300) 30%
Explanation: A total of three (500-600 words) essays will be assigned during the trip and will be due after the return to the States. Students will choose from various topics to be determined once the field trips are confirmed and from additional assigned readings.
Summative Component, Final Paper (300) 30%
Explanation: A final paper (1500-1800 words) with a minimum of five required sources will be due at the completion of the course. Each student will analyze the impact the British and the city of London have had on popular culture historically and in the present time by revealing data uncovered during the study abroad in London and other outside research.
Attendance (100) 10%
Explanation: Students must attend and participate in all meetings and discussions before, during and after the trip.
Total Points = (1,000) 100%
Grading Scale:
Grade Definition Point Ranges Percentages A Excellent 1000-900 90 to 100% B Very Good 899-800 80 to 89% C Good 799-700 70 to 79% D Poor 699-600 60 to 69% F Failing 599-0 0 to 59%