Study Abroad

We’re a department that believes in the powerful “lived learning” that occurs by crossing borders and immersing oneself in new cultures while on a study abroad academic tour. We hope that most or all of our students take advantage of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences during their time with us.

Students spend a regular semester at the University of Kent in Canterbury, one of Britain’s leading academic institutions.  Courses may fulfill requirements in the English major.

Guided by an SPU English professor, students travel in late August-early September to sacred sites and major cities in Scotland and Ireland, notably Edinburgh and Dublin.  The course on Celtic Literature and Culture forms part of the student's regular Autumn Quarter load and may fulfill a requirement in the English major.

Students spend the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas in Spain and Morocco with an SPU English professor, exploring the links between these two countries through Flamenco dancing, the Islamic palace of Al-Hambra, Moroccan baths, tours of historic sites, side trips to markets and camel safaris.  A course on Moroccan women writers forms part of a student’s regular Autumn Quarter load.  For a student's recent video travelogue, click here.

Guided by an SPU English professor, students travel in the month of August or December to locales such as the southern point of Africa to hike the rugged beach, visit the museums of Cape Town, and go on safari in the Addo Elephant Park.  A course on South African literature and theatre forms part of the student's regular Fall Quarter load.

Students spend late August and early September in the UK with an SPU English professor, visiting London, Oxford, and Cambridge.  A Special Topics course on C. S. Lewis fulfills a requirement for the English major and forms part of the student's regular Fall Quarter load.

Students spend the month of July in Rome with an SPU English professor, visiting places such as the Roman Forum, the Sistine Chapel, and the Basilica of St. Peter.  Courses in literature and creative writing fulfill requirements for the English major.

Writing on the window of an English classroom

How to Read a Poem

English Professor Susan Van Zanten gives you a quick guide on how to get the most out of reading poetry.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Jane Austen
Pride & Prejudice