About British Perspectives

***This program will next run in Summer 2014***

HST 401/501

Dr. Alison M. Parker

History Department, Brockport

This study abroad class in London provides an opportunity for students to understand the meanings of the American Revolution from a British perspective. While some in England offered strong support and even revolutionary pamphlets to the colonists' rebellion against English domination, others fully supported the strengthening and extension of British imperial strength. Fortunately, many of the most prominent English writers and politicians weighed in on this important debate. Scholarly analyses of their writings offer fascinating insights into the larger significance.

British Perspectives on the American Revolution gives students the opportunity to break out of the four walls of the lecture hall and experience British culture and history first hand. The class features an intensive reading list, designed to supplement daily trips to historical sites, museums, government institutions, and cultural centers throughout London, Windsor, and Cambridge. Students attend sessions of Parliament, a performance at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and view the 700-year-old campus greens at Cambridge from the prow of punt boats on the Cam River. Most days of the class begin with a vigorous walking tour through one of the many distinctive districts of London and include stops at historical sites such as the Tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral, as well as cultural sites, such as the apple market at Covent Garden or Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park.

For a preview of the excitement of today's London, visit one of these sites on the web:

London Guide
UK Travel
London Town

The Brockport American Revolution from a British Perspective Program offers you the opportunity to:

• Live and study in England,
• Receive instruction and hands-on experience with a small, personalized group of students,
• Improve your writing and research skills,
• Help prepare you for a semester/year abroad.

Your experience on the Brockport American Revolution from a British Perspective Program will:

• Make you a better student,
• Expand your outlook on the world,
• Build your self-esteem and self-confidence.

On the Brockport American Revolution from a British Perspective Program you will:

• Have the benefit of on-site guidance and support from an experienced Program Director throughout the program,
• Receive prearranged travel arrangements to, from, and throughout England,
• Receive assistance in navigating the London Underground and the England rail systems,
• The freedom to explore and discover on your own,
• Receive comprehensive orientations before your departure and throughout the program,
• Benefit from a program of field trips, organized specifically for Brockport program participants by the Program Director,
• Enjoy the security of a complete package of academic and non-academic support services provided by the International Office at SUNY Brockport.

Housing & Orientation

Housing:

Students will stay in dormitories (single rooms) in central London at the University of Westminster.  Students will have access to a fully equipped kitchen in which to cook their meals. There are also supermarkets nearby as well as a wide range of restaurants and take-out food shops.

Cost

Cost of Program (undergraduate): $3,950 (est.)

 British Perspectives Summer 2010 Estimated Budget Sheet.pdf

Cost of Program (graduate): $3,998 (est.)

British Perspects Graduate Summer 2010 Estimated Budget Sheet .pdf

Summer 2011: TBA

INCLUDES:

• Round trip airfare from JFK to Heathrow.
• London underground travel, train travel.
• Lodging.
• Admissions to all program sites.
• One theater ticket.
• Three credits of tuition at Brockport.
• Welcoming and final night dinners.

NOT INCLUDED:

• Meals (except for two dinners).
• Travel to and from JFK.
• Mandatory health insurance.
• College fees.
• Passport.
• Personal expenses (shopping, entertainment, etc.).

Please note:

The cost of this program is subject to change until April 15th, 2010 depending on market conditions (airfare, etc.)

This summer program is contingent upon having a sufficient number of participants enrolled in the program.

Courses

Course Description

This study abroad course in London provides an opportunity for students to understand the meanings of the American Revolution from British perspectives. While some in England offered strong support and even revolutionary pamphlets to the colonists' rebellion against English domination, others fully supported the strengthening and extension of British imperial strength. Fortunately, many of the most prominent English writers and politicians weighed in on this important debate. Scholarly analyses of their writings offer fascinating insights into the larger significance of the Revolution.

Credits

This summer course counts for 3 credits in the history major (HST 401/501).

London

(For photos of sites we will visit, see http://www.brockport.edu/history/faculty/parker.html) We will reinforce our readings about British perspectives on the American Revolution by visiting several famous London sites such as the Houses of Parliament where we will attend a session of the House of Commons, which is and was famous for its lively debates. We will also attend a trial in the Royal Courts of Justice to see just how much of English Common Law the Americans retained in their new legal system. As a day trip, we will visit the beautiful and stately colleges of Cambridge University, which was established in the 13th century. Many of the prominent politicians and theorists of the 18th century whose work we will read studied at either Cambridge or Oxford University.

A visit to Westminster Abbey, famous for its stunning Gothic architecture, will allow us to see a symbol of the royal power and ceremony that Britain's rebellious colonists ultimately rejected. We will also tour the Tower of London, one of the oldest, most fascinating of the many sites we will see together in the City of London.

For each week, you will read several articles (all of which are available on Angel). I have listed below a total of 19 readings, but you are responsible for reading only 13. That means that you can subtract two from each week's readings. You will need to turn in ALL typed assignments BEFORE we leave for England. I will comment on all your writings and return them to you on the first day of the course. You will then bring your written assignments (with my comments on them) to each of our discussions on the readings. Read and write one-two page discussions of each of the readings. Try to critically engage the ideas and argument of the author. Do not simply say "I liked this article" or "I disliked this article." Instead, engage with the ideas more criticlly. Llink the readings to each other when possible (note contradictions, agreements, and disagreements between authors). Write 1-3 questions about each reading at the end of each assignment for class discussion and/or to clarify issues that you are confused about. Think (and write) about what each article can tell us about British perspectives on the American Revolution.

Week One

Read and write about the following articles. Come prepared for class discussion.

1. "The Age of George III," in The Age of Aristocracy, 1688 to 1830 by William Wilcox and Walter Arnstein.

2. "Manly Dominions: War and Empire, 1689-1793," in Gender and Power in Britain, 1640-1990, by Susan Kent.

3. "The Making of British Foreign Policy," in British Foreign Policy in the Age of the American Revolution, by H. M. Scott.

4. "The Legacies of the 'American Army.'" in Redcoates: the British Soldier and War in the Americans, 1755-1763, by Steven Brumwell.

5. "Peripheries," in Britons: Forgoing the Nation, 1707-1837, by Linda Colley.

6. "The Nation Abroad: The Atlantic Debate Over Colonial Taxation," in The Persistence of Empire: British Political Culture in the Age of Revolution, by Eliga Gould.

Week Two

Read and write about the following articles. Come prepared for class discussion.

7. "The Crisis of American Independence," in An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean, by Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy.

8. Parlimentary Debates, in The Debate on the American Revolution, 1761-1783, ed. by Max Beloff.

9. "Patriot's Apogee: Wilkite Radicalism and the Cult of Resistance, 1763-1774," in The Sense of the People: Politics, Culture and Imperialism in England, 1715-1785, by Kathleen Wilson.

10. "The Loss of America," in Wars and Revolutions: Britain 1760-1815, by Ian Christie.

11. "The Friends of America': British Sympathy with the American Revolultion," by H.T. Dickinson, in Radicalism and Revolution in Britain, 1775-1848, ed. by Michael T. Davis.

12. "Civil War," in British Politics and the American Revolution, by Charles Ritcheson.

13. "Loyalty versus Opposition in london, 1775-1778," in Disaffected Patriots: London Supporters of Revolutionary America, by John Sainsbury.

Week Three

Read and write about the following articles. Come prepared for class discussion.

14. "Surrender at Saratoga," in Redcoats and Rebels: The American Revolution Through British Eyes, by Christopher Hibbert.

15. "Military Disaster," in The American Revolution and the British Press, 1775-1783, by Solomon Lutnick.

16. "Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne Opens His Campaign: Summer 1777," in Rebels and Redcoats, by George Scheer and Hugh Rankin.

17. "Except in Parliament: January 1778-June 1778," in Iron Tears: America's Battle for Freedom, Britain's Quagmire: 1775-1783, by Stanley Weintraub.

18. "Religious Reform and Religious Reaction," in The British Isles and the War of American Independence, by Stephen Conway.

19. "The Impact of the War on the British Isles," in The War of American Independence, 1775-1783, by Stephen Conway.