For the next couple of weeks, I am leading a summer course in London on the History of Medieval and Renaissance England. There are nine students enrolled in the course, eight of them from Missouri S&T. They are majoring in everything from Petroleum Engineering to Biology to History. Over the next few weeks, they will be sharing their experiences in London on this blog.
All of the students have now arrived in London. Yesterday, when most of them arrived, we walked all over London, to give them a glimpse of some of the best known sites in the city… and to keep them awake after their (mostly sleepless) overnight flights. We ended the day with a well-deserved traditional “English roast” meal, which was followed by some excellent live Irish music in the restaurant.
Students (l-r): Bryan Widener, Crystal Ford, Evan Carroll, Hayley Carroll, Madison Morris, and Audrey Hofherr
This morning the class started in earnest. Much of the course will be focused on visits to sites that either date from the Middle Ages and Renaissance or contain objects from the period. Today, we went to the British Library, which has many priceless manuscripts and books on display, including the sole surviving manuscript of Beowulf and one of the illustrated Gutenberg Bibles. The library also currently has a special exhibit on the Magna Carta, whose 800th anniversary is this year, including two of the four surviving original manuscripts from 1215.
Remaining site visits will include the British Museum, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, the National Gallery, Hampton Court, out-of-town visits to Oxford and York, and a performance of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice at the rebuilt Globe Theatre. Stay tuned!
– Professor Michael Bruening