London Winter 25-26

What do a distillery, a war museum, and a university have in common? Each offers a different lens on how organizations prepare for uncertainty and respond to risk. Through visits to businesses, historical sites, and academic institutions in London, students will analyze how British decision-makers manage challenges ranging from financial threats to public safety. With comparisons to American models, this course builds a practical foundation in risk assessment that applies across business, policy, and crisis response fields.

London offers a rich backdrop for understanding how healthcare is delivered, communicated, and experienced on a global scale. Through visits to hospitals, museums, and public health organizations, students will trace the evolution of care from Florence Nightingale’s legacy to today’s innovations. By comparing the UK and US systems, the course highlights how healthcare policy, access, and communication strategies influence patient outcomes and public trust.

London’s stages, debate halls, and comedy clubs offer a dynamic setting to strengthen communication skills through performance and public expression. Students will engage with live theatre, spoken word events, and political debates while examining how voice, timing, and storytelling influence public impact. With experiences ranging from an improv workshop at Hoopla to a visit to Speakers’ Corner, the course blends observation with practice to build confidence in speaking, presenting, and connecting with an audience.

Legal ideas travel and few relationships have shaped global law more than the one between the US and the UK. This course traces how British common law influenced American legal traditions and how, in turn, US legal principles have echoed back into modern British courts. Through site visits to places like Runnymede, the Old Bailey, and the UK Supreme Court, students explore the historical and ongoing exchange of legal thought that continues to impact justice systems around the world.

Images and design influence how societies communicate values, tell stories, and shape identity. This course combines theory with visits to cultural institutions such as the British Museum, the National Gallery, and the Victoria and Albert Museum to examine how visual messages reflect and affect culture and history. Additional stops at the Museum of Brands, the Design Museum, and the Fashion and Textile Museum offer insight into the creation and impact of visual communication across media and industries.

From stadiums and museums to ad agencies and fashion houses, this course examines how branding and cultural identity intersect in the UK’s sports and entertainment industries. Students will analyze how public relations, sponsorships, and events influence brand perception, drawing comparisons between British and American approaches. Site visits to venues like Wimbledon, the Museum of Brands, and Olympic Park provide a real-world view of how branding strategies take shape across music, fashion, sport, and media.

In London, theatre is more than entertainment - it’s a lens for understanding culture, history, and the human experience. From West End productions to fringe venues and Shakespearean classics, students engage with a wide range of performances while examining how British theatre continues to reflect and shape society. Site visits to Stratford-upon-Avon, the Globe, and the National Theatre add historical depth to contemporary discussions of storytelling, production, and cultural impact.

Ethical questions in healthcare don’t have easy answers, but studying them across two systems offers valuable insight. In this course, students examine how principles like autonomy, justice, and equity play out in the policies and practices of both the U.S. and UK healthcare models. Site visits in London, including the Florence Nightingale Museum and the Old Operating Theatre, connect ethical theory to the real-world decisions faced by healthcare professionals, policymakers, and patients alike.

London’s past is filled with stories of power, conflict, and resistance, many of which continue to shape the city’s identity today. This course examines how crime, war, and social injustice have influenced British society through site-based learning at places like the Tower of London, the Imperial War Museum, and the Museum of London Docklands. By connecting historical events to contemporary issues, students gain a deeper understanding of how societies remember, respond to, and learn from their most challenging chapters.

The energy of British theater comes alive in the streets and stages of London. Students will engage deeply with the evolution of British drama, from Shakespeare’s timeless works to cutting-edge contemporary performances. Visits to iconic venues such as the National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, and Stratford-upon-Avon provide opportunities to study theatrical elements like staging, lighting, costuming, and music firsthand. Alongside live performances and behind-the-scenes tours, the course encourages critical reflection on how drama reflects social change, cultural identity, and artistic innovation.