One of the collegiate experiences students most look forward to is the chance to study abroad. Over Spring Break, the UK: Suffragettes and Soldiers class, taught by Dr. Carey Snyder, will fulfill this desire with a trip to London, in which they will synthesize their coursework of the past eight weeks.
Angelia Bailey is a junior studying graphic design and psychology. She applied for the program to help harness her skills as an author.
“I love all things history, literature and the UK is one of the top five places I’ve always wanted to visit,” she said in an email.
According to Dr. Snyder, the class focuses on contextualizing modern fiction within its historical background.
Along with documentaries and short readings, the curriculum includes two novels: “Mrs. Dalloway•” by Virginia Woolf and “Suffragette Sally” by Gertrude Colmore.
Bailey says that her favorite part of the class has been learning about the history of English women.
“It’s enlightening to learn how far we have come and how hard we’ve had to fight to be seen simply as human,” she said via email.
While the class is meant to educate students on aspects of historical feminism, Dr. Snyder says that the experience has even put some of her favorite books in a new perspective.
“A general interest of mine is women’s writing and women’s history, and how women used their writing to try to change history,” she said. “(Anticipating our travel) opened up the books for me in a new way.”
Rachael Puls, a senior studying music and philosophy, is excited to relate her experiences on the trip to her final thesis.
“I’m studying a composer, Rebecca Clark,” she said. “I thought that this would tie in really nicely in exploring the spot that she was exposed to.”
Puls is also looking forward to the international exposure she will get on the trip.
“Traveling is something that is very important to me, I think that it offers a person a unique perspective,” she said.
Both Bailey and Puls expressed their appreciation for Dr. Snyder and the effort she has put into personalizing the program to each student.
Puls said Snyder was even able to connect the material to Puls’ individual thesis, which she said she really appreciated.
Along with organized activities, including tours of the Imperial War Museum• and spending a night immersed in “Sylvia” on the West End, students will be given free time to explore their own interests in the city.
Puls is planning on attending a music event in a small borough of the city.
“I’m going to this music event series that actually started in the UK … it’s called ‘So Far’ and they don’t tell you the exact location of the concert until 36 hours before,” she said.
By the time students return from the trip, Dr. Snyder hopes they will all have gained a newfound appreciation for international travel.
“I hope they think about being mindful travelers,” she said. “(It’s important to) think in advance about the history, the literature, the cultural expression of this place, so that when you go and visit, you can make a deeper connection with what you’re seeing … that way the pleasure of travel can be entwined with the pleasure of learning.”
