Duke in London: Arts

THEATRST 251AS

Summer Session Term I: May 29, 2022 - June 25, 2022 (TENTATIVE). Application deadline extended to March 1. No pre-requisites. All Duke students are welcome to apply. Visit the GEO website link for Duke in London-Arts to apply.

Description: This course surveys London as a site of dynamic cultural production, whose active participation in the global marketplace of artistic commodities reveals the city’s restlessly transnational, cosmopolitan character. As a leading tourist destination, London boasts one of the largest commercial arts sectors in the world, in addition to a robust heritage industry – born of a cult of fascination with the British monarchy as well as with giants of British culture, Shakespeare chief among them. London is also home to a thriving subsidized arts sector, one that – over the last 45 years – has increasingly approximated the managerial strategies of its commercial counterpart. Using local institutions as case studies, students will be introduced to the complex relationship among art, the state, and the global cultural marketplace; studying a multiracial and multi-ethnic community, they will become familiar with theories of globalization, neoliberalism, and cosmopolitanism, as well as migration and “national” identity. Students will also participate in multiple excursions each week, including dance, opera, and theater productions and visits to museums and other sites of cultural importance.

Cross-Listings:

THEATRST 251AS / ENGLISH 273AS / ARTSVIS 251AS / MUSIC 216AS / DANCE 251AS

Areas of Knowledge/Modes of Inquiry:

ALP, CCI

 

This course surveys London as a site of dynamic cultural production, whose participation in the global marketplace of artistic commodities reveals the city’s restlessly transnational, cosmopolitan character. Studying local institutions, students are introduced to the complex relationship among art, state, and the global cultural marketplace; studying a multiracial and multiethnic community, they become familiar with theories of globalization, neoliberalism, and cosmopolitanism, as well as migration and so-called national identity. Students also participate in excursions including dance, opera, and theatre productions and visits to museums and other sites of cultural importance.

Notes

Students enroll in one course, offering one Duke credit. No pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory options or auditing are permitted for the course. The course may count towards major requirements in the English Department and the Department of Theater Studies.

Enroll Consent

Instructor Consent Required

Sunset view of the Thames River in London with a view of The Shard skyscraper.
Curriculum Codes
  • CCI
  • ALP
Cross-Listed As
  • ARTSVIS 251AS
  • DANCE 251AS
  • ENGLISH 273AS
  • MUSIC 216AS
Typically Offered
Occasionally