Reading and Writing London

Reading and Writing London is a 6-week experience in which students will explore London through the works of writer Zadie Smith and through the words of their own creative writings.

In the course Zadie Smith's London, you will use Zadie Smith’s writing as a means of interacting with the city of London. Of all contemporary writers, there is perhaps nobody better for this task than Zadie Smith. All her novels are deeply engaged with London in some way. Her first novel, White Teeth (2000), was set almost entirely in northwestern London and featured concluding scenes in Trafalgar Square. NW (2012) ends with a long walk across North London. Swing Time (2016) begins and ends with walks across the Hungerford Bridge. In this course, you will trace these and other London scenes to understand how they work in Smith’s award-winning fiction, but also as a basis for your own explorations of the city.

You'll also take Writing the City which will introduce creative writing in relation to the city of London. You'll explore the particular challenges of writing about place and examine how various subjects such as the river, urban space, solitude, ethnicity, particular boroughs, and characters (both fictional and real) function in London narratives. Through all of this, you'll use your observations to practice creative writing.

What You'll Accomplish:

As an engaged and active participant in this program, you will have the opportunity:

to learn how to navigate living in a big city: from using one of the world's busiest metro systems to managing time and resources
to explore the rich and diverse culture and history of London and the UK, and analyze the political, economic and social challenges the country is facing though it's literature and writing
to advance your intercultural communication skills and develop deeper understanding of opportunities and challenges the globalization brings to the academic and professional environments

If your first thoughts of London are the Royal Family and Downton Abbey, prepare to be blown away. English history and culture are juxtaposed against streets lined with Indian restaurants and Chinese New Year celebrations. The birthplace of the English language is now home to speakers of more than 30 other languages – and that is not counting the variety of English accents you will hear. Skyscrapers tower over 17th-century buildings while Big Ben overlooks the River Thames. Study abroad in London and you find yourself constantly surprised by what you discover in one of the world’s most diverse and global cities.

Where You'll Live:

Part of the experience is to live like a Londoner. The overwhelming majority of students choose to live in shared apartments – the English call them flats – spread across the city. While apartments are as varied as the city itself and no two flats are alike, all of them are located in safe neighborhoods and secure buildings. Regardless of where you live, you can expect up to a 60-minute commute to the CEA CAPA Center.

What You'll Study:

You will take two course for a total of 6 credits. The program is open to all students interested in the theme of the program.

For A&S students, ENGLIT 1199 - Topics in British Literature: Zadie Smith's London can fulfill a Literature Gen Ed requirement.

Topics in British Literature: Zadie Smith's London (ENGLIT1199)

This course will use Zadie Smith’s writing as a means of interacting with the city of London. Of all contemporary writers, there is perhaps nobody better for this task than Zadie Smith. All her novels are deeply engaged with London in some way. Her first novel, White Teeth (2000), was set almost entirely in northwestern London and featured concluding scenes in Trafalgar Square. NW (2012) ends with a long walk across North London. Swing Time (2016) begins and ends with walks across the Hungerford Bridge. In our course, we will trace these and other London scenes to understand how they work in Smith’s award-winning fiction, but also as a basis for our own explorations of the city.

We will also use Smith’s essays as guides for interacting with the city. Her essay on the British painter Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, for example, can serve as a lens for viewing Yiadom-Boakye’s paintings in the Tate Modern. Her essay “Fences: A Brexit Diary” can serve as a prompt for exploring the way that London’s built environment divides its population. Smith’s portrait, painted by Nigerian American artist Toyin Ojih Odutola, hangs in London’s National Portrait Gallery, and will likely be the source of a field trip and/or writing assignment. As with Smith’s fiction, students will not only use these essays and artworks to understand Zadie Smith’s essays, but as a basis for their own explorations and writing assignments while in London.

Syllabus:

Download Zadie Smith's London, Syllabus, Summer 2024.pdf (269.02 KB)

Writing the City - London (ENGWRT1200)

This course will introduce creative writing in relation to the city and the particular challenges of writing about place. Students will examine how various subjects such as the river, urban spaces, solitude, ethnicity, particular boroughs, and characters (both fictional and real) function in London narratives; develop an understanding of the role of memory and experience in literary psycho-geographical accounts of the metropolis; utilize their observations of London to practice creative writing; and investigate the potential of place within the narrative of various genres.

Syllabus:

Download sample syllabus CWRT 3317 Writing The City.pdf (123.7 KB)

Your Pitt Study Abroad Contacts:

Kelsey Sobecki

Hello! I’m Kelsey, Program Manager for Arts & Sciences students. I am a native Pittsburgher and studied abroad in Rome, Italy as an undergraduate at Duquesne University, and received my Master’s degree at University College Dublin in Ireland. I have been in the field of International Education for 10 years, which includes time spent living and working on-site with study abroad students in both Rome and Dublin. I am so excited to support Pitt students in their study abroad journey! Please feel free to reach out to me at kls299@pitt.edu or make an appointment to start planning your global experience!

E-mail:

kls299@pitt.edu

Schedule an appointment

Schedule an appointment with me using Pathways!
Having trouble or don't see a time that works for you? Just email me at kls299@pitt.edu!

Your In-Country Contacts:

Dr. Dan Kubis

Dan Kubis received his PhD in English from Pitt in 2013. His dissertation, “Fighting for a Common Culture: Literary Theory in the Age of Reagan,” explored literary criticism and politics in the US in the 80s and 90s. From 2013-2016, he worked as a writer in Pitt’s Office of the Provost. From 2016-2020, he served as associate director of Pitt’s Humanities Center, where he expanded public programming, hosted the Being Human podcast, and began the Public Humanities Fellows program, which creates positions with local cultural institutions for Pitt graduate students in the humanities. Since 2020, he has worked as a teaching professor in the English department, where he teaches classes in literature and composition, including Introduction to Literature, The Short Story, History and Politics of the English Language, and the literature senior seminar (spring 2022 seminar: Zadie Smith and Contemporary Literary Culture). In addition to teaching, he regularly reviews books and writes on literary culture for local and national publications, including the Boston Globe, Brooklyn Rail, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.