Cultural History of Scotland

Summer 2010: June 21 to July 11

Program Location

Scotland’s geography offers highlands, lowlands, lochs, glens, sophisticated cities and charming villages.  Its eastern shore faces the North Sea and the western coast fronts on the Irish Sea in the south and the Atlantic Ocean in the north.  

Academic Program

The course begins with one week at the University of St. Andrews with classroom and field instruction in the history, literature, art and architecture, music, and religion of Scotland. The University of St. Andrews is Scotland's oldest and most prestigious university, founded in 1411.  Day trips to Anstruther, Crail, Arbroath, Pitlochrie, and Dunfermline will include a stop at the 14th century Dunnottar Castle and Blair Castle.
From St. Andrews the class proceeds to Edinburgh for a week visiting the Scottish Parliament, the Museum of Scotland, the National Gallery of Scotland, Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh Castle and St. Giles Cathedral. We will also take trips from the city to Rosslyn Chapel, the town of Melrose and nearby Abbotsford, Sir Walter Scott's home, Glasgow and Loch Lomond. We will explore the Scottish military tradition with visits to Stirling Castle, Bannockburn and the Victorian monument commemorating William Wallace. 

The course moves finally to the Highlands and Fort William.  From there we will travel to the Isle of Skye, Inverness and Loch Ness. We will hike Glen Nevis and climb Ben Nevis.  After concluding our tour of the Highlands, we return to Edinburgh for one last night in Scotland. The program ends in Edinburgh allowing students to return to the U.S. or travel independently.

Instructional methods include lectures, guided tours, journal assignments and/or papers. Students will write summaries and discuss selected articles provided.

Tentative course offerings:
HIST 391 Travel Studies Seminar, 3 credits
ENG 302 Special Topics in Literature & Language, 3 credits
ARTH 320 Travel Study in Art History, 3 credits
GHUM 251 Modern Perspectives, 3 credits

Accommodations

Students will reside in hotels and residence halls/dormitories, in St. Andrews, Edinburgh and Fort William, Scotland. Group meals will be provided.

Program Costs

For the current projected costs for this program, please click on the following link to the Fees for JMU Study Abroad Programs page.

Application

For more detailed instructions and to download the application, please click on the following link to the Applications and Forms section for JMU Short-Term Programs.

For More Information

For additional information about the Cultural History of Scotland program, please contact the program director:

John Butt
Professor
History Department
Tel.: 540-568-3991
E-mail: buttjj@jmu.edu