Introduction Video
The Winter 2023 program at the London Centre, directed by Jamin Rowan (Department of English) and Mat Duerden (Department of Experience Design and Management), offers students an immersive and experiential educational opportunity designed to elevate their curiosity and creativity. Students will deepen their curiosity and creativity through a program that integrates experience design, storytelling, design thinking, and urban studies. As students explore London’s ethnically and religiously diverse neighborhoods, immerse themselves in the city’s theatre and music scenes, eat their way through London’s markets and restaurants, bike across the rolling hills and golden stone structures of the Cotswolds, coasteer on Cornwall’s rugged coast, and hike in Wordsworth’s stunning Lake District, they will learn to think critically about what it means to design and live a good life as well as to make sense of a complex world through the stories that we tell about ourselves.
While students will satisfy four GE requirements (Global & Cultural Awareness, Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences), they will experience their coursework as a single, integrated class co-taught by Professors Rowan and Duerden. This course will culminate in eight unique London experiences that student groups design for each other, experiences that will connect students to London’s rich cultural history and vibrant communities. Every part of the program—whether it be participating in one of Secret Cinema’s immersive cinematic experiences, taking a one-day crash course in improv, learning about design thinking at London’s Design Museum, or attending a Queens Park Rangers football match—will help students design and deliver a transformative London experience for their classmates. We will spend as little time as possible in the classroom and as much time as we can in one of the world’s greatest cities. London will be our classroom and textbook.
DATES
13 January–20 April 2023
HOUSING
Students and faculty reside in the BYU London Centre—two adjoining Victorian townhouses on Palace Court in an upscale London neighborhood. The Centre provides breakfast and dinner Sunday through Friday and has free laundry facilities and Wi-Fi access.
MEALS AT THE LONDON CENTRE
All dinners and breakfasts at the London Centre are prepared and served communally. Student participants are required to help in food preparation and clean-up. Because of the communal nature of the meals, the BYU London Centre cannot meet all special dietary needs nor can it ensure a safe environment for those with food allergies. Please also note that, other than a communal microwave, students do not have accommodations in the Centre for meal preparation and may not bring their own accommodations to the Centre to prepare food for themselves. If you have dietary or allergy concerns, we recommend that you speak with the International Study Programs office before you apply.
COURSES
Accepted students will be required to register for 12 credit hours, which consist of the following courses which will be completely integrated and co-taught by Professors Rowan and Duerden:
- ENGL 200: Literature of London and the UK (fulfills GE Letters)
- UNIV 214R: London Culture (fulfills GE Arts)
- UNIV 218R: Experience Design (fulfills GE Social Sciences)
- EXDM 300: Creating a Good Life Through Experience Design (fulfills GE GLobal & Cultural Awareness)
All accepted students must also register for IAS 201R (1 credit), a required pre-departure preparation course that will orient everyone to the program. Participants may not take any other courses on this program, including BYU Online courses, without approval by the program director and ISP.
COST
$10,400–10,900
Includes LDS undergraduate full tuition (with increased costs for graduate and non-LDS students); housing; group admissions; program transportation; breakfast and dinner Sunday through Friday; and international health insurance coverage. Part-time BYU and non-BYU students pay an additional tuition fee of approximately $300 for the prep course.
Does not include airfare to and from London, meals on Saturdays, lunches, passport fees, and personal expenses.
TRAVEL
Students are responsible for purchasing their own airfare to and from the program. Airfare reservations must be made through BYU Travel. Students should contact a BYU Travel agent. BYU Travel | 801-422-6293 | travel@byu.edu | 280 HRCB
PREPARATION
All participants are required to show proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination (including booster) at least two weeks prior to departure.
FUNDING SOURCES
Regular BYU tuition scholarships, Pell Grants, and Federal Insured Student Loans may be applied to study abroad programs. Students who submit the financial aid section of the ISP application and who also have a current FAFSA form on file at the Financial Aid Office (A-41 ASB) will be considered for a Study Abroad scholarship. Academic departments and colleges may assist with scholarships and grants. Private grants and scholarships outside of BYU may also assist (see kennedy.byu.edu/scholarships).
APPLICATION PROCESS
Complete the online application as soon as possible at kennedy.byu.edu/apply. We will be accepting rolling admissions, which means the program might fill before the deadline. We’ll contact you as soon as your application is completed to schedule an interview. Following the interview, we will let you know via email of your acceptance into the program.
Deadline: 1 October 2022
FACULTY
Jamin Rowan is an associate professor in the English Department and specializes in urban literature and culture. He is excited to explore the great city of London alongside students at the London Centre. He and his wife Ann have looked forward to bringing their children back to England since living in Southampton (UK) as newlyweds in 2000.
Mat Duerden is an associate professor in the Department of Experience Design and Management. His teaching and research focus on experience design. Mat will be traveling with his wife Chenae and their four children. As a family, they love playing outside, mountain biking, skiing, reading books together, and exploring new places.
INTERESTED STUDENTS SHOULD CONTACT
Jamin Rowan (jamin_rowan@byu.edu) or Mat Duerden (duerden@byu.edu)
International Study Programs
101 HRCB
(801) 422-3686
isp@byu.edu
PROGRAM ADJUSTMENTS
ISP reserves the right to cancel this program, revise its offerings, or make any adjustments to the preliminary cost estimates due to conditions beyond its control.
