- English 58 - Shakespeare, a required course for English majors*
- English 49B - The Literature of Oxford, an elective
There are no prerequisites for either course, but English 20 and 21 are useful.
This energising program, designed to capitalize on the location's resources, immerses students into a five-week intensive study of Shakespeare and his plays. Variations of play venue and type give students a well-rounded overview of the author, and the addition of one or two modern plays to the curriculum gives a nice contrast and balance to the program.
While in Oxford, students reside at St. Edmund Hall, one of the oldest
of the colleges of the University. Located in the heart of the town,
"Teddy Hall" (as it is affectionately called), provides an intimate
setting for 
the program, which has a limited enrollment
of 25 students. Professor Armitage, a graduate of St. Edmund Hall,
provides historical and anecdotal information about Oxford's past in his
daily lectures that add context and richness to the other literary figures
studied -- including Oscar Wilde, T.S. Eliot, Evelyn Waugh, Dorothy
Sayers, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Classes take place each weekday morning, separated by a coffee
break. Most afternoons are free for browsing and touring around
Oxford or London. Weekends are free for individual excursions, with
one extended weekend (usually at the end of the third week) that is
three-and-a-half days. In addition to daily class and the plays,
students are taken on tours of Oxford, Stratford, and the houses
associated with Shakespeare and his family, including his birthplace and
burial place.
Picture: Feeding Swans at Stratford