LONDON CALLING!!
Study Abroad in 2023 with UNC’s Literature and Diplomacy Program at King’s College London
UPDATE: UNC safety guidelines for COVID-19 have mandated the cancellation for former trips. Please watch this space for updates on future programming plans.
Live in the heart of London and earn 6 credits in 6 weeks! In the first three weeks you will join Dr. Leinbaugh and the former British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Christopher Meyer, for “Epic, Empire, and Diplomacy,” a course that surveys foundational texts of Western literature and explores how these texts shape our world today—old books meet modern day diplomacy! You will enjoy special classes with leading academics, diplomats, policy makers, and journalists. Credits also count towards GLBL, EURO, and several other majors. Visits include Houses of Parliament, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and masterclasses at the British Museum. In the second three weeks of the program, take any KCL course taught by local faculty for the opportunity to experience the British educational system. Previous course options have included Jane Austen’s England, Literature in the City, London and Film, Modern Espionage and Intelligence, and many more.
Exclusive Travel Scholarships
The Transatlantic Forum for Education and Diplomacy has awarded more than $50,000 in travel scholarships for students attending the UNC summer study abroad Literature and Diplomacy program at King’s College London. The scholarships are designed to reduce travel expenses for students who demonstrate a strong interest in broadening their international experience and who actively contribute to and participate in London programming sponsored by TFED, including visits to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, masterclasses at the British Museum, briefings at the Royal United Services Institute, and much more. Travel scholarships usually average about $1000 per student. Please contact us for further details via the interest form listed above.
What People Are Saying
“I was so lucky take the semester-long Epic, Empire, and Diplomacy course last spring, as well as join TFED in London for an independent study the following summer. By far the best part of both experiences was the time we spent talking to, and learning from Sir Christopher Meyer.”
— Lucy Smith 2018
“"When I sat down with Joan Gillings, I asked her what advice she would give to her 20-year-old self. "Travel, travel, travel," she told me. And this summer, I did just that. On the UNC- King's College London program, I was able to study ancient books, listen to lectures from Dr. David Stuttard and Dr. Sam Moorhead, and watch the classroom come to life as we toured sites like the British Museum.”
— Randy Parnell 2019
“TFED is an organization that I take a lot of pride in contributing to. Not only does it invest in diplomatic relations between the US and the UK, but TFED also invests in the students that it engages with. Studying abroad in London has come to define my last semester here at UNC and has guided my choice of study both for graduate school and for my professional direction.”
— Myles Lukert 2018
FAQs !
What are the dates for the program?
UNC’s next tentative Literature and Diplomacy program at King’s College London will run from June to August 2022. However, we will not know for certain until early 2022.
How will my study abroad credits be counted?
The first course at KCL is led by UNC’s Dr. Ted Leinbaugh. This course, “Peace, War, and Defense/Comparative Literature 489: Epic, Empire, and Diplomacy,” has also been pre-approved for Global and Euro credits at UNC, and in the past it has also counted for English, History, and several other majors. The second course at KCL is self selected and taught by KCL faculty. This course will not affect the UNC GPA, but, with a passing grade, it will count toward various majors and minors at UNC. Feel free to contact us for further details. For students outside of the UNC system, your university will help you handle the transfer of credits. The first course, Epic, Empire, and Diplomacy, has been credited at other universities in ways similar to the awarding of credits at UNC: that is, it may count towards Comparative Literature, History, Political Science, Global Studies, and other fields of study closely related to those above.
Is financial assistance available?
UNC Study Abroad offers summer scholarships and financial aid packages for qualifying students. With careful budgeting and complementary aid, many students have attended KCL at significantly reduced costs. In addition, our nonprofit provides a limited number of travel scholarships each year, and we encourage you to contact us for more details. Usually those travels scholarships average approximately $1000 per student.
When are the deadlines to apply?
The deadline to apply on https://heelsabroad.unc.edu is February 2022. Please contact us if you need an extension. Once application are open the KCL application can be found via this direct link: https://unc.live/2Owj06r and you can find additional information here:
Interest form: KingsCollegeLondonSummer2022
Info from our 2020 program at LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/KCLPostLinkedIn
Info from our 2020 program at Facebook: http://bit.ly/KCL2020
What are the necessary criteria to apply?
The KCL program requires that you be at least a rising sophomore with a 3.0 GPA. If you have a somewhat lower GPA, we would be happy to try to help you secure an exception: please contact us to talk with a Program Assistant.
What classes are offered at KCL?
Previous course options have included Jane Austen’s England, Literature in the City, London and Film, Modern Espionage and Intelligence, STEM courses, War Studies, Law, and many more. Whether your interests be in the humanities or in the social and hard sciences, KCL has a class to fit your particular interests. Feel free to check out the King’s College website to see what classes are being offered this summer! See 2022 courses here!
Check out our London Travel Guide
Explore details about the program, interactive maps, and links to London hot spots and restaurants.
