Introduction The Manchester Arts and Humanities Program, initiated in 1993, is one of a number of Education Abroad Programs conducted by Penn State in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, Latin America, Asia and New Zealand. More than 600 students form a wide variety of majors participate annually in these programs. Objectives The Penn State Education Abroad Program at the University of Manchester in Manchester, England functions within the context of the objectives characterizing all of Penn State's study abroad opportunities, especially to: 1. enable students to receive instruction in several disciplines within the context of another culture, and to enrich their general academic studies. 2. provide adequate professional training when a study abroad experience is especially desirable, and to add to the intellectual and professional development of students in specialized fields of study; 3. enable students to expand their knowledge of the culture of a country or region of the world by living and studying abroad, as well as to gain a more objective perspective of the values and way of life in their own country; 4. promote the education goals of the University by providing an overseas program designed to increase the international understanding of students. Specifically, the Manchester Arts and Humanities Program aims to: 1. provide students with a thorough understanding of literature, drama, art, architecture, and history in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries; 2. consider ways in which this traditional culture is reflected or influenced by writers, playwrights, and artists of today. Manchester Founded in 1851, the University of Manchester was the first of England's great civic universities. Today it is a famous worldwide as a center of learning and research. With 12,500 students it has a wide and flexible choice of courses and many amenities--including one of the top three university libraries in Britain as well as excellent laboratory and sporting facilities. It was at the University of Manchester that Ruterford first split the atom, the first computer was built, and the world's largest steerable radio telescope was developed. Yet in spite of keeping abreast of modern technology and development, Manchester is essentially a Victorian city. Its center is still dominated by Waterhouse's magnificent 'Gothic' Town hall; there are hundreds of very fine, if smaller examples of every type of Victorian architecture; its monuments are virtually all memorials to nineteenth- century inventors or reformers. The city is the heart of a region whose wealth grew out of the cotton trade with America during the Industrial Revolution. Manchester can boast of the oldest railway station in the world, the first purpose-built public art gallery in Britain, the oldest public library in Europe, and one of the best collections of Pre- Raphaelite painting in the world. It was in the public library that Joseph Engels worked upon ideas that he and Karl Marx developed into Communism. Industrialization also inspired Charles Dickens--while Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South makes clear reference to the city she knew very well. Much of the city's present lively cultural activity takes place against this backdrop. All eight of Manchester's art galleries are nineteenth century (or earlier) and the main concert hall was originally built in 1843. The theatres of Manchester are nineteenth-century in atmosphere, many of which have been restored. They have helped make the Manchester area second only to London as a theatrical center. in addition, important theatres such as West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, the Crucible in Sheffield, and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford- upon-Avon are within easy reach. The University in which this course takes place is a splendid piece of 1870s Gothic, designed by Waterhouse. it is properly called "The Victorian University of Manchester." The University's own Art Gallery-- the Whitworth--has one of the best collections of watercolors in the country. Program Description The program is fall semester program with five 3-credit courses that are integrated mostly around a single basic theme--art-architecture, literature, theatre, and history in Britain, especially the North West of England, during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In addition to the classroom teaching, the program includes regular visits to areas such as the Lake District, Haworth (for the Bronte Parsonage), houses such as Chatsworth and Tabley House, as well as relevant museums, galleries, and theatre visits. When visiting museums and galleries, students have the opportunity to discuss all the important or specialized collections, including those immediately relevant to the course. Students are expected to do a considerable amount of reading and preparation in their own time. Students register for a total of 15 credits as follows: ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE (ART H 499 -- 3 credits) --The Great Victorian City--Dramatic social changes and economic growth made strange demands upon architects in the nineteenth-century. Students look at Manchester's remarkable development over the years, from warehouses that were made to imitate Florentine palaces to banks that aped Greek temples. --An Englishman's Home Is His Castle--A social history of interior design that includes visits to the Duke of Devonshire's home at Chatsworth and a reconstructed working-class street in Salford. --Painting and Landscape--An exploration of the growth in popularity of the landscape in the early nineteenth century, including visits to two superb collections and a chance to do some direct drawing. Field trips and study visits are an important part of this course. LITERATURE (ENGL 499--3 credits) --This course provides students with a grasp of principal texts of poetry and prose ranging throughout the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, Tennyson and Browning, Shelley, G.M. Hopkins, and Arnold. Where appropriate, selected prose work is also discussed. Some of the novels studied may be Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, George Eliot's Middlemarch, Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Ubervilles, Arnold Bennett's Anna of the Five Towns, Edmund Gosse's Father and Son, E.M. Forster's Howard's End, and D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers. THE LIVING THEATRE--PLAYS IN PERFORMANCE (THEA 499--3 credits) --As far as possible the program sticks to the overall theme of the course, but obviously the plays students see depends on what is being performed. Students see a wide variety of plays, ranging from tragedies to musicals, including at least one production at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. Every week, in addition to the theatre visit, there is a class meeting, the first half of which is spent discussing the play just seen; the second half focuses on either the next play or how the performances seen fit in the context of 'British Theatre Today.' Students also have the chance to meet with the following guest speakers: William Wilkinson, financial director of Royal Shakespeare Company; Lynne Walker, publicity officer of the Royal Exchange Theatre; and the drama critic of the Manchester Evening News. THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND ECONOMIC HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN IN THE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURIES (HIST 499--3 credits) -- The art and literature of any period grow out of the economic, social, and political environment that encompasses them, though they also reflect other influences in time and space. The course focuses on the economic developments that underpinned Victorian society in Britain and a chronological account of the political and social changes that transformed the society from 1800 to the outbreak of the First World War. Topics include the factory system and its profound effect on working-class life and attitudes, the growth of the middle class, the role of women, and the ways in which local and national government had to adapt to the rise of a large and vocal working class. INDEPENDENT STUDY (3 credits) --To give students the maximum choice and flexibility, the final 3 credits are awarded for an individual paper (minimum 3,000 words) in one of the above subject areas. papers must contain an original element, and reflect critical awareness and informed opinion that is linked to the student's local study and experience in Britain. The courses are especially designed to meet the accreditation requirements of Penn State's academic departments, and are taught in special classes offered exclusively for Penn State students. Grading As with any course at Penn State, responsibility for assessing the students' academic achievement rests with the course instructors. Accreditation All courses are accredited under the course numbers indicated, as listed in the Penn State Baccalaureate Degree Catalog. No transfer of credit is necessary since the student remains registered at Penn State while enrolled at Manchester. Living Arrangements Students choose their housing before departure for England from three options: full board or bed and breakfast with a family; renting a room in a house with independent food arrangements; or renting an apartment with up to three other students. The on-site program administrator matches student requests with available housing and notifies students before they leave. Those students who rent a room or apartment handle the subsequent rental arrangements (deposits, lease, utilities) themselves. Students are responsible for the costs of their room and board on-site; they do not pay room and board to Penn State. Eligibility While this program is open to all regularly enrolled Penn State students and can accommodate students from any discipline, it has been primarily designed to meet the growing interest of art history, history, English, and theatre arts majors to study abroad.. Generally speaking, a 2.50 cumulative grade point average is the minimum academic standard for most programs. Applicants must show evidence of maturity, stability, adaptability, self-discipline, and strong academic motivation. Program Prerequisites Students selected for participation in the Manchester Arts and Humanities Program must complete, before departure, the following courses prerequisites: Art History 112 (preferably) or Art History 100 English 015 or English 030 And one of the following: Theatre 100, History 120, or History 136 Orientation A specially designed orientation program, conducted during the semester prior to departure, is intended to prepare participants for the adjustment to living and studying in England. Attendance at all orientation sessions is mandatory. Costs Tuition for the Manchester program is the same as the University Park Campus and is payable to Penn State at the Bursar's office in accordance with the standard procedures and deadlines for regular charges at University Park Campus. Students are also required to pay a $150.00 non- refundable program fee at the time of accepting an offer of enrollment. Round-trip air transportation is an additional cost to the student. Students are responsible for making their own flight arrangements. Textbooks and personal expenses are extra. The Office of Education Abroad Programs has a cost sheet that gives an estimate of overall expenses each year. Financial Assistance The standard forms of financial assistance are available through the Office of Student Aid. Since students remain registered at Penn State while abroad, financial aid packages continue during the period of time in which a student is enrolled in this program. The Office of Education Abroad Programs coordinates closely with the Office of Student Aid to help needy students obtain funds to cover the additional cost of study abroad. The Office of Education Abroad Programs also has a modest Grant- in-Aid Fund that can be drawn upon for exceptionally needy and qualified students. Health Insurance All participants are required to carry sufficient health and accident insurance. Personal liability insurance is strongly recommended. Planning Ahead To exploit the many advantages and opportunities of a study abroad experience, it is essential that students, in consultation with their academic advisers, plan well in advance. With careful planning every participant, regardless of major, not only gains regular Penn State credit while maintaining normal progress toward graduation, but can often apply the credits earned abroad to general education requirements, electives, language requirements, and/or in many cases, to major requirements. As part of the application process, students are required to check with their advisers or deans to discuss what impact study abroad may have on their progress toward graduation. For further information, contact your campus Education Abroad adviser or: Office of Education Abroad Programs The Pennsylvania State University 222 Boucke Building University Park, PA 16802-5900 Tel. (814) 865-7681