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Harvard Summer Program in London, England

At a Glance

Dates:

To be announced

Application deadline:

February 5

Cost:

$7,500

Accommodations:

Dorms

Slideshow

Contact

Harvard College students can attend the study abroad fair to learn more about this program.

Science, technology, and medicine in Victorian culture

Faculty: John Durant and Anne Harrington

“Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”

— Samuel Johnson (1777)

Johnson’s epigram has always captured the multiple delights of London, Europe’s largest and most dynamic city. A century after Johnson penned his famous remark, London had grown rapidly to become the seat of the largest empire the world had ever seen. Among other things, it was a place of great projects—scientific, technological, medical, and industrial.

In medicine, it was an era that saw the introduction of anesthesia into surgery, the first modern public health innovations to address epidemic disease, the discovery of germ theory, and new theories of the human mind and mental illness. In engineering, the inventions during this period of the railway, the electric telegraph, and the first steam-powered transatlantic steamships would transform ordinary people’s experience of time and space. In science, new understandings of the age of the Earth, the nature of physical forces like electricity and magnetism, and—perhaps above all—the origin of species and the nature of human evolution, created furious debate about the larger implications of it all for society, morality, religion, and more.

Where better than London to spend 8 weeks learning about a pivotal era in the history of science, technology, and medicine? Live in the heart of the great metropolis, where classroom study is interwoven with field trips to the places where the events actually happened. Travel beyond London’s borders to sample the rich histories of other historically important (and beautiful!) cities like Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge, and Bristol. Conduct original research in the history of science, medicine, and engineering using some of the city’s finest libraries and unique archives.

Above all, discover what it feels like to study the history of science, medicine, and engineering in a way that is hands-on and experiential and in a place where the legacies of the past are all around you. And remember, Dr. Johnson knew a thing or 2: “The happiness of London is not to be conceived but by those who have been in it. I will venture to say, there is more learning and science within the circumference of 10 miles from where we now sit, than in all the rest of the world.”

Course of study

Students take 2 interwoven courses that aim to set specific explorations of science, medicine, and engineering into a common understanding of Victorian culture. Three half-day sessions a week are dedicated to introducing new material and discussion of readings in a classroom setting. Afternoons and 1 additional day are generally devoted to field trips. Students are introduced early on to a range of libraries and archives in London and are guided through original research projects that they present in the last week of the program.

Prerequisites for both courses: no technical background in science is necessary; however, some interest in history or science is helpful. Harvard students who have taken a course in the Department of the History of Science are warmly encouraged to apply.

HSCI S-119 Study Abroad in London, England: Health and Illness in Victorian Culture (32437)

John Durant and Anne Harrington.

(4 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment

This course looks at the place and development of medicine, surgery, and public health in Victorian culture. Topics include the great cholera epidemics, vaccination, the emergence of germ theory, quack medicine and the marketing of nostrums, new theories of madness, women and medicine, and the discovery of anesthesia and antisepsis in surgery.

HSCI S-185 Study Abroad in London, England: Science and Engineering in Victorian Culture (32261)

John Durant and Anne Harrington.

(4 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment

This course examines the place of science and engineering in Victorian culture. Topics include the Great Exhibition of 1851, revolutionary new understandings of magnetism and electricity, the discovery of "deep time" and the rise of geology, the Darwinian revolution, the making of the modern sewage system, and the inventions of the railway, telegraph, and steamship.

Course credit

See Study Abroad Credit Information.

Faculty

John Durant, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Science, Technology, and Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Director, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Museum

Anne Harrington, PhD, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University

Application

Students must be at least 18 years old, have completed at least 1 year of college or be a first-year student, and be in good academic standing to apply.

The application materials, outlined below, are due February 5:

Transcripts should be addressed as follows:

Matilda West
Study Abroad Coordinator
Harvard Summer School
51 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA

Students will be notified of admission decisions by late February or early March.

Cost

The cost of the program is $7,500 and a nonrefundable $50 application fee. This includes the following:

In addition to the program fee, students are responsible for:

Program directors will advise students of likely additional expenses. A sample budget for estimating expenses will be available soon.

How to pay and funding options

See How to Pay for payment deadlines, deposit amounts, and more information including funding options for Harvard College students.

Accommodations

Students live together in university housing owned by Imperial College in central London, near South Kensington.

Additional information

Contact Anne Harrington, aharring@fas.harvard.edu; (617) 496-5234.

Students with disabilities should contact the disability services coordinator as soon as possible. See Students with Disabilities for more information.

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