The Ohio State University offers many study abroad options, and we are happy to feature several options from the English department.
English 4450: Literature and Culture of London (May in London)
May 2026: “Victorian Popular Press and the Public Imagination”
Professors:
Immerse yourself in London’s rich cultural history, atmospheric locations and archives to explore the Victorian public’s fascination with sensational stories and imagery: from true crime to romance, satire to fantasy, detective fiction, and more!
Excursions include: Bristol, Canterbury; tours of the Old Bailey, Fleet Street, White Chapel; visits to the British Library, Cartoon Museum, etc.
Course Details:
- English 4450: Special Topics in Literary Forms and Themes
- Course dates: May 4 - May 30, 2026
- Application deadline: January 6, 2026
- Minimum GPA Requirement: 2.5
- Areas of Study: English, Anthropology, Art, Arts and Sciences, History, Communication, Comparative Studies, Humanities, Linguistics
For more information, and to apply, see the program listing at the Office of International Affairs' website.
Please feel free to email the instructors with questions!
2023: “Detecting Victorian London: Crime in the City”
2022: “Speculative London”
2020: “Representations of Black London” – Cancelled
2019: “Children’s Literature”
2018: “Victorian Crime And Detective Fiction”
2016: “London on Stage and Screen”
ENGLISH 4400: LITERARY LOCATIONS
Literary Locations, the signature study abroad opportunity in the Department of English, invites students to study the literature, art, and history of a location before traveling to that site. In the spring semester, students take a three-credit course (English 4400) that focuses on the specific cultural contributions of a particular place. Then, in May, students visit those sites and participate in activities relevant to the course subject like seeing plays, visiting art galleries and taking literary/historical walks. Students earn an additional one-credit (English 5193) for this approximately ten-day long trip. English 4400 can be applied toward the English major, the English minor or overall university degrees.
2020: Venice, Italy – Cancelled
2019: Rome, Italy
Students visited such sites as the Forum, the Colosseum and the Pantheon after spending the semester studying poems, fiction, films, art and essays about Rome over the last two millennia.
2018: Dublin, Ireland
Students studied James Joyce and W. B. Yeats, and they visited the Lake Isle of Innisfree, the beautiful West Country and the hills of Glendalough.
2017: Athens and Greece
Students read Greek literature such as The Odyssey and Cavafy's poems alongside English works inspired by Greece and modeled after Greek writers. At the end of the semester, they explored the landscape and ruins of Athens, the oracle at Delphi, the ancient theater at Epidavros, the quaint city of Nafplion and the island of Corfu.
2016: Bath & Dorset, England
Students considered the literature of Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy, and they then traveled to locations throughout southwest England, including Bath, Lyme Regis, Dorchester, Salisbury and Stonehenge.
GLOBAL MAY
Global May programs are offered by the Office of International Affairs, and some are led by English faculty members. These programs are intended for first- and second-year students of any major, allowing students to begin their global education early in their college careers. Each Global May program allows students to explore the history, culture, current events and major issues of its titular country.