The Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey

Lord Byron

Westminster Abbey, a popular London tourist attraction, is home to the famed Poet’s Corner.  This area of the Abbey is home to the burial grounds of countless literary figures, including Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser, John Dryden, Tennyson, Robert Browning, John Masefield, William Camden, Charles Dickens, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Rudyard Kipling, and Thomas Hardy.  Additionally, though they are not buried here, the Poet’s Corner is home to memorials for many famed authors: John Milton, William Wordsworth, Thomas Gray, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Robert Burns, Willam Blake, T.S. Eliot, Gerald Manley Hopkins, Samuel Butler, Jane Austen, Olver Goldsmith, Sir Walter Scott, John Ruskin, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte, Henry James, and Sir John Betjeman.

Goldsmith’s College

“Studying at Goldsmiths will give you the chance to develop your individuality, to look beyond pre-conceived ideas, and to explore creative and radical approaches to your subject. For more than a century, we have been part of the University of London, which continues to maintain its reputation for the highest standards of teaching, research, and scholarship.”
-Goldsmith’s College Web Site.

The College is located in New Cross, in South East London.  This area of the city is located in travelcard zone 2, making public transportation a convenient way to travel throughout the city. The area is just 15 minutes from central London by the underground, and has a reliable and round-the-clock bus system.

Courtesy of Goldsmith’s College

According to the College’s website:
 New Cross and the surrounding areas are very distinctive parts of London, brimming with vitality and offering a buzzing hub of exciting experiences. Try a tribute night at New Cross’ Venue nightclub, a dose of comedy at the Up the Creek club in Greenwich, or some culture at the Albany or Brockley Jack theatres. Or check out Brixton, one of South London’s biggest nightspots and home to the popular Brixton Academy and the Ritzy cinema. There are trendy bars and pubs in nearby Camberwell and Dulwich, and the East London underground line makes the funky markets and acclaimed curry houses of Brick Lane easily accessible. You’re also just a half-hour car journey away from Bluewater, one of Europe’s largest shopping centres.

New Cross is also considered to be one of the greenest parts of the city, with Greenwich Park, Blackheath, Dulwich Park, and Peckham Rye Common within close distance from the campus.  Also located nearby is the Thames at Greenwich, a perfect place to enjoy the river and the city.  Historically, this area, like the rest of the city, has a great deal to offer.  Greenwich is the international centre for astronomical observation and study, as well as timekeeping; and has long been a hub of intellectual exchange.  It is also home to the Cutty Sark and the Gipsy Moth IV, the ships in which Sir Francis Chichester made the first single-handed circumnavigation around the globe.  Other areas, like Blackheath, have held welcoming parties for kings on their return to England; and Greenwich is home to St. Alfrege’s, where Henry VIII was baptized.

The Department of English and Comparative Literature

The department is home to 435 undergraduate students, making study at Goldsmiths’ a uniquely personal experience.  You will experience one-on-one interaction with your tutors, students, and staff.  The department is home to a staff with a wide variety of research interests, making Goldsmiths’ small enough for personal interaction but large enough to satisify all of your academic interests and needs.

A unique aspect of the Department is the way it works with other departments and research centers to develop unique courses and interdisciplinary studies.  To date, the department offers specially designed courses in European Studies as well as Media and Modern Literature.  In the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, the department was rated 5, indicating that the research publications put out by the department have met international standards of excellence.  The department specializes in:

Twentieth Century Literature                         Creative Writing
European Literature                                       Latin American Literature
Eighteenth Century Literature                        Renaissance Literature
Socio-Linguistics                                            Romanticism
American Literature                                       Caribbean Writing
Postcolonial Writing                                       Literary Theory
Medieval Literature

Each year, the department features a series of special lectures and readings for its students.  Past guests have included Harold Pinter, Doris Lessing, Seamus Heaney, Alan Bennet, Will Self, and Germaine Greer.

Additionally, you can make use of the University of London Library, which houses over one million volumes, 5,000 learned journals, and a diverse special collections.

Courses offered at Goldsmiths’ include:

Approaches to Text                                                  Engaging Poetry
Explorations in Literature                                          Introduction to European Culture
Introduction to Comparative Literature                     Introduction to Poetry
Introduction to the Short Story                                 The Short Story
The Making of Medieval Europe                               Journalism
Introduction to American Literature and Culture      The Shaping of the Modern World Representation & Textual Analysis

Housing and Meals
There are a variety of housing options at Goldsmiths, from University-run residence halls to homestays.  Residence halls have a dorm-like layout with shared bathroom facilities and kitchen/dining areas.  Rooms in en suite halls have private shower and bathroom facilities and a shared kitchen/dining area.  All rooms are single, and internet access is limited in University halls. All accommodation is self-catered, and there are several supermarkets within walking distance of campus.

Undergraduate