Penn State » Summer Education Abroad » London, England » Courses Offered

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Courses Offered

All students must enroll for 6 credits.

Mystical London: English Nondual Traditions (3 credits)
ENGL 199 or ENGL 499

An essential sector of mystic thought attempts to explain and obtain the conditions allowing one to "speak to" or "speak with." Michel de Certeau, "Mystic Speech"

Writer Alan Watts once described himself as being in the business of "Effing the ineffable" — putting the unspeakable into words. Discourses of mysticism are collectively defined by this paradoxical attempt to describe the indescribable, and in so doing they explore the limits of literary and rhetorical practice of any given historical moment. And mystic texts, while often well out of the mainstream in their content and style, are hardly marginal in the usual sense; perhaps precisely because mystic writers must explore the very limits of discourse, mystic texts are at the core of many literary traditions. This course will trace the history, forms, and practices of mystic texts in the English language tradition, mapping a dynamic genealogy of what is possible, and not possible, to "eff." With a focus on British mystics, our London location will enable us to research some rare texts found in the British Museum, visit the home of natural mystic Charles Darwin, behold some of the work of the visionary William Blake in the Tate Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum, do archival research at the London Theosophy Library, and explore other local "mystic" sites.

Three times each week, students will compose blog posts on the readings as well as a lengthier essay (10 to 12 pages) that focuses more deeply on the readings and our discussions. Class will be conducted seminar-style with intensive discussion and dialog.

Texts:
The Cloud of Unknowing
Richard Rolle
Walter Hilton
Julian of Norwich
Margery of Kempe
Thomas Traherne
George Fox
Percy Shelley
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Thomas Carlyle
Erasmus Darwin
Coventry Patmore
Alfred Wallace
Charles Darwin
Helena Blavatsky
Annie Besant
A.R. Orage and the New Age
Evelyn Underhill
Aldous Huxley
Julian Huxley
Alan Watts
Wei Wu Wei

Ezra in England: Ezra Pound and the English Avant-Garde (3 credits)
ENGL 199 or ENGL 499

The term avant-garde — which calls to mind innovation and experimentation and, as a noun, designates a contingent of forward-thinking individuals — can only be awkwardly applied to modern English arts and letters. At the turn of the century, the English seemed hopelessly behind the artistic movements raging in Italy and France. Eventually, England did produce an avant-garde of its own, but there also remained much anxiety about English art being behind the times.

The career of the poet Ezra Pound is in many ways indicative of England’s uneasy avant-garde. When Pound arrived in London in 1908, his poetry was backward looking: he specialized in dead languages; his muse was Dante; he rewrote 12th-century Troubadour poems. Within a few short years, however, Pound redirected his attention toward the future. He became the center of a literary salon culture whose collective intention was to take English art and, as Pound famously announced, “Make it New.” The first goal of this class, then, will be to trace out the distinct phases of Pound’s development during his London years (1908–20) — from his fascination with medieval Provençal poetry to his branding of Imagism, from his attempts at ancient Chinese translations to his launching of Vorticism. No less important, though, will be looking to the other writers, intellectuals, and artists — Ford Madox Ford, T.E. Hulme, Rebecca West, Wyndham Lewis, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, H.D. — that Pound inspired, managed, and contended with as he worked to build up an avant-garde. In the course of our investigation, we’ll pay particularly close attention to the magazines in which the avant-garde publicized their newest manifestos, poetry, prose, and visual arts. We’ll also make our way out into London to experience the spaces in which avant-gardists socialized and to visit the art galleries that now collect their art.

Students are expected to have impeccable attendance, to participate in lively discussions, and to complete each week’s reading assignments. They will be required to write a number of short responses that critically engage with the assigned readings and a final (10 to 12 page) essay that grapples with some of the larger questions of the course.

Eligibility

The program is open to all Penn State students and students from other universities with a minimum 2.5 grade-point average. Applicants are considered on a first-come, first-served basis. Students are encouraged to apply early, as enrollment is limited.

Faculty

Richard Doyle is professor of English and Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State and is the author of a trilogy of books on information and the life sciences. The latest, Darwin's Pharmacy: Sex, Plants, and the Evolution of the Noösphere, was published by the University of Washington Press in 2011. Doyle recently wrote the Afterword to a new volume of Philip K. Dick's Exegesis, placing it squarely with the contemplative tradition. Professor Doyle is a Fellow at the Hybrid Reality Institute and a Distinguished International Fellow of the London Graduate School.

Robert Volpicelli is the research assistant for the Hemingway Letters Project (2011–12) and the Edwin Erle Sparks Fellow, The Humanities Program (2012–13). He received his master's degree in English from Penn State in 2011.

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