Courses and Internships
in
London
NYU, Bedford Square
Internships
London is Educational Programmes Abroad’s flagship program. We have
been placing students in pre-professional internships in the major political,
financial, cultural and historical institutions in London since the early
1970's.
Thirty years in, it is still our most popular program location with a range
of internship opportunities that are wider and more impressive than ever.
We are always keen to expand our offerings and we pride ourselves on our
personalized approach. So if the type of internship you want is not listed
below, let us know and we will try to set it up specifically for you.
Academic courses
In the summer students take a series of classes, organised by EPA, in addition to their placement. Fall and spring semester students take two academic
courses in addition to their placements. The course subjects reflect
the main internship fields offered as well as cultural electives.
EPA students take two courses from over forty available at NYU in London Student
Center.
Orientation
The first week is devoted to orientation sessions where students spend time discussing their choice of academic courses, learning about their internship and attending a first interview as well as getting to know London and finding their way around.
Internships
Media, Communications and Journalism -
Britain is renowned worldwide for its historical excellence in print and broadcasting journalism, and London is a major communications and media center. Exciting and challenging placements exist in television, magazines and related media organizations.
Politics and Government -
Politics interns work as research and administrative assistants to Members of the Parliament, in law offices, think tanks, pressure groups and NGOs (non-governmental agencies). Interns do not need to be Political Science or Government majors; students majoring in all fields who are curious about politics and have some relevant academic background have gained immeasurably from these unique opportunities.
Law -
Interns acquire a detailed knowledge of the British legal system by working for a firm of solicitors (lawyers). Most of the firms EPA uses are fairly small, general practices. Small firms tend to give students more responsibility than would be the case in larger firms, and general practices give students exposure to several areas of law: criminal, immigration, matrimonial, child and family, property and civil litigation. (Available Fall, Spring and Summer Session 1.)
Research Institutes -
Students with very specialized interests may apply for primarily research and writing-oriented placements in research institutes specializing in a variety of disciplines, such as defense, race relations and public policy to name just a few.
Pressure Groups -
Pressure Groups welcome students who are interested in the cause the group promotes and have a relevant academic or extracurricular background. A wide variety of pressure groups accept interns. Pressure groups deal with a variety of issues such as racial equality, domestic violence, women?s issues and the environment.
Public Affairs & Public Relations -
Placements exist in the public affairs departments of various firms specializing in political work. These internships normally provide a mixture of research, organizational and administrative work.
Museums and Art Galleries -
London?s many museums and cultural institutions draw visitors and scholars from all over the world. Museum internships offer extraordinary opportunities to work as research and administrative assistants. Preparing, mounting and publicizing new exhibits, researching the history and background of objects, cataloguing, planning and promoting arts festivals are just some of the activities in which one may be involved. The program is open to students of all backgrounds who are interested in a wide range of museum-related work. English and history majors will find many exciting opportunities in London?s rich and varied collection of museums. Placements are selected to correspond to the interests of the individual student as well as the needs of the museum; a detailed knowledge or particular interest in a specific field or institution should be noted in a cover letter attached to the application.
Health Care Policy and Administration -
The British National Health Service provides American students with an excellent opportunity to examine a nationalized system of health care delivery. An international internship presents an unrivaled opportunity to explore its practical possibilities, challenges, benefits and problems. Students find opportunities in London they might not have access to as undergraduates in the US. The program is open to all students, regardless of major, whose background provides preparation for the type of work they wish to do.
Internships provide work experience in health care administration, where assignments range from quality of care and efficiency studies to the organization of midwifery services. Students have been placed in the administrative offices of hospitals and health authorities in different parts of London in economic planning, health education and promotion, and nutrition.
Business -
London is one of the world?s most important business and financial centers and some say it has now surpassed New York. Placements are available in a wide variety of British and multinational firms. There is a wide range of business internships to choose from: international banks, advertising agencies and public relations firms, marketing and market research departments, event planning and publishing to name just a few. Students may request business internships not listed here, and every opportunity will be made to secure them.
Marketing -
Students interested in marketing and market research internships may work in a variety of organizations, as most organizations engage in some form of product or service promotion. Students have enjoyed internships at EMAP Elan and Mindshare in recent semesters.
Education -
Students interested in learning about the British educational system can undertake student teaching placements in London schools: infants (primary) schools, junior (grade) schools or senior (high) schools. Placements are available in both the public and private sectors, known respectively as the state and independent sectors. Placements also exist in special schools.
Fashion Marketing and Merchandising -
London is an enormously important fashion city, and the high point for the industry each year is London Fashion Week. Buying, marketing, press and public relations and fashion shows are all exciting aspects of the fashion industry. In the past, fashion students have worked for Zandra Rhodes, assisting in her fashion and museum work.
Advertising -
London is on the cutting edge of the global advertising industry. Students typically enjoy placements in media buying agencies, such as Mindshare, or in various marketing, creative and media departments at EMAP Elan.
Publishing -
Students with an interest in publishing have participated in successful internships at Reader's Digest, Moneywise Magazine and in-house publishing, such as at the National Maritime Museum. An internship in publishing exposes students to the fast-moving world of publishing, which can include editing, adminstrative, research and promotional activities.
Arts Administration and Management -
London is home to numerous private and governmental organizations that support and promote the visual arts, performing arts, and culture in London and the UK. Students may be involved with press and marketing activities, fundraising, event planning, arts education, or resarch and policy activities as well as general adminstrative tasks. Organizations such as the Contemporary Art Society and the Royal Festival Hall as well as art councils and foundations are the focus of this type of placement.
Theatre -
Britain is renowned for its dramatic history and London is one of the great theatre capitals of the world. Students are placed in Fringe Theatres, the UK equivalent of Off-Broadway, where they undertake a wide range of activities, such as set design and lighting, auditions, props, production, box ofice, marketing and promotion.
Social Services and Social Work -
Students with an interest in social policy may find that an internship in areas such as housing, youth work, education and work issues, or advocacy for persons with disabilities suits their needs. Past interns have worked for education-business partnerships, the National Housing Federation, the Work Foundation, The Princes's Trust and Shelter.
Urban Studies and Town Planning -
Urban studies students can learn about British planning law and methodology by interning in a town planning department. These internships are normally in local authority (local government) town planning departments.
Tourism and Hotels -
London is one of the most popular destinations in Europe and much of its economy is based on this all-important industry. Students can learn the trade through internships in tourist agencies and organisations, either on the marketing and promotional or informational side, or by working in a London hotel. Students are normally placed in small three-star hotels where they are able to undertake a wide range of tasks and assume a fair amount of responsibility.
Architecture -
Architectural design in London is more vibrant and cutting edge than ever before. Students learn about British architecture from the inside, mainly in small practices where they get the widest possible exposure.
Banking and Financial Institutions -
Students of international banking can get their first experience of global finance by working in some of the banking world's best known institutions: Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan Chase, Mizuho. Banking interns are placed in a variety of departments, such as Compliance, Accounting, and Tax, to name just a few. (For a number of reasons, internships on the trading floors are not possible.) Placements also exist at small private investment firms where students get an in-depth exposure to private banking and investment strategies.
Environmental Studies -
As global warming becomes one of the most serious and important global issues, a growing number of opportunities exist for environmental studies students. Placements are available in environmental pressure groups and think tanks.
Graphic Design -
Graphic design students have the opportunity to learn about cutting edge British design from the inside. Students must submit a portfolio, preferably electronically or on a disc, with their application.
Medical Research -
Medical Research internships provide hands-on experience in research laboratories of teaching hospitals. All teaching hospitals are associated with the University of London. Students have done research in respiratory diseases and molecular genetics and worked in prenatal research as well as in departments of chemical pathology, clinical chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology and genetics.
Psychology and Psychiatric Facilities -
Psychology and psychiatric internships present the opportunity for psychology majors to gain an exposure and level of experience not normally afforded to undergraduates in the US. These placements can be research-oriented or a combination of research and clinical.
Courses
ECONOMICS - Economic Principles II - V31.902.001
Focuses on individual economic decision makers - households, business firms and government agencies - and how they are linked together. The emphasis is on decision making by households and firms and how these decisions shape our economic life. Explores the different environments in which businesses sell their products, hire workers and raise funds to expand their operations; the economic effects of various government policies, such as minimum wage legislation, rent controls, antitrust laws and more.
ENGLISH - Writing Postcolonial London - TBA
Course description to come.
ENGLISH - Modern Drama in Performance in London - V41.9133.001
This course, designed to introduce students to the range of 20th-century drama staged in the contemporary London theater scene, presents a wide variety of British, American and multicultural works currently playing. Students analyze the history of the modern theater in London. Emphasis is placed on comparitive interpretation of texts and the dramatic performances of works.
ENGLISH - Major Texts in Critical Theory - V41.9712.001
Course description to come.
ENGLISH - Postcolonial Indian Literature - TBA
Course description to come.
ENGLISH - Women and the Novel - V41.9755.001
Selected readings in British and American poetry and fiction provide the focus for an exploration of woman's place in the writings of such authors as Jane Austen, the Brontes, George Eliot, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton, Emily Dickinson, Kate Chopin, Willa Cather, Gertrude Stein, Lillian Hellman, Doris Lessing, Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich and others.
ENGLISH - The English Novel in the Nineteenth Century - V41.9530.001
This course will examine the major British novels of the 19th Century in the context of their setting in London and British culture. The course will include visits to London sites presented in the works that will be read. Readings include such major novelists as Dickens, Thackeray, Wilde, Woolf and others.
FINE ARTS - Ideology and Urban Design: Builders of Britain - V43.9035.001
This course illustrates the creation of the physical landscape of Britain, but particularly of London, through the working lives of the people who influenced it: the engineers, the builders, the visionaries. By taking a number of central figures and presenting them and their biographies, the student can not only build up an historical knowledge of the major monuments of the city, but can also develop a useful contextual knowledge of the personalities and the period concerned. The course thus uses the architectural, urban and engineering history of the capital as a way of introducing the student to the cultural landscape of the country.
FINE ARTS - British Art in London - V43.9011.001
A survey of British painting, sculpture and architecture of the 17th through 20th centuries. Museums, galleries, churches, palaces and stately homes in and around London will be visited to examine and critique major works.
FINE ARTS - Designing Britain (special topics in the History of Art) - V43.9650.001
British designers are playing an increasingly important part on the world stage. This course examines changing attitudes to design in Britain : from the eighteenth century, when it played a central role in the modernisation of the country, to the Millennium, when it was called upon to rekindle some lost glory. We will ask whether there are features about British design over the last 250 years which are distinctively British; and to what extent British designers have been informed by developments in the rest of the world.
Design now seems all-encompassing, and this very fact also raises broader questions. Have we overvalued this work of the mind over more traditional hand-skills? Are we becoming cynical in the face of endless "rebrandings" (which includes the rebranding of cities and whole countries)? Does design necessarily falsify, or paper over the cracks? And is it good for the planet?
The course format consists of lectures and visits to museums, London sites and a leading designer's studio.
FINE ARTS - Art & War (special topics in the History of Art) - V43.9650.002
This 15 week course will take an in-depth yet wide-ranging look at an important but curiously neglected aspect of modern western visual culture. Within a broadly chronological structure, topics will include the following: the relationship between art and atrocity, and the attendant problem of the aestheticisation of horror; the crucial influence of photography and the growth of mass communications; the issue of censorship, both external and internal, and the related issue of the "limits of representation" (above all, in relation to the Holocaust and Hiroshima); the distinction between official and unofficial war art, and between art and propaganda, between art that endorses and even glorifies war and an art of protest; issues of gender and sexuality; questions of cultural memory and the memorialization process, and the representation of war in contemporary art practice.
It will consist of a combination of informal lectures, student presentations, at least one gallery visit, and the occasional film showing.
FINE ARTS - Architecture in London: Field Study - V43.9671.001
British architecture is studied, from the Roman remains to the Post-Modern ITV Studios in London. Architecture, urban systems, preservation and planning issues will be studied. While examining the past and present, the future of architecture will also be explored with an emphasis on the importance of renovating and refurbishing old buildings. There will be site visits in and around the City.
FINE ARTS - Contemporary Art in Britain - V43.9675.001
London is the center of the British art world. This course will examine painting and sculpture of the 20th century with an emphasis on work after World War II. Recent art in Britain will be studied with trips to the museums, galleries and installations of significant new work. The format of the course will stress active visits to collections. Artists likely to be included are Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Lucien Freud, Francis Bacon, Anthony Caro, Richard Hamilton, David Hockney, Gilbert and George, Damien Hirst and Rachel Whiteread.
HISTORY - Modern Britain: Society, Culture and Politics, 1780-1914 - V57.9162.001
This lecture course provides a general history of Britain from the later eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries. It begins with the rise of liberal political ideas, notably the development of utilitarianism and political economy. In the light of this, we explore a number of social and cultural themes in the period 1800-1850, including urbanization, poverty, welfare, the Irish famine and public health, all of which can be seen as having a pronounced political dimension. Following this, we will study the 'high' Victorian period and examine the culture of respectability and self-help, the expansion of the British Empire, changing attitudes to gender and the impact of Darwinian thinking on British society. We conclude by looking at the late Victorian and early Edwardian period in the light of these imperial, racial and sexual anxieties.
HISTORY - The Early Middle Ages - V57.9111.001
This course will look at the post-Roman and early medieval world, from c.400 to c.1100. Focusing primarily on the emergence of the English State, it will also take in the wider British and European context. Its grand narratives are the collapse of empire, the emergence of Christianity as a state religion, the invention of kingship, and the origins of English as a written language.
HISTORY - A History of London - V57.9127.001
The course examines the growth and importance of London from the Roman invasion of 43 AD to the present day. Students will learn about London's changing economic and political role, and will understand how London grew to dominate the commerce, industry and culture of England. They will find out how London became the biggest city the world has ever known, and how it coped (or failed to cope) with the social and environmental problems created by its enormous size. Each week (unless there is a field trip) there will be a lecture and a discussion in which you will be able to present ideas and information gathered from lectures and from your weekly reading. There will also be four walking tours of parts of London which relate to the period we are studying at a particular time.
HISTORY - Europe Since 1945 - V57.9156.001
Covers the impact of World War II, the postwar division of Europe, the onset of the cold war, the economic recovery and transformation of Western Europe, Stalinism in Eastern Europe, the 1960s and events of 1968, the origins and development of the European community and the cultural and intellectual life of European nations in this period. Ends with a discussion of the Eastern European revolutions of 1989 and their significance, together with the reunification of Germany, for the future of the continent.
HISTORY - Immigration - V57.9452.001
Course description to come.
HISTORY - Britain and Slavery - V57.9572.001
This course examines the growth and decline of the use of African slave labor in the Americas. The main focus is on the British and French Caribbean, though material on the South and North American mainland is also included for comparative purposes. The course will examine: the background of slavery as an historical institution; indentured labor to slave labor; plantation society in the Caribbean; slave resistance in the West Indies; slave culture and slave autonomy; the economic system "triangular trade"; the impact of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution; abolition of the slave trade in Britain; slave emancipation and the indentured scheme.
JOURNALISM & MASS COMMUNICATION - Methods & Practice: Reporting the Arts - V54.9202.001
Using the cultural life of London as its focus, this course aims to enable students to report on the diversity of cultural and artistic activity in the British capital in eight main areas?film, photography, literature, architecture, music, visual arts, travel and London in literature. Several forms and techniques will be explored through lecture, discussion and assignments, including: news reports, interviews, reviews (film, literature, theater), feature stories, essays and commentaries. During the course, students will learn not only about London's cultural landscape but they will be encouraged to examine it in various journalistic and literary forms. Weekly theater visits are a key component of this course.
Note: Students should enroll in both sections for this course.
Journalism & Society: From Blogging to Bullets, Changes and Challenges Facing Media - V54.9503.002
Designed to interrogate the impact of various forms of media on "society" and various notions of society on "media." Students consider conventional and unconventional media in Britain?from the London Times to movies to fashion magazines?in an effort to interpret British culture. The key question is not "Is this text 'good'?" but "What does this text mean?"
PHILOSOPHY - Ethics - V83.9040.001
Examines fundamental questions of moral philosophy. What are our most basic values and which of them are specifically moral values? What are the ethical principles, if any, by which we should judge our actions, ourselves and our lives?
PHILOSOPHY - Metaphysics - V83.9078.001
Discusses general questions concerning the nature of reality and truth. What kind of things exist? Are there minds or material bodies? Is change illusory? Are human actions free or causally determined? What is a person and what, if anything, makes someone one and the same person?
POLITICS - British Politics - V53.9514.001
Introduction to the politics and society of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Traces the political and social development of the historic countries of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales; the growth of British hegemony and imperialism; the politics of decline and decay; and the promise of rebirth. Studies contemporary political institutions and processes that have undergone massive transformation over the past 50 years. Examines the continuing conflict and terrorism in Northern Ireland and dynamics of change in the Thatcher era and beyond.
POLITICS - East European Government & Politics - V53.9522.001
Introduction to the politics of Eastern and Central European countries. Considers political, social and economic developments in these countries during the post-Versailles period. Subjects include the communist takeover at the end of World War II, uprising during the de-Stalinization era and the collapse of communism at the end of the 1980s. Also deals with contemporary issues, including the process of democratization.
POLITICS - Politics of the Near and Middle East - V53.9540.001
Historical-political background of the Middle East and its contemporary social and political problems, including the impact of the West; religious and liberal reactions; conflict of nationalisms (Arab, Iranian, Turkish, and Zionist); and revolutionary socialism. Specific social, political and economic problems, using a few selected countries for comparison and analysis, including the role of the military, the intelligentsia, the religious classes, the legitimation of power, urban-rural cleavages, bureaucracy and political parties.
POLITICS - Political Theory - V53.9540.001
Introduces students to some outstanding theories of politics. The theories treated offer alternative conceptions of political life, and they are examined from both theoretical and historical perspectives. Among the theorists included are Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, Mill and Marx.
POLITICS - Law & Society - V53.9335.001
Critically examines the relationship between law and political and social movements such as the civil rights movement, the women's movement and the labor and environmental movements. Emphasis on law as a political process and legal remedies for racial and gender discrimination and class action torts. Deals with the politics of rights and the limits and possibilities of law as a process for social change.
PSYCHOLOGY - Introduction to Psychology - V89.0001.001
Fundamental principles of psychology, with emphasis on basic research and applications in psychology?s major theoretical areas of study: thought, memory, learning, perception, personality, social processes, development and the physiological bases of psychology. Direct observation of methods of investigation by laboratory demonstrations and by student participation in current research projects.
PSYCHOLOGY - Social Psychology - V89.9032.001
Introduction to theories and research about the social behavior of individuals, such as perception of others and the self, attraction, affiliation, altruism and helping, aggression, moral thought and action, attitudes, influence, conformity, social exchange and bargaining, group decision making, leadership and power and environmental psychology.
Note: There are no pre-requisites for this course.
PSYCHOLOGY - Developmental Psychology - V89.9034.001
Introduction and overview of theoretical issues and selected research in developmental psychology. Focus on infancy through adolescence. Lectures interweave theory, methods and findings about how we develop as perceiving, thinking and feeling beings.
Note: There are no pre-requisites for this course.
PSYCHOLOGY - Abnormal Psychology - V89.9035.001
The kinds, dynamics, causes and treatment of psychopathology. Topics include early concepts of abnormal behavior; affective disorders, anxiety disorders, psychosis and personality disorders; the nature and effectiveness of traditional and modern methods of psychotherapy; and viewpoints of major psychologists past and present.
BUSINESS - Foundations of Financial Markets - C15.9002.001
A rigorous course developing the basic concepts and tools of modern finance. Basic concepts of return and risk are explored in detail with a view to understanding how financial markets work and how different kinds of financial instruments are valued. These instruments, including equities, fixed income securities, options and other derivative securities become vehicles for exploring various financial markets and the utilization of these markets by managers in different kinds of financial institutions to enhance return and manage risk. The course includes a segment on the use and application of computer-based quantitative technology for financial modeling purposes.
BUSINESS - Management & Organizational Analysis - C50.9001.001
Investigates the nature, functions and responsibilities of the management of organizations. Develops an analytical approach to the identification, structuring, analysis and solution of organizational problems. Introduces the students to organizational policies and structures, functional areas and production processes (including resource allocation, measurement and evaluation, and control), leadership style and organizational adaptation and evolution. Teaching methodologies include lectures, case analysis and class discussion.
BUSINESS - Introduction to Marketing - C55.9001.001
Evaluates, from the management point of view, marketing as a system for the satisfaction of human wants and as a catalyst of business activity. Deals with the subject at all levels from producer to consumer and emphasizes the planning required for the efficient use of marketing tools in the development and expansion of markets. Concentrates on the principles, functions, and tools of marketing, including quantitative methods. Utilizes cases and projects to develop a problem-solving ability in dealing with specific areas.
BUSINESS - Competitive Advantage from Operations - C60.9001.001
Designed to give students a better understanding of how firms can gain competitive advantage from their operations function. Typically, this requires the firm to achieve, at a minimum, cost, quality and ecological parity; responsiveness and adaptability to customer needs and desires; rapid time to market; process technology leadership; and sufficient and responsive capacity. A problem-solving framework is developed that enables students to undertake managerial and technical analysis that should result in the desired competitive advantage. Both service and manufacturing case examples are utilized.
BUSINESS - Organizational Communication - C65.9006.001
In this course, students learn how to increase their communication effectiveness for business and professional goals. During the semester, students focus on the strategic implications of communication for modern organizations. A variety of assignments are given to stress the following communication competencies: written, spoken and nonverbal communication basics for business; effective team communication strategies; informative, persuasive and collaborative presentations; communication techniques for required junior and senior year projects. Students regularly receive personal feedback about their writing and their oral presentations from instructors and staff.
COMMUNICATION STUDIES & PHOTOGRAPHY - Media, Culture & Globalization - E59.1400.099
A review of theories and evidence of cultural and political transformations in culture underway in the era of media proliferation, multinational conglomerates and cyberspace. The role of international flows and national differences.
CINEMA STUDIES & DRAMA - Shakespeare: Text & Performance - H31.9070.001
Explores the works of Shakespeare as text and performance. A variety of critical methodologies, including biographical and cultural analysis, are used to reveal the continuing vitality of these plays and their relevance to the theater of our time.
Note: students must also register for British Cinema.
CINEMA STUDIES & DRAMA - British Cinema - H36.0012.001
A survey of British cinema, including directors from Alfred Hitchcock to Michael Leigh. Range of genres discussed. Screenings, readings, and written reports required.
Note: students must also register for Shakespeare: Text & Performance.