WWTBAM Bored

Beloved Son is thinking of taking fall semester of his junior year in England.

"I think it would be cool to take English Literature in England," he says. "I wonder what they call English Literature in England."

"'Here' Literature?" he muses.

Probably just "Literature". None from other nations or cultures need apply.

gsabc wrote:Probably just "Literature". None from other nations or cultures need apply.

Reminds me of what Tolkein said: "Up to [A.D.]1100, it's literature. After that, it's just books."

Why wouldn't they call it English Literature?

We have classes in American History, don't we?

MarleysGh0st wrote:Why wouldn't they call it English Literature?

We have classes in American History, don't we?

If some contestants from this season are any indication, I don't think so.

nitrah55 wrote:Beloved Son is thinking of taking fall semester of his junior year in England.

"I think it would be cool to take English Literature in England," he says. "I wonder what they call English Literature in England."

"'Here' Literature?" he muses.

Cool, perhaps. Expensive, definitely. Make sure he's aware of the extra costs involved with overseas study. Like airfare. Living quarters. The pitiful ratio between the dollar and the pound, not to mention the Euro for any jaunts to the Continent.

Better yet, make him figure out the extra cost after telling him that he's solely responsible for it. The coolness rate may drop considerably.

gsabc wrote:

nitrah55 wrote:Beloved Son is thinking of taking fall semester of his junior year in England.

"I think it would be cool to take English Literature in England," he says. "I wonder what they call English Literature in England."

"'Here' Literature?" he muses.

Cool, perhaps. Expensive, definitely. Make sure he's aware of the extra costs involved with overseas study. Like airfare. Living quarters. The pitiful ratio between the dollar and the pound, not to mention the Euro for any jaunts to the Continent.

Better yet, make him figure out the extra cost after telling him that he's solely responsible for it. The coolness rate may drop considerably.

Excuse me? This from a father who is putting up mega $$ for a one-day event for his daughter?? How did the conversation go when you informed BD that she was "solely responsible" for her wedding??

Nitrah -- I can't think of a better use of time and money. Living on one's own in a foreign country (and I don't care that they speak the same language -- it's still a different cultural environment)! Studying English Literature smack in the middle of England! Encouraging and supporting your child's pursuit of knowledge!

What a wonderful opportunity for a young person, and I hope everything lines up to enable BS to take advantage.

hermillion wrote:

gsabc wrote:

nitrah55 wrote:Beloved Son is thinking of taking fall semester of his junior year in England.

"I think it would be cool to take English Literature in England," he says. "I wonder what they call English Literature in England."

"'Here' Literature?" he muses.

Cool, perhaps. Expensive, definitely. Make sure he's aware of the extra costs involved with overseas study. Like airfare. Living quarters. The pitiful ratio between the dollar and the pound, not to mention the Euro for any jaunts to the Continent.

Better yet, make him figure out the extra cost after telling him that he's solely responsible for it. The coolness rate may drop considerably.

Excuse me? This from a father who is putting up mega $$ for a one-day event for his daughter?? How did the conversation go when you informed BD that she was "solely responsible" for her wedding??

Nitrah -- I can't think of a better use of time and money. Living on one's own in a foreign country (and I don't care that they speak the same language -- it's still a different cultural environment)! Studying English Literature smack in the middle of England! Encouraging and supporting your child's pursuit of knowledge!

What a wonderful opportunity for a young person, and I hope everything lines up to enable BS to take advantage.

Not solely responsible for ALL the costs, just those above the normal tuition, room and board and whatever other expenses he'd have if he stayed at home. Even if nitrah does pay for all of it, it'll make BS (you couldn't find a nickname with a better acronym?) think more seriously about the trip, beyond the "cool" factor.

Just because it's overseas doesn't mean the education is any better than at home. Yes, there's the benefit of being amidst another culture, but that assumes he'll go out and take advantage of it. Some of those semesters abroad are just ways for the schools to get more of your money. Check carefully into what classes he'll take and how they work into his major, minor or required electives. Have him speak with his advisor about the available classes about that. He might be able to arrange it so that a class that doesn't quite fit it can still be used as part of his required courses. That's what we did before sending BD over to Italy for a summer session. She learned, she had fun, and the courses all served as part of her requirements.

Weel, assuming it is a reputable (sp?) school/program, it seems like an opportunity that will not happen often in a lifetime.

But the $ always has to be considered.

It sounds like a great opportunity though.

"......weak and weary....."