UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A faculty-led program this summer gave Penn State students the opportunity to travel to London for a month and study British works, including those focused specifically on crime and justice.

The “Literary London” program included students from two courses — ENGL 499A: Crime and Justice in the City of London, taught by Phillip Zapkin, assistant teaching professor of English; and ENGL 499B: Writing the Power of Enchantment, led by Katy Oliver, a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of English.

“Our goal was to read and study crime literature and drama centered in London itself and connect those readings to the actual physical spaces of the city,” Zapkin said. “I also wanted to help students better understand the links between narrative and setting — how a place like London shapes the stories that are told in and about it.”

Students spent the duration of the program visiting settings in London that they had read about in their classes. According to Kahlie Wray, a second-year student majoring in English and digital and print journalism, that included attending two live theatrical productions.

“We saw 'The Mousetrap' and 'Richard III,'” Wray said. “We saw 'Richard III' at Shakespeare’s Globe, which is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre for which Shakespeare wrote his plays.”

The group also visited several museums and did several tours as part of their experience, noted Emily Egna, a second-year student majoring in English and digital and print journalism.

“We took a bus tour, visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum and the Tower of London, went on a Jack the Ripper tour, took a day trip to Bath to see the Roman baths and did the London Bridge Experience — a haunted underground scary maze,” Egna said.

Students also had some free time that provided them a chance to explore other London locations and experience quintessential pieces of British culture.

“I visited so many markets, including Borough, Camden, Portobello and Brixton,” Wray said. “I rode the Uber Boat along the Thames with friends and saw 'Wicked' at the Apollo Theater with family. I also saw all the famous sites like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, London Bridge, Houses of Parliament and the British Museum.”

Students and faculty recounted numerous experiences and memories that were special, including one that stood out in particular.

“Probably my favorite memory will be our class reading aloud Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ because that was something the students chose to do and organized themselves,” Zapkin said. “Them taking the initiative to do something literary showed that they were genuinely engaged in the course and in London itself.”

“We convinced our professors and tour guide to join too and had a lot of fun,” Egna said. “It was especially funny when people unknowingly biked through the middle of a scene since we were performing on the sidewalk.”

Zapkin hoped the month of exploration and activities gave students “a more concrete understanding of the literary works we studied,” and that it provides a model for them “to think through connections between literature and setting in their future readings.”

Egna said that was indeed one of her takeaways, adding that studying in London allowed her to contextualize the literature she has read and gain a deeper understanding of it.

“Even something as simple as reading a book in a different location can change your whole perception of it,” she said. “It was incredible to be able to see 'Richard III' in the Globe — the theater it was designed to be performed in — read the play, discuss it in class and then visit the Tower of London where several scenes took place. It added a whole new context to the text and made it even more interesting to analyze.”

For many students, being able to participate in this faculty-led program — one of 12 offered by the College of the Liberal Arts this summer — was possible thanks to enrichment funding provided through the college’s Career Enrichment Network.

“The College of the Liberal Arts was a huge financial help,” Wray said. “I don't think this would have been at all possible without the funding I received. I am extremely thankful to them for making all my little girl dreams come true.”

Students interested in the summer 2025 Literary London faculty-led program should email Zapkin at pzz17@psu.edu.

Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network

The Career Enrichment Network empowers Liberal Arts students to explore, engage and define their career journey through diverse career development opportunities. Students can meet with a career coach to explore careers, internships, education abroad, research, the Liberal Arts Alumni Mentor Program and more. Through donor support, the Career Enrichment Network provides Liberal Arts students the opportunity to apply for funding to help support participation in many of these experiences.