Students and Classes
The student population of Temple London is small in number. Our typical student is a junior or senior from a college in the United States with an academic background in communications and/or theater. Students majoring in the College of Liberal Arts will have no trouble taking the media and communications courses we offer in London.
Faculty
A full-time Temple University faculty member serves as resident director each semester. This individual comes from one of the departments in the School of Media and Communication. Additional British part-time faculty, often prominent professionals in their field, are used regularly. They are complemented by a generous sampling of guest lecturers.
Summer 2013
Course Offerings
MSP 4572: British Mass Media;
or
JOURN 3751: Foreign Study in Journalism (3. s.h.)
A survey of British television, press, film, magazines and radio. Topics include underground press, private radio, avant-garde film, and public and private television. The philosophy and guiding rationale of current British media policy and practice will be investigated through lectures, guest presenters, observation, and literature.
The British Music Industry: MSP 4390; Theater 3080; JOURN 3870 (3 s.h.); or FMA 2670 (4 s.h.)
Music is a vital piece of every society’s popular culture, and so much of what we do here in SMC either directly involves, incorporates, focuses on, or dovetails with music. The center of British media, London is one of the most important Global centers for the creation, performance and production of music across all genres; from pop, rock, hip-hop and electronica, through musical theater, jazz, and classical music. The “British Invasion” of the 1960s marked the beginning of the truly global music and media industries we know today; and since that time, London has not only brought countless notable British musical acts to the world, but has seen a steady stream of artists visit from other countries, including the US, to work in her facilities with her producers, engineers, marketers, publicists, journalists, and broadcasters. Notably, when we look to the Anglo-American relationship in particular, we see the foundation of a significant portion of the world’s music culture. So, in the Summer 2013 London program, “The British Music Industry”, participating students will have the opportunity to engage in first-hand, comparative study of the two markets and cultures; gaining invaluable experience for those seeking future careers in music, marketing, advertising, broadcasting, and other media.
The class will visit important music sites in and around London, and interact with industry professionals from record labels, nightclubs, the music press, radio and other related media while evaluating aesthetic trends and business practices in the UK within comparative and historical contexts. We will also examine British approaches to the use of music in commercial media; and to music creation, culture, history, broadcasting, journalism, and marketing, including the evolving roles of Internet and mobile media. Themselves becoming part of the long-standing trans-Atlantic cultural exchange between the US and UK, students will experience London’s unique musical stylistic cross-pollination and experimentation, mainstreaming of underground styles, thriving radio and club scenes; and will consider the applicability of British approaches to their own fields in the US.
The Summer 2013 Program Director
Jack Klotz, Jr. is the Director of MSP’s Recording Industry concentration, as well as a record producer, engineer, musician, and consultant… but he describes himself as being, first and foremost, a lover great music! During his career, he’s performed on, engineered, assisted, and/or produced a broad range of projects including a Regional Emmy® Award-winning experimental video and albums for several Grammy® nominees and legends of jazz, pop, and R&B. Professor Klotz got his start as an assistant engineer first at Gamble & Huff’s Philadelphia International Records and then at legendary Sigma Sound – between the two, he worked on projects for Grover Washington, Jr., Patti LaBelle, The O’Jays, New Kids On The Block, Phyllis Hyman, CBS-TV, PBS-TV and many others. He is currently a partner in Invinceable Entertainment, with whom he’s produced music and sound design for WXPN radio’s Peabody Award-winning “Kid’s Corner”, the Barrymore Award-winning Amaryllis Theater Company, Opera Columbus, Opera North, and composer Leslie Burrs. Professor Klotz has served on the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences [the Grammy® organization], and as a technical consultant for the text, Recording In The Digital World (Hal Leonard / Berklee Press). He has also spoken on music business and technology issues (including adaptive technology for blind musicians) to organizations in Dublin, Paris, London, New York, and elsewhere in the U.S. He is very excited to be returning to one of his favorite cities on earth to direct the Summer 2013 London program.
Fall 2013
Course Offerings
Special Topics (required course for all students): Me 2.0: YOU are a Brand: MSP 4390 (3 s.h.); Theater 2210 (3 s.h.); or JOURN 3860 (4 s.h.)
STRC 3220: Special Topics in Public Communications – British Life & Cultures (3 s.h.)
or
COMM 3081: Special Projects – British Life & Cultures (1-4 s.h.)
This course aims to enable students to develop an understanding of British society as an integrated whole which is more than the sum of its parts. This in turn should encourage critical discussion and reflection about the differences between US, British and European cultures, and the collective relationship that individuals have with their own societies. As part of this course there will be a
minimum of four field trips to introduce students to locations, organizations & socio-political issues that are of importance to contemporary Londoners. Topics include ethnic diversity and multiculturalism; media; class and power; the arts; and international relations.
FMA 3770: Topics in Film Study – British Cinema (4 s.h.)
A survey of British cinema from its beginnings to 1980, the course will look at the work of directors such as Cecil Hepwork, Alfred Hitchcock, Humphrey Jennings, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, David Lean, Robert Hanmer and Lindsay Anderson. It will assess the contribution of particular studios – for example, Ealing, Denham and Lime Grove examine
specific groups of film makers such as those around Grierson and Free Cinema, and take account of significant external influences on the development of cinema.
MSP 4572: British Mass Media
or
Journalism 3751: Foreign Study in Journalism (3. s.h.)
A survey of British television, press, film, magazines and radio. Topics include underground press, private radio, avant-garde film, and public and private television. The philosophy and guiding rationale of current British media policy and practice will be investigated through lectures, guest presenters, observation, and literature.
Advertising 3101: Creative Thinking for Advertising (3 s.h.)
Prerequisites waived for the London course only.
This course uses team oriented sessions to develop the creative skills necessary for solving advertising problems. A cross discipline approach is utilized and “creatives” from various advertising and non-advertising disciplines participate as guest facilitators and speakers.
Internship: ADV 3185 (3 s.h); MSP 4785 (4 s.h.); FMA 3085 (4 s.h); JOURN 3885 (3 s.h.); JOURN 3882 – Special Projects in Journalism (1-3 s.h.); STRC 3385 – Internship in Rhetoric and Public Advocacy (3 s.h.); STRC 3585 – Internship in Public Relations (3 s.h.); STRC 3685 – Internship in Organizational Leadership (3 s.h.); Theater 2085 (3 s.h.); or Theater 3082 – General Study (1-3 s.h.)
Students selected on the basis of qualifications and interests work as interns with relevant professional British or American organizations; work is on an unpaid basis for two days a week. All students who wish to register for this course must complete a separate internship application. The application form is available from the SMC Assistant Director of Study Away Programs.
STRC 3323: Political Communication (3 s.h.)
Theory and research communication in political contexts, including framing of election campaigns, roles of the news media in reporting and editorializing, war propaganda, and symbolic action in conflicts between social movements and agents of social control.
Travel Writing: MSP 3296 or JOURN 3296 (WI 3. s.h.)
As Tim Cahill, the legendary travel writer and former editor of Outside Magazine, once wrote, “It isn’t the traveling, it’s the writing.” Cahill, Andrew Bain, Rory MacLean, Sara Wheeler, Rolf Potts, Bill Bryson–these are writers with wildly different styles, and many of them travel to completely mundane locations, but they all manage to learn something about themselves, and why they travel, in the process of writing. In other words, it’s not where they go, it’s how they experience the place, and how they write about that experience. This is a course about Travel itself. What does it mean to travel? Why do we travel, and how do we decide where to go? We will examine the romantic sense of wanderlust that nearly all people experience at least once in their lives. The course will also examine the ideas of International Communication and Intercultural Competence. How do we travel with cultural sensitivity? We will look at the reputation of the American traveler, and the stereotypes of “ugly Americanism.” Through our exploration of these concepts, we will discover what travel reveals about us and about our culture, and about the cultures we are visiting. And we will become travelers who can move beyond the superficial “tourist” experience of a place.
Theater 1002: The Collaborative Art (3 s.h.)
This course uses current London productions to introduce elements of theatre production including place, space, audience and actors, and directorial interpretation. Topics discussed include the structure of the theatre sector in the UK; historical contexts and movements; political and ethical questions (e.g. the issue of public subsidy for the arts); and core principles of dramatic writing.
The course also discusses important writers and, where appropriate, the wider movements of which they are a part. It also discusses plays visited during the course and some fundamental aspects of dramaturgy. This is complemented by closer scrutiny of four texts seen as representative of British theatre’s journey towards its contemporary condition.
The Fall 2013 Program Director
Sheryl Kantrowitz is a faculty member in the Advertising Department. She has spent almost 10 years in the advertising industry honing her skills working for various agencies and personal clients as an art director. She has worked for small branding consultancies as a visual strategist, large NYC agencies launching new products, and on her own she has worked directly with clients, helping them to redefine their companies from the ground up. Strategically driven and creatively focused, Sheryl believes that innovative thinking is the key to success in advertising. She recognizes the importance of balance between beauty and function, and works to instill this in her students.
In the summer of 2010, she completed a six-week Social Media seminar that reinforced and expanded upon the interactive and social media experience she has had professionally as well as the materials she has gathered throughout her course curricula. She is also an active participant each year in PodCamp Philadelphia, an ‘unconference’ in which people gather to share ideas with others interested in podcasting, blogging and social media.
She is very excited about leading the London Fall 2013 program and excited to teach the group about creating their own personal brand while in London.
Spring 2014
Course Offerings
Special Topics (required course for all students): Intercultural & Global Communication: MSP 4390 (3 s.h.); Theater 2210 (3 s.h.); or JOURN 3860 (4 s.h.)
Today, more than ever, we are required to interact with people from different cultures. These interactions influence from international business, to public relations, to global politics. In an age of physical and virtual mobility, cross-cultural communication has become a pre-requisite to social and professional success. Grounded in the fields of Communication and Cultural Studies, this course focuses on multiethnic societies. It gives students a better understanding of cultural values, beliefs, perceptions, prejudice, and ethnocentrism. As such, this course will also help students to become better communicators in a multicultural environment. Class materials and case studies will focus, primarily, on British popular culture, social networks, cultural/historical sites, and mass culture.
***The remaining Spring 2014 course options are the same as those for the Fall 2013 program (above).
The Spring 2014 Program Director
Guillermo Caliendo received an MA in Communication Studies from California State University, Los Angeles, a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Culture, and a Ph.D. Certificate in Cultural Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. His research interest focuses on cultural discourse about race/ethnicity and gender/sexuality. Besides serving in various intercultural editorial boards in the U.K., he has published numerous journal articles, book reviews and chapter contributions dealing with transcultural and multiethnic groups in Europe. His cultural research and instructional experience can contribute to the Study Away in London by helping students to become better intercultural communicators in British Society. Additionally, his own multicultural background and my ability to speak Spanish and French fluently has prepared him to teach students not only how to perform cross-cultural communication, but most importantly how to adapt successfully to various European ethnicities.
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