London

Loved and respected for its architecture, theatres, museums, galleries and academic institutions, London has something for everyone. Along with earning a full quarter of transferable college credits, students live with British families and immerse themselves in day to day British Life.

Frequent field trips and travel opportunities enable students to experience the culture and history of this great city as well as the beautiful countryside of England. The teaching team tailors courses to the European environment and structures the coursework around several themes common to the locale. "Living with an English family made the trip for me. It was an experience I will cherish my whole life"-Ryan Smith, 2000

Site
Classrooms are located in the University of London Union in Bloomsbury. Bloomsbury is a fashionable residential quarter for merchants and aristocrats in the 18th century. It is very much a university area, with the main buildings of the University of London at its center. Bloomsbury also provides a wealth of interesting shops on its side streets as well as numerous restaurants. The British Museum is close at hand as are many of the colleges of the University of London. Within easy walking distance are Oxford Street, one of London's main shopping areas, and Soho, Covent Garden and the West End, London's evening entertainment sector.

Classrooms

• Classrooms are air-conditioned with whiteboards
• There is access to audio-visual equipment including LCD projectors, overhead projectors, televisions, US/UK
• VCR and DVD players.
• Flexible format ranging from lecture to seminar style
  
  

Student Facilities

• Students will have access to the wireless enabled student computer lab (27 PCs) located in the AIFS Student Centre with free Internet access and printing facilities.
• Students will have access to the AIFS Student Centre and the services of an experienced AIFS Program Coordinator  and AIFS Student Advisors for information, personal advising/counseling
• Fax, mail services and 24-emergency contact service
  

Membership of the University of London UnionStudents are provided membership to the University of London Union which gives them access to student clubs and societies and (at a reasonable additional cost) to sports facilities including a swimming pool, health spa, multi-gym and squash courts

Transportation: Student will be issued the London Transport travel pass, valid for unlimited use on buses and underground trains in travel zones 1, 2 and 3 for the duration of the program.

Courses

Courses typically offered in London include English, Literature, Drama, Speech, Art, and History. For the Fall Quarter 2008 program the following classes are offered:

• British Life and Culture (5 credits) is required of all students and provides an introduction to the culture.
• Communication Studies 101. Satisfies a humanities/fine arts/ English requirement for AA degree. This is a college-level public speaking course in which students will learn public speaking fundamentals including anxiety reduction, delivery skills, topic selection and refinement, research, planning, practice, presentation, and assessment of basic public speeches. Possible field trips might include a trip the Parliament to observe politicians and their public address as a way of comparing it to American political public address or possibly take a field trip to speaker’s corner near No. 10 Downing Street. Students will be able to draw upon traditional research resources (libraries, electronic databases, etc.) as well as resources available at the many cultural and historical sites in the region (archives, museums, local personalities, etc.) (5 credits)
• Communications Studies- Intercultural Communication. This course focuses on the theories and practices of intercultural communication from the premise that there are cultural differences in communication patterns, behaviors, and norms and often misunderstandings between people of different cultures are founded in the fact that we don’t necessarily communicate the same way. Students will look at how different factors such as cultural values/norms, history, identity, language, nonverbal communication, education, social roles, etc. influence our communication and the effect these differences can have on our interactions with others. Living in and taking this class in London will provide a very unique and rich experience for learning the concepts and principles of Intercultural Communication.

Students register for their courses at the home campus.

This is an academic program and students are expected to enroll in a full-time course load. Failure to participate in the academic coursework may result in dismissal from the program.Students are encouraged to make the most of their classroom learning as it will enhance understanding of all the local area has to offer.

 Excursions/Activities On arriving in London Students will attend a 2-day orientation program consisting of orientation meeting with AIFS staff, workshops on cultural differences, safety/security and travel. Students will receive an information packet to including a comprehensive student handbook and local area information. There will be a welcome reception and a half-day sightseeing tour of London by private coach with the services of a professional guide.

The AIFS staff will keep students informed about various cultural and social events in London and help students make individual plans that complement academic interests. AIFS staff also organizes a cultural program of evening theater events and day-long excursions to places of interest outside London. Students pay an additional fee for some activities, but they are considerably subsidized by the program fee. The subsidized cultural program of events include 5 Friday daytrips (to Oxford, Stonehenge and Salisbury, Bath, Brighton and Stratford Upon Avon) 4 theatre events, a football or rugby match and a walking tour.

Independent Travel
Use free weekends to travel in England and to Europe's great cities including Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and Edinburgh.  AIFS's local staff will assist you in choosing your destination and transportation.

Housing
Students will live with local families in their homes. All families are carefully screened and selected by AIFS personnel overseas. The AIFS Local Organizer will use the information that students provide on their AIFS accommodation form to place students with local families.

Students will have accommodation in a twin room in a homestay within a residential neighborhood of London. Continental breakfast (cereals, toast, juice, tea/coffee0 will be provided in the homestay five days a week (Monday through Friday) and dinner four days per week (Monday through Thursday). Students will have access to the kitchen for the preparation of any other meals.

By living with a host family, students have a link to the local culture and customs. Students are encouraged to make the most of family life and community activities during their stay in London. Students are expected to respect the norms and customs of their host family.

AIFS will offer a meal money program whereby students can lodge money (in sterling) at the beginning of the quarter and be given it back every two weeks throughout the program. Information will be included in the student information packet and discussed at orientation meetings. This is to help students pace their spending. (Optional) 

Program Dates and Deadlines
Program Dates: September 19 (arrive in London Sept. 20) - November 28, 2008

Payment Deadlines:

• Deposit of $450 due with application before June 30, 2008 through your campus coordinator
• AIFS will then bill the student for the remaining balance of $5,775 plus a $200 refundable damage deposit by June 30, 2008.
• Students applying after the application deadline date of June 30, 2008 can only be accepted on a space-available basis
  
  

Costs

Program Fees: $ 6,225 (based on a minimum of 25 participants) INCLUDED:

• Accommodation in a twin room homestay
• Roundtrip airport transfers to the student homestays on the program arrival and departure days.
• Continental breakfast Monday -Friday and dinners Monday - Thursday in homestay
• Access to homestay kitchen for the preparation of other meals
• Two day on-site orientation with welcome reception
• Half-day sightseeing tour of London by private coach with tour guide.
• London Transport travel pass for unlimited use on buses and underground trains in travel zones 1, 2, and 3.
• A subsidized cultural program of events
• Access to the wireless enabled student computer lab with 27PCs in the AIFS Student Centre with free Internet access and printing facilities
• Access to  the AIFS Student Centre  (where fax and mail services are available) and services of an experienced AIFS Program Coordinator and Student Advisors for information  and assistance for the duration of the program
• 24 hour emergency contact service
• Membership of the University of London Union (allows students access to the Union facilities, subsidized rates to sports facilities and the opportunity to join University of London clubs and societies.
• $50 non-refundable application fee
• Student medical and program fee refund insurance policies
• Pre-departure orientation
   

 Optional Transportation Package

On a space available  basis, students may purchase the optional transportation package consisting of international airfare (Seattle-London-Seattle) and round-trip transfers overseas between the airport and the housing in London for an additional $615 excluding mandatory U.S. government and airline-imposed departure taxes, fees and fuel surcharges (estimated at $291) for which students will be billed separately.

AIFS will reserve spaces at the above prices according to information on the student application form. Once airline tickets have been issued to students they can only be changed directly with the issuing agent- agent and airline-imposed penalties apply.AIFS cannot arrange airline tickets for students applying after June 30, 2008.

NOT INCLUDED:

• Airfare
• College tuition and fees
• Course books or materials (unless specified)
• Passport and visa fees if applicable
• Meals not mentioned above
• Personal expenses 
• Anything not specified as included in the program
• $200 refundable damage deposit
• Optional personal effects coverage and medical insurance upgrade

Orientation
When: TBA
Where: TBA
Time: 10am-3pm
What to bring: Students need to bring (a) a signed copy of the Student Guidelines, (b) 4 passport photos, (c) a copy of your passport, (d) flight itineraries for students not on the group flight, (e) a notepad to take notes, and (f) questions.

Student participants should also invite parents, guardians, or whomever they feel should attend with them. Coffee will be provided in the morning and lunch will be served.

The faculty will be available to discuss their courses and expectation