Gopher Gateway: Shakespeare in London

Explore Shakespeare’s world in London and Stratford-upon-Avon through lenses of the early modern period and English literary culture of today. Spend your time exploring significant cultural sites related to Shakespeare and his world. Attend performances of his famous plays while in London and enjoy walking tours of the medieval village of Stratford-upon-Avon he once called home.

To get a feel for the spaces that Shakespeare drew on for inspiration when writing his plays, you will walk through his London neighborhoods, visit his parish church, tour the reconstructed Globe Theatre where most of his plays were performed, and eat a meal in the 12th-century Borough Market nearby. London also offers many examples of Shakespeare’s long-standing influence on other writers and artists, and you will examine many of these works in the National Gallery, and analyze how Shakespeare is commemorated and remembered in modern Britain, in Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey, the Shakespeare Monument in Leicester Square, and the Globe Theatre Complex.

Near the end of your time abroad, you will travel to Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. As tourists have for over 200 years, you will seek out inspiration by visiting Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford, and the home of his wife Anne Hathaway in the nearby village of Shottery. While in Stratford, you will also tour the Royal Shakespeare Company theaters and analyze how Shakespeare is presented to a twenty-first century audience.

You will learn how Shakespeare's works have been adapted into modern works by famous writers and artists. Overall, the course will introduce you to Shakespeare in his early modern context, but also to the global phenomenon that Shakespeare is today, adapted and appropriated around the world.

This program is for incoming UMTC first-year students that will have their first semester on-campus Fall 2026.

The Learning Abroad Center provides you with housing for this program. All program housing is vetted by the LAC and on-site partners.

You will stay in hotels in London and Stratford-Upon-Avon. Hotel rooms in London and Stratford will be shared with one other student participating in the program. 

Some group meals are included in the program cost. Group meals will include a welcome meal, a farewell dinner, one group lunch during the program, and daily breakfast at the hotels. You are responsible for all other meals. Suggestions for meals and dining options will be provided by on-site staff and program leaders.

London

Program activities and visits may include:

• Globe Theatre—experience Shakespeare performanced in the reconstructed Globe theatre.
• Globe Workshop—participate in a session introducing staging practices and performance techniques used at the Globe.
• National Theatre Tour—get a behind-the-scenes look at the UK's flagship publicly funded theatre.
• West End performance—Evening tickets to a professional London theater production.
• Visit to the British Museum—connect Shakespeare's world to global history through artifact s from the early modern period.
• Visit to the National Gallery—curated tour to view artworks that illuminate
  Shakespeare's time and legacy.
• Visit to Tate Britain Museum—explore British art and its evolving interpretations of Shakespearean themes.
• Guided tour of Westminster Abbey—including Poet's Corner, to honor the literary greats buried and memorialized there, including Shakespeare
• Tour of St. Paul's Cathedral—examine the cultural significance of this iconic London landmark in Shakespeare's era and beyond
• Borough Market/Southbank & Shakespeare Walk—guided walking tour using the Southbank corridor to trace how the former entertainment district of Shakespeare's London was redeveloped into a designed cultural and commercial zone, illustrating how cities repurpose past infrastructures to drive contemporary innovation in tourism, food economies, and cultural branding.
• Ride the London Eye—An opportunity for a panoramic observation of the city and river corridor.
• Ghosts of London Tour—Nighttime tour featuring stories of London's haunted history.

Stratford-upon-Avon

A 3-day excursion to Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon may include:

• Tour of Shakespeare’s birthplace—explore the home where he was born and learn about his early life
• Visit to Holy Trinity Church—see Shakespeare's burial site
• Tour of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage—visit the home of Shakespeare's wife and gain insight into Elizabethan domestic life
• Tour and performance at Royal Shakespeare Company theaters—understand the production process and history of this world-renowned company and enjoy a performance of one of Shakespeare's works
• Guest lecture from a local expert—gain insight into Shakespeare's works and their continued relevance in the modern world

To start the process or if you have questions, visit the Disability Resource Center's Get Connected page and follow registration options and choose a path. The Gold option involves meeting with an access consultant and is recommended if you plan to study abroad.

The Learning Abroad Center works with Village Travel, a local travel agency, to arrange a coordinated flight for program participants. You and your classmates will all travel together with the program leader. Group flight information is typically available by the program application deadline, if not before. Flight details will be shared with you after you confirm your place in the program.

Contact your Learning Abroad Center program contact, Anna DeWitt at [email protected] for more information.

• Socialize as global professionals who understand that human interaction and culture are relevant to achieving professional goals
• Discover and connect with the University of Minnesota campus and community
• Think critically, analyze topics, and appreciate diverse perspectives through pre-departure coursework, studying abroad, and guided reflection
• Function as an effective team member by utilizing personal strengths in a group setting
• Develop an understanding of the importance of future international and intercultural learning
• Understand the role of creativity, innovation, discovery, and expression across disciplines
• Acquire skills for effective citizenship and lifelong learning

This program is led by Dr. Katherine Scheil, a professor in the department of English in the College of Liberal Arts. Dr. Scheil has led versions of this program to London and Stratford multiple times.

Fall 2026

Application Open Date: November 1, 2025
Application Deadline: May 1, 2026

Confirmation Deadline: May 14, 2026

On-campus Fall Semester 2026 course meets: Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:00–5:15 p.m., September 8–October 22, 2026. Exact building and room TBD.

The Learning Abroad Center facilitates pre-departure orientation sessions in collaboration with your program leader. It is your responsibility to know the information shared at these orientations.

Orientation consists of several sessions, all of which are created to support your preparation to go abroad:

• Online Health & Safety Orientation: This asynchronous module can be accessed in your LAC checklist and is mandatory.
• Online LAC Seminar Orientation Module: This asynchronous module can be accessed in your LAC checklist and is mandatory. The discussion post is due before your in-person LAC Program Orientation meeting.
• Online LAC Seminar Pre-departure Orientations: These will be scheduled over the summer and will be a way for you to connect with others in your cohort, LAC staff, and your program leader. These meetings will cover academic requirements and preparation, finances and budgeting, final travel and program logistics, cultural knowledge, and more. Watch your email for details.
• LAC Program Orientation: Final program details and important UofM information will be covered during this meeting, held the day before departure. You will also meet your cohort and program leader in person. Parents/family members are welcome to join an optional in-person session designated for parents.

The cost of participation includes group airfare, housing, daily breakfast, some additional meals, course-related excursions, site visits, and tours, airport transfers, in-country transportation for all course related activities, international medical, security, and evacuation insurance, program administration, and one night on UMTC campus during pre-departure orientation. You must also budget for passport and passport photos, a few meals, spending money, and miscellaneous living expenses.

CFANS Gopher Gateway Scholarship

An automatic one-time scholarship of $1,000 will be awarded for the first 20 CFANS students to confirm on any one of the Gopher Gateway 2026 programs. Specific questions about processing of the funds should be directed to Holly Klinger at [email protected].

Additional fee reductions and or scholarships might be possible.

Visit Financial Information for more information on scholarships and financing learning abroad opportunities. 

Eligibility

This program is for incoming UMTC first-year students that will have their first semester on-campus Fall 2026. You must be 18 years old by the in-person orientation date (August 22, 2026) in order to participate.

After you submit your application, you will receive an email notification confirming that your application was received.

1. After your application checklist is complete, your application is reviewed by our program team. You will be notified of an acceptance decision by email.
2. You will be admitted to the program once you have a complete program application and have confirmed your enrollment with the University (UMTC).
3. Once admitted to the program, you can confirm by submitting the Confirmation & Payment Agreement form. Once confirmed, you will have additional required forms to complete before participating in the program.
4. If you decide not to continue with the application process, log into the online application system and submit a Cancel Request.