These are some Japanese Stab Binding books that I got to make in my Book Arts Class
While I am studying at Oxford, I am taking two classes. The first is a fantasy creative writing course with Dr. Kidd. Within the class, we read short stories, discuss elements of Lewis and Tolkien, and work on our own short stories which we peer reviewed. The second is a book arts class with Dr. Pirkle. In her class, we discuss the history of the book and learn a wide variety of Eastern and Western binding techniques. Both of these classes are time intensive and have high expectations in terms of the quality of work produced. So the question becomes, how do we get to explore the UK while maintaining our grades.
Firstly, our classes operate on a four day work week. We have classes from Monday to Thursday, so that the students may travel and stay overnight a few days around the UK. Additionally, classes are only during the morning, so students can explore Oxford during the afternoons and evenings. Personally, I have class from 10:30 am to 1:15 pm although some people have classes that start at 9:00 am and they wrap earlier. It truly depends on which classes you choose to take.
This class structure lends itself to allowing the students to explore Oxford and the UK without being too stressed about the workload. Over the course of a month, I’ve only had to dedicate two full days to working on my schoolwork. Additionally, working on schoolwork is a lot more fun at Oxford because students have access to the Bodleian Library system which is 23 different libraries scattered throughout the city, many of which are gorgeous. Personally, I would recommend the Duke Humphries (which is where they filmed the library scenes in Harry Potter) and the Radcliffe Camera, they are both stunning. The professors are also understanding of the situation because they want to explore the UK as well, so they are usually willing to work with the students to give them time to see the sites. During the month I have been able to go to London, the Cotswold’s, Bath, and Edinburgh.
In summation, make sure to take the courses seriously as this is a study abroad program, but don’t be too worried about not being able to explore all that the UK has to offer. It is going to be an amazing time!