Arrivals and Acclimating

Welcome to the chronicles of the experiences of the inaugural faculty-led study abroad course in Psychology, Culture and Psychology in London, England! I'm Marsha McCartney, Faculty Director of this program, and am a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at the University of Kansas.  Over the next 15 days, I'll be leading 8 KU students through activities, events, discussions, and reflections about how culture shapes our perceptions of psychology. Goals for the course are to be able to observe, understand, and connect with the variety of different micro-cultures within London, and to shape an appreciation for this diversity. We also want to have some fun exploring all that London has to offer!

We have an assortment of different types of adventures planned over the next two weeks. A few highlights: We'll be visiting the Black Cultural Archives and Europe's first traditional Hindu stone temple. We'll also be touring the Bethlem Museum of the Mind, which has displays about the Bedlam Asylum history, and the Freud Museum. For fun, we'll see the Tower of London, and go on a Jack the Ripper night tour. We also have some classroom time and group meals to reflect on and discuss our experiences, and how they relate to theories from cultural psychology.

Our first day was spent getting everyone transferred from the airport to our hotel, and then getting a feel for the city on a Big Bus Tour. We had dinner at The Lamb, a traditional English pub. Early to bed tonight, to sleep off yesterday's travels and be bright-eyed for tomorrow's adventures!

Course participants: Rayven Smart, Alyssa Karasek, Sophie Strombom, Madeline Hazlewood, Lorelai Buford, Quinn Smith, Jesse Quickel, Lauren Helsel, and Professor Marsha McCartney

A few highlights from our Big Bus Tour:

Big Ben

London Eye

Riding on the top of a double decker bus!