Verto Semester
in London, England

The purpose of Rhetoric and Research is to prepare you as a writer for college assignments and for the writing demands in your personal, professional, and civic lives. Students will critically read and write in a variety of rhetorical situations and contexts and incorporate college-level research. Specifically, we’ll learn how writing is:

(i) a communicative act that always occurs within a particular context and with a particular purpose;

(ii) a process (rather than a one-time act) in which reading, feedback and revision helps us realize the full potential of our written works; and

(iii) a communal act, for we always write to engage with an audience.

Students read and discuss a variety of works from different literary genres, focusing on nonfiction and expository texts, reading 30-60 or more pages per week. The course also emphasizes research skills, including evaluating and documenting sources, using MLA style, practicing academic integrity, and job document preparation for employment. Students write several essays in expository and argumentative prose, including at least one research paper, in response to class reading and outside research, for a total of between 6,000-8,000 words.

 This survey course covers selected works in British literature from the Romantic Period to the present. Emphasis is placed on historical background, cultural context, and literary analysis of selected prose, poetry, and drama. Upon completion, students should be able to interpret, analyze, and respond to literary works in their historical and cultural contexts.

This course is designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of international relations and the competing approaches in understanding and addressing contemporary issues and crises. The course identifies the various state and non-state actors in global politics and describes and explains their behavior as well as the structure of the international system in which they operate. Included is an examination of not only the traditional subjects of international relations, such as power, nationalism, diplomacy, and war, but also those transnational factors that have come to play a critical role in an increasingly interdependent world, such as immigration, trade and economic/financial activities, the environment, human rights, and terrorism.

Students will be introduced to the world of business through discussions of marketing, accounting, production and operations management, E-Business, information technology, management, entrepreneurship, finance, human resources, business ethics, the law, risk management and insurance and the global marketplace. Various types of business entities will be examined and analyzed in the context of today’s dynamic business environment.

This course offers students an overview of the interrelationships between human societies and the environment, known as the cultural landscape. It examines population distribution and growth, migrations, environmental modifications, and the spatial distribution of phenomena such as language, religion, economic systems, and urbanization.

This is a basic course introducing psychology as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes through the exploration of major theories and concepts, methods, and research findings. We will examine traditional areas of psychological investigation from a scientific perspective, including scientific methodology, human development, personality, psychological measurement, psychopathology, psychotherapy, motivation, perception, social influences on behavior, cognitive processes, learning, and biological basis of behavior.

This introductory course provides a comprehensive overview of the economy as a whole by examining both long-run and short-run macroeconomic issues. Topics include scarcity, market systems, domestic output and national income, economic cycles, unemployment, inflation, and macroeconomic equilibrium. It also includes an examination of international trade, government stabilization policy, money and banking, and financial institutions. Students are exposed to both macroeconomic theory and contemporary macroeconomic issues. Special emphasis is placed on developing economic tools and applying those tools to understanding contemporary issues.

A survey course designed to foster appreciation for the theatre by students not majoring in drama, and to solidify a foundation for drama majors. Topics include the purpose of theatre, significant milestones in theatre history, basic elements and principles of production, dramatic literature, criticism, and trends in contemporary theatre.

This introductory course focuses on the origins and development of civilization in the western world from the 17th century to the present. Topics include European encounters with the new world, the scientific revolution, the age of enlightenment, the development of the state, the French and Industrial Revolutions, their impact on society, the rise of nationalism, the emergence of modern society, imperialism, World War I and II, the Cold War and contemporary Europe.

Topics include analytic geometry, limits and continuity of functions, derivatives and applications, anti-derivatives, applications of integration, transcendental functions, techniques of integration, elementary differential equations, improper integrals, sequences and series, power series, Taylor series, parametric equations, and polar coordinates.

Students will live in shared apartments, or flats with other Verto students. Student housing is approximately a 30-40 minute commute by public transit to the study center. This is a typical commute for Londoners. Apartments/Flats include:

• 4-5 students per apartment
• 2-3 students per bedroom
• Single beds
• 1 wardrobe per student
• Shared common areas within the flat: kitchen/dining and living room
• Shared bathrooms
• Fully furnished living space and fully equipped kitchen
• Wireless internet access
• All utilities included
• Washing machine and drying rack (dryers are not common!)
• Bed linens (bath towels not included)
  • Linens

There is no meal plan in London. Students may cook in their apartments or enjoy the diverse culinary scene in London. 

During orientation, staff will ensure that students know how to operate all cooking equipment in the apartment and will offer programs to teach students how to cook simple, nutritious meals.

Students are responsible for airfare to/from London and any internal airfare.

Students have the option for independent travel within the country pending permission from the Verto team.

An Oyster card is included in the semester fee, which gives students access to city buses and Zones 1 & 2 of the London Underground (affectionately known as “The Tube”). Staff will help students obtain their Oyster Card and learn how to navigate the Tube system during orientation. 

As students will be living in the heart of London, getting around by foot and on public transit will become a part of their everyday experience—as it is with all Londoners!

Excursions

Students are given all the support they need to explore London on their own and will have the opportunity to opt-in to Verto’s cultural activities and day trips.

Verto sponsored programming may include

• Day trip to Stonehenge/Bath
• Day Trip to Oxford
• Museum/study tours: British Museum, British Library, Victoria & Albert Museum
• Theater trip to West End show
• Tour of Parliament
• Double Decker Bus City Tour
• British Football or Rugby match

Recommend between £500-800 GBP/month.

Food, travel, & other personal expenses. This could be more or less depending on personal habits and independent travel plans.

Included With the Cost of Your Semester

• All accommodation while overseas
• All scheduled events
• Oyster card for transportation within the city
• Books and other course materials
• Travel Medical insurance

Not Included With the Cost of Your Semester

• Internal Airfare
• Meals and snacks
• Fruit shakes, soft drinks, additional drinks at mealtimes
• Souvenirs and gifts
• Optional activities and associated equipment
• Food, travel, and accommodation when traveling to, from, or between programs
• Airline change fees or new tickets for flights to and from programs

Students must be 18 years old to participate in the Verto England Semester. Students must  be 18 by Aug 20 for a fall program, or by January 3 for a spring program.

US passport holders do not need a visa to participate in the London semester.

All passports should be valid for at least 6 months beyond the end of the program. If this is not the case, students should renew their passport as soon as possible.

Non-US passport holders should check with the local consulate and will need to obtain the proper visa to participate in the semester.*

*Verto Education is not responsible for any students’ inability to obtain the correct visa for any given semester, and cancellation fees will apply if a student is denied the proper visa. Verto Education cannot overturn any decision made by any Consular or Embassy official.

The health and safety of our students is always our top priority. We’ve developed stages of planning to address the specific concern of Covid-19.

Review Verto’s Covid-19 Safety Plan

We remain committed to the highest quality programming and success of our students. Please see Verto’s Programming Scenario Plan and Enrollment Guarantee for more details.