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Contact Information

Rich Bellon
  bellonr@msu.edu
Robert Pennock
  pennock5@msu.edu
Jim Smith
  jimsmith@msu.edu

 Meet the Profs

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Join our Facebook group, Exploring the Darwinian Revolution in England - 2009 London Study Abroad, for up-to-the-moment news of the program and opportunities to connect with others interested in joining the program.

Quick Links

MSU's Office of Study Abroad

The Complete Works of Charles Darwin

The Darwin Correspondence Project

Darwin 2009: the Festival

What is this program about?

***Applications are still being accepted

Darwin hugs a monkey Charles Darwin famously remarked in the Origin of Species (1859) that "when the views entertained in this volume on the origin of species, or when analogous views are generally admitted, we can dimly foresee that there will be a considerable revolution in natural history." Today we can clearly see how revolutionary Darwin's masterpiece proved to be, and not just in natural history. There has been no field of human thought untouched by the "one long argument" Darwin advanced a century and a half ago.

Taking advantage of the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Origin, this program investigates Darwin's revolution, paying particular attention to his life and work as a gentleman of science in imperial, industrial, reforming Victorian Britain.

For more information, see:

   Introduction to the themes of the program
       • The Origin and Darwin's revolution
       • Darwin's England
       • Darwin, evolution and religion
       • Darwin and philosophy
       • Darwin and modern evolutionary biology
   Meet the Profs
   The program's information page from the Office of Study Abroad
   The official program flyer

Where will we go?

Darwin hugs a monkey The program will be based in London, with three days in Cambridge and a day-trip to Oxford.

You will not spend your days in a classroom, but will engage the Darwinian revolution by visiting its central sites. The renowned historian Simon Schama remarked that we must use the "archive of the feet" to acquire a deep understanding of history—books are necessary but not sufficient. This program will allow you to walk in the footsteps of Darwin and his contemporaries, with visits to Down House, Kew Gardens, the Natural History Museum, Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History, Cambridge University, Westminster Abbey and other places associated with Darwin's life and work.

We've created an interactive map that will allow you to locate and learn more about some of the remarkable places on the itinerary.

When will we go?

The program runs from Saturday, June 27th to Friday, July 17th.

How much will it cost?

We haven't yet finalized the program fee, but we anticipate it running somewhere around $3,700.

The program fee does not include airfare, but it does cover all class excursions, including travel costs; accommodation in London and Cambridge, with breakfasts included; and travelcards allowing for unlimited use of the Tube and buses in central London.

What can I study?

Students will enroll in the following courses for a minimum of four credits and a maximum of six:

   • LB 330 Topics in History, Philosophy and Sociology of Science (4 cr.)
   • LB 333 Topics in the History of Science (4 cr.)
   • LB 492 Senior Seminar (4 cr.)
   • LB 490B Advanced Directed Study—Biology (1 to 2 cr.)
   • LB 490E Advanced Directed Study—HPS (1 to 2 cr.)
   • HST 455 Special Topics in Modern History (3 cr.)
   • HST 490 Independent Study (1 to 3 cr.)
   • ISS 310 People and Environment (4 cr.) [pending approval]
   • PHL 480 Philosophy of Science (4 cr.)
   • ZOL 457 Foundations of Evolutionary Biology (3 cr.)