Guttman is proud to be among the only community colleges to offer the Poetry Abroad Summer Program to our LAS-SSHU students. This remarkable opportunity pairs students with faculty in preparation for typically one-week long summer school sessions at prestigious universities overseas. Under the guidance of their faculty mentors, students are expected to design and begin a significant research project before they travel and to complete that project at the summer school destination. Upon their return, students present their accomplishments to the Guttman community.
The Poetry Abroad Summer School Program is both academically and personally enriching. Though no course credit is earned, students hone their skills and broaden their knowledge as they work on their projects. Participation in the program is an impressive addition to students’ resumes and applications for further study, scholarships, and employment. Importantly, they also learn about another culture and society through an immersive experience that includes visits to local attractions and tourist sites of note, while staying in the host institution’s dorms and getting a taste of undergraduate student life in a different country.
The inaugural Guttman Poetry Abroad cohort was accepted to the T. S. Eliot International Summer School at the University of London’s Institute of English Studies. During Spring I, the two students worked closely with their faculty mentor, Dr. Ria Banerjee, to develop their knowledge of modernist poetry and identify research questions. In July 2019, they traveled to London, UK, to attend the Summer School. Back in New York City, the students shared their work and experiences at a campus-wide event.
