GINS3300: Afterlives of Empire: Experiencing London as a Post Colonial Metropolis
Study Abroad Course | 21 June – 6 July 2026 | London, UK (Late Summer)
Application Deadline: 5 December 2025
This course invites students to experience London as a living classroom for understanding the historical foundations and contemporary legacies of globalization. Once the political and economic heart of the British Empire, the city shaped global systems of trade, culture, and governance while also nurturing anti-imperial resistance and radical political thought. Today, its streets, museums, and neighborhoods reveal how colonial legacies endure through inequality, contested memory, and ongoing debates about decolonization.
Students will participate in guided neighborhood walking tours, site visits, and seminars at the Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations, examining London’s postcolonial landscape through three themes: political activism, migration, and representation. Visits to the British Library, the Black Cultural Archives, Brick Lane, the Migration Museum, and the Tate Galleries will frame discussions on the cultural, social, and visual legacies of empire.
Grounded in the interdisciplinary approach of Global and International Studies, the course challenges students to reflect on what it means to inhabit a postcolonial city in the twenty-first century and to imagine more inclusive futures shaped by shared global histories.
Participants will earn 0.5 credits at the third-year level. The program is open to undergraduate students with at least third year standing (in some cases, students with other status may be considered).
For more information contact: Hassan Bashir hassanbashir3@cunet.carleton.ca.
IMPORTANT DATES
- Applications open: open now – apply here
- Applications close: Dec 5, 2025
- Applicants notified: Dec 15, 2025
- 50% deposit due: 10 January 2026
- 50% remaining fees due: 31 March 2026
- On campus pre-trip sessions: 17 – 19 June 2026
- London UK: 22 June – 6 July, 2026
- Final Visual Essay submission 20 August 2026.
