England: Canterbury (June - July)

Sunday June 9 to Saturday July 6, 2024 (4 weeks) 

This will be the second year that the University of Toronto has offered a summer course in Canterbury, England. There will be one course will be offered.

This course on the Historical British Industrial and Cultural Influences on the Contemporary Workplace focuses on the significant influence of British law, governance and culture on modern-day work. Through understanding British history and with a focus on the Industrial Revolution, this course will explore these influences. Students will earn a full-year Industrial Relations and Human Resources (IRE) credit in four weeks while living and learning in Canterbury, a city famed for its splendid cathedral and atmospheric medieval streets. 

The program is hosted by the University of Kent, an established research university. The University of Kent acts as a gateway to Europe for students from the UK and across the world. With 159 nationalities represented in our student body and 40% of our teaching and research staff from outside the UK, Kent celebrates intellectual and cultural diversity with a commitment to educating its students to become global citizens.  Students will be housed close to campus with easy access to the classroom and on-campus facilities and services.

Hi, I am Bob Thompson, and it would be my pleasure to welcome you to this pastoral and picturesque medieval town in the Southeast of England. The U of T Summer Abroad course commences on June 9, 2024 for four weeks, is hosted at the University of Kent, and it will be 30 years since I was an MBA student on campus. I know from experience how wonderful being there can be. The university is a safe and modern facility with great accommodations and facilities and is located at the top of a hill overlooking the city. You can see the famous Canterbury Cathedral as you walk to class. We are located only an hour from London via UK’s fastest train and Kent County is situated at the gateway to Europe and steeped in history.

The course I have designed is intended to take advantage of what the South of England has to offer. We will explore history, culture, the industrial revolution, trade unions and workplaces. Along with local excursions, we will visit some of the most iconic sights that the UK has to offer: Stonehenge, Bath (overnight), Dover Castle, and the City of London; taking in many educational experiences as we go.

The helpful staff at U of T and UniKent are working together to make the logistics for these trips memorable, smooth and stress free and that is also how I would describe what I intend the entire learning experience to be for you. Please join me.