10 minute read
Q&A with Kathleen Paul
Interview with Dr. Kathleen Paul, FSU London program director
By Mia Dennery
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Kathleen Paul has been back and forth “across the pond” as both a U.K. and U.S. citizen, for her own educational achievements and to help American students accomplish theirs. St. Albans, a small medieval city just outside London, is now home for the London program director but she considers herself lucky to have experienced both cultures.
says Paul, who has been program director since January 2008. The London program had 691 students in the 2017-18 academic year and 737 students for the 2018 calendar year.
Paul grew up in Liverpool, and she earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of York in 1985. She earned a post-graduate certificate in education in 1986 from the University of Bath, before earning her master’s (1988) and doctoral (1992) degrees in history from Boston College.
She spent a total of 26 years in the U.S., with one year studying abroad on a Rotary scholarship, five years at Boston College, and 20 years teaching history as a tenured professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
How has your academic experience in Boston influenced your life and career?
My academic experience in Boston taught me the value of hard work well done. I was extremely fortunate in working with professors who were able to take the time to mentor me, people who helped me not only with the specifics of my courses and research but who served as role models for academic excellence both in and outside of the classroom. Their belief in me, and what I could achieve, gave me the confidence to push myself further. Now, as a professor myself, I seek to emulate those instructors who did so much to shape my life and career. Working with students is the highlight of my role and I want always to push them to the limit of their potential, to encourage them to work harder, think more critically and get the best from themselves. In so doing, I hope that I am paying it forward.
How have you used your study abroad experiences to help students in London?
I try to remember how strange it all felt when I first arrived in the U.S. Initially there is great excitement, but quite soon the reality kicks in that you are here for a definite period of time and that you can’t (easily) go home. I encourage students not to run away from the differences between the two cultures but rather to embrace the difference—to relish the opportunities to do new activities, to become part of a different culture and society. I know that for me, becoming involved in my university and going out of my way to learn about my city facilitated my integration, made it easier for me to one day realise that I felt like a Bostonian not a U.K. citizen studying abroad. That is my ambition for our students here—to help them become Londoners.
How has your extensive knowledge of British and European history enhanced your life in London?
I am extremely fortunate to be able to play a part in shaping this program for so many students each year. I am able, through my academic background, to provide an overarching vision of how the program might develop, how it might make best use of the resources around the U.K. and European continent. One of my goals upon taking the role was, by building upon the work of my predecessors, to enhance the academic rigor of the program. We have done that by integrating academics with the cultural opportunities. Our courses are based around using London as a textbook, taking students to sites of commemoration, museums, galleries, and theatres as an integral part of their academic experience. In short, we seek to make the extraordinary opportunities of London part of the everyday curriculum.
What is your favorite part about living in London?
Walking through the neighborhoods and parks, being able to visit internationally famous museums in my lunch break, and sharing my day with FSU students and colleagues.
Kathleen Paul chats outside the FSU London Study Centre with three students studying theatre in fall 2018, from left, Hannah Spears, Claire McCarthy, and Francesca Martin.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Pretty much the same as I like to do while at work—visiting galleries and museums, travelling around the U.K. discovering new places to make my own for a while, reading, and staying in touch with family and friends.
How has the FSU London program developed under your time as director?
Student numbers have doubled and the range of program opportunities available has increased considerably. We now offer spring break and “wintermester” programs, for example, along with additional specialized programs by major. Similarly, our programs devised for first semester or first year in college students have dramatically increased in size from perhaps 10 per academic year to over 100. We have also taken control of the management of our own building in Great Russell Street, which has allowed us to both save money and, more importantly, ensure that the fabric of the building is preserved and protected with the best possible care for future generations of Seminoles.
How does the study center’s location allow students to get the full British experience?
The Centre is located right in the heart of London. We are two minutes’ walk from the British Museum, one of the most-visited museums in the world. We are surrounded by public parks and squares, yet we are only 15 minutes’ walk from Trafalgar Square, the official centre of the city. Students can walk to many of the most famous sites of the U.K., and in so doing can become residents of the city, navigating the geography of the streets, the bus system and the tube.
Though surrounded by sites that might well be considered “touristy,” students are not tourists but rather through living here, right in the middle of the city, become Londoners. They will, over the course of their time here, make and find their own London—their own coffee shop, their own short cuts, their own favourite places. It is a joy to watch as this process happens and students gradually take on more and more of British society and culture.
What is the immersion process like for American students who have never been abroad before?
We encourage students to immerse themselves into the local culture as much as possible in a number of ways. Walking around the city helps students gain an understanding of the different neighborhoods and so develop their knowledge of London. Joining a local gym, grocery shopping, visiting the theatre, playing pick-up soccer in the local park—all of these provide opportunities for our students to meet locals, cultivate friendships and generally become a part of the city.
This program is located in an English-speaking country, so what kind of cultural differences can the students expect?
Famously separated by a common language, the U.K. and USA have much to discover about each other. Like any new arrivals, our students come with a few stereotypes in mind, but it’s not long before the set expectations are gone and lived experience kicks in. While still basking in the rich history and heritage of the U.K., whether visiting medieval castles and cathedrals, participating in the pageantry of the monarchy, or walking along the River Thames, students are also getting on with the everyday business of living—buying groceries, cooking, using public transport, watching TV, reading newspapers, and all else besides.
I would argue that it is through these day-to-day, most ordinary of interactions that our students develop what I call “cultural capital.” By this I mean an understanding of a country that goes beyond what either a textbook or a two-week vacation can give you. Cultural capital is knowing the society from the inside, understanding its quirks, appreciating its differences not as an outsider looking in but as an insider looking out. That kind of cultural capital stays with students long after they leave the program. It changes the way they view the world, enhances their perspective on their own country, and their understanding about themselves and their own identity becomes more nuanced.
Are there any major changes you would like to make in the program?
Students will continue to be the heart of the program. We will change only as we see opportunities to improve, ways to enhance the student experience. With this in mind, I would like to see the Internship program grow. We have an amazing array of placements through which our students can earn academic credit. Whether interning in Parliament; at a Premier League soccer club; in an internationally renowned museum; with a major marketing, logistics, or retail company; or at any of the 100+ opportunities available, our students participate in decision-making roles, taking on responsibilities and delivering work that will undoubtedly change their perspective of themselves and their own capabilities.
How does your 1997 book, Whitewashing Britain: Race and Citizenship in the Postwar Era, relate to the current immigration crisis occurring in the United Kingdom?
In many ways it saddens me to see that a book written 20 years ago is still so relevant today. I wish that we had moved beyond inward migration being perceived as a danger when it is in fact an opportunity. I believe that there are a great many people in the U.K. who regard immigration as a positive experience—in a society with an aging population an influx of young people (the majority of migrants are of working age or younger) is good for the economy by increasing the workforce, diversifying the range of skills available to employers, enlarging the tax base, and facilitating future population growth. The media has to some extent been harnessed by an anti-migrant agenda, but the reality of everyday life in Britain leans far more towards openness, tolerance and acceptance.
What changes have you observed in England since Brexit?
There is a great deal of uncertainty as we wait to see what the end deal between the U.K. and the European Union will look like. The nature of the negotiations has led many to question whether leaving the EU really is in the best interests of the citizens of the U.K. Whether that uncertainty is enough to prompt a second referendum remains to be seen. In the meantime, a significant number of EU citizens have chosen to play safe by leaving the country before the possible imposition of punitive immigration rules. The effects of their departure are being felt in a range of sectors from the National Health Service through finance to agriculture.
Has the number of students studying in London increased since the pound dropped?
Yes, but likely more to do with the increase in the range and number of program opportunities available rather than as a direct result of currency fluctuations.
What steps can be taken to make the London program more accessible (or affordable) to a wider range of students?
International Programs offers a wide range of scholarships, worth over $200,000 per year, to help with the cost of studying abroad. Our goal is to double the number of FSU students studying abroad by 2020. We are working toward this target by offering support to students in a range of situations—financial need, academic merit, major-specific, membership of a minority group, foreign language study, first-generation college, and many others. In addition to this assistance before they come, students benefit from a wide range of support once in country.
The specifics of each program differ of course, but here in London students receive breakfast on class days, weekly pizza and salad nights, monthly group meals at local restaurants, a number of group lunches, and a travel card for use throughout the city. Though each might be small by itself, the cumulative effect is to lighten the financial burden when it comes to grocery shopping and getting around.
Furthermore, students in London participate in an extensive cultural program ranging from theatre and museum visits, coach or railway excursions to cities such as Oxford, Windsor, or Brighton, overnight weekend trips to other parts of the U.K. such as Cornwall, Edinburgh, Bath, Wales, Liverpool, and York and much more besides. Students might still choose to do some independent travelling, but the program is designed so that participants will explore and experience a whole lot of London and the U.K. without the need to draw on additional funds. And of course, we are all about the free stuff—highlighting the many opportunities such as museums and galleries that London offers that don’t cost a penny. Through these various steps, we are committed to broadening the range of students who are able to study abroad with us.
Could you please describe the London program in one sentence?
An opportunity to learn about yourself and the world around you while earning academic credit by becoming a resident of London.
