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EMU Magical Dark Academia Tour (Outgoing Program) Print  Save  Share
  • Locations: London, United Kingdom; Oxford, United Kingdom
  • Program Terms: Winter Intersession
  • Budget Sheets: Winter Intersession
Dates / Deadlines:
Dates / Deadlines:
Term Year App Deadline Decision Date Start Date End Date
Winter Intersession 2026 12/07/2025 ** Rolling Admission 05/02/2026 05/10/2026

** Indicates rolling admission application process. Applicants will be immediately notified of acceptance into this program and be able to complete post-decision materials prior to the term's application deadline.
Fact Sheet:
Fact Sheet:
Language of Instruction: English Click here for a definition of this term Program Type: Faculty-Led Abroad
Field of Study: Children's Literature, English/Literature
Program Description:

Magical Dark Academia Tour CHL 207 amanda allen

Course(s): CHL 207 Introduction to Children’s Literature [GEKH]
Credits: Three (3)
Eligibility: Open to all EMU students in good academic standing and guest students. Must be at least 18 years old at the time of travel.
Budget: Click here for budget information
 
Program Overview
Magic in British children's and young adult literature extends far beyond simple fantasy elements or supernatural occurrences. It represents a deeply embedded cultural tradition that views the extraordinary as perpetually accessible through the ordinary—a philosophy rooted in Britain's rich folklore, Celtic mythology, and centuries-old belief in the thin boundaries between the mundane and the mystical. From C.S. Lewis's wardrobes that open to other worlds to Philip Pullman’s Dust, British magical literature consistently presents magic as both a birthright and a responsibility. This tradition emphasizes transformation through knowledge, where young protagonists must master not just spells or supernatural abilities, but wisdom, moral courage, and the understanding that true power comes with profound responsibility. The magic in these texts often serves as a metaphor for the transformative power of education itself—the idea that learning can fundamentally alter one's perception of reality and one's place within it.

Dark academia, as manifested in British children's and YA literature, encompasses the aesthetic and thematic elements associated with elite educational institutions, scholarly pursuits, and the sometimes-shadowy pursuit of knowledge. This tradition draws heavily from Britain's prestigious boarding school culture, Gothic architecture, and the romanticization of intellectual obsession. Dark academia in children's literature explores themes of secret societies, forbidden knowledge, institutional mysteries, and the dangerous allure of learning that comes at a personal cost. It captures the atmospheric tension between the privilege of education and its potential perils—where libraries hold both enlightenment and secrets, where mentors may be either guides or manipulators, and where the pursuit of knowledge can lead to both liberation and moral corruption. The aesthetic encompasses everything from the shadowy corridors of ancient schools to the weight of leather-bound books, from candlelit studies to the isolation that can accompany intense intellectual pursuit.

This course examines children’s and young adult literature as literary works with roots in classic, pastoral, Victorian, and twentieth- and twenty-first- century literature; as texts that both uphold and question concepts such as “the child,” “the teenager,” and cultural representations of them; as representatives of material culture; as texts that are purchased, consumed, and re-produced by “fans,” “fandoms” and participatory culture; and as the objects of public debates regarding literary interpretation, educational use, and cultural production. By visiting specific British children’s and YA literature-related architecture, archives, monuments, and events, as well as experiencing general life in Oxford and London, students will start to place these ideas into context with the culture that provides the foundation for these texts. Ultimately, this special study abroad class will allow students to gain better insight into children’s and young adult literature as a site of British cultural production, and to place that culture (and those texts) into conversation with their own. 

Instructor Information
Amanda Allen, Ph.D. is a Professor and the Coordinator of the Children's Literature program at Eastern Michigan University. She has been teaching faculty-led study abroad programs for many years. Dr. Allen's current project is a book-length manuscript that examines the effects of the publishing, librarian and educational fields on the history of young adult literature and, more specifically, on teen girl romance novels published from 1942 to 1967 (known as the female junior novel genre). Allen uses a feminist cultural materialist approach, drawing on the theories of Pierre Bourdieu and Luce Irigaray, and using previously unpublished archival documents, to suggest a revised history of young adult fiction: one that explores the neglected female junior novel genre in relation to the rise and fall of a semi-autonomous network of female producers and distributors (editors, critics, librarians), and contrasted against the academics who ultimately defined "good" young adult fiction. By examining the female junior novel texts and network in relation to Cold War politics, federal initiatives in education and librarianship and the history of the children's publishing industry in America, she suggests a heretofore hidden battle regarding who has the right—and ability—to define our current concept of young adult fiction.  

On-Campus Class Meetings
This program has mandatory class meetings during Winter semester prior to departure. Meeting dates will be determined and announced to students accepted into the program. 

Financial Aid and Scholarships
Financial aid and many EMU scholarships may be applied to the tuition and fees for this approved program. Visit the Office of Financial Aid for more information on how to use your financial aid and scholarships to help cover the costs of studying abroad. Find information on national and EMU scholarships specifically for students that wish to study abroad at emich.edu/abroad/financialaid/scholarships.