Alvin recalls his Canterbury tales
By Beth Kaliasak
A & E Co-Editor
History instructor Steve Alvin is still getting used to being back in the U.S. During the fall semester, he taught at Canterbury Christ Church College, an hour and half northeast of London.
Catching himself using an English phrase like, "Oh, that’s lovely," Alvin said part of his adjustment is getting reacquainted with the sound of Midwestern, American English.
"It’s not so much that I expect to hear English English," he said. "It’s just that I’m still a little shocked when I hear American."
Alvin, who left the Illinois Valley on Labor Day and returned just before Christmas, was sponsored by the Illinois Consortium of International Studies and Programs. At Canterbury, he taught a first year American studies class and was a liaison between the 26 Illinois, and Missouri exchange students studying at C4, as the locals call it.
Alvin, who is the IVCC coordinator for ICISP, said he wanted first-hand experience with the program so he could do a better job describing the program and recruiting IVCC students to participate.
In one word Alvin described his experience as, "great."
Alvin had opportunities to travel throughout England and visit places he had been 13 years ago.
He did some traveling alone and some on required and optional field trips with the exchange students for whom he was responsible. He said some of the students took advantage of long weekends to travel as far as Sweden or Italy.
Alvin described the English college system as quite different from the U.S. model. The English college program is three years long and students declare a major immediately. Their studies concentrate on their major and they discuss topics in more depth. Instead of using textbooks that provide an overview of a subject, the English students are given lists of recommended readings.
Alvin said the general education requirements in the U.S., which the British do not have, force subjects to be taught in a broad but shallow manner. In the U.S. during the first two years, students are exposed to a variety of different disciplines, but not in any detail or depth.
"In American general education courses, there’s a mixture of students – those who want to be there and those just to fulfill the requirements," Alvin said. "In Britain, the students are there because they want to be there."
A British class is a year long, not a semester, Alvin explained, and the grading is typically based on fewer measures than in U.S. courses, possibly one test at the end of the year, one or two papers, or an all day comprehensive final. There are no quizzes or midterms.
Admission standards are more rigorous and there is more competition to get into British colleges than American ones, Alvin said, but American students pay much more for tuition.
The vast majority of British students are full time students, Alvin pointed out. Unlike American students, they don't have jobs.
Despite the fact that the systems differ, Alvin said the students were surprisingly similar.
Thinking back to his visit to England in the 1980s, Alvin said this time he noticed "the creeping of Americanization." He explained that American fast food restaurants were much more visible.
"At least in Canterbury, the traditional green grocers were disappearing and instead there are grocery markets similar to Eagles," he said.
Alvin said some of the changes may be due to the Chunnel bringing more tourists from Europe.
The last time he was in England, there was not a TV in any of the bed and breakfasts where he stayed, and this time, even the smallest lodgings had televisions.
"In fact it was nice because I was in Wales for the Sept. 11 attack so I was able to see the television coverage," he said. " I wouldn't have been able to see it if I was in Canterbury because I didn't have a TV in my flat."
Because of Sept. 11, a few of the American students backed out of the exchange program, Alvin said.
"We all felt homesick to a certain degree, in particular after Sept. 11," he said. "I can’t say I saw any body so home sick that they wanted to come home."
Now, Alvin is talking with other teachers interested in participating in the exchange program and recruiting students to sign up with ICISP. One IVCC student is in Canterburg this semester. In addition to Canterbury, study opportunities are available in Salzburg, Austria, and in Costa Rica.
"Now is the time to start thinking about fall," Alvin said.
He can be reached at Steve_Alvin@ivcc.edu.