London May Term: The Past, Present, and Future of the Transatlantic Alliance

In partnership with the world-renowned War Studies Department at King's College London, the May Term in London provides exemplary students the opportunity to learn firsthand about the U.S./U.K. special relationship. The program is taught at King's College London and includes visits to important landmarks in British cultural heritage and Anglo-American strategic history, as well as private events with senior policymakers and historians.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Great Britain was the world’s dominant power and chief proponent of a liberal international order. By the middle of the twentieth century, a badly weakened Britain was mostly replaced by the United States in those roles. But British thinking about diplomatic and military affairs exerted a strong influence on American strategy, and the two nations formed what became known as the “Special Relationship.” This course, to be held in London as a Maymester, will explore the diplomatic and military history of the United States and Great Britain and especially how the two nations have interacted and shaped each other’s national security policies and visions of global order. Classroom sessions will include faculty guest instructors from the renowned War Studies Department of Kings College London, and the course will be supplemented with regular field visits to historic sites in London and throughout the United Kingdom. The group will also make a visit to the battlefields of Normandy.

Students will receive credit through the Department of History upon successful completion of the course. The course has also been approved for the IRG Track II: International Security concentration and the Certificate in Security Studies.

A recap of Maymester 2025 can be found here.

The course fee is $3,000 and includes airfare, housing, a transportation pass, all program related excursion expenses, and most meals. Scholarships are available and students will not be turned away based on financial need. Note: The fee DOES NOT include overseas health insurance, the Study Abroad Office's fee, a refundable housing damage deposit, a U.K. visa fee, personal travel, and some meals.

2026 Program Dates: May 5th – June 3rd 2026 

Applications will open September 5, 2025, and close November 7, 2025

Info Session: October 7, 2025 4-5 pm, room 430 in Flawn Academic Center