Detailed schedule for SCIE300 Edinburgh study trip

Monday, March 19

Depart Norwich 1157, arrive Peterborough 1323; depart Peterborough 1347, arrive Edinburgh Waverley 1718.

We are staying at the Travelodge at 33 St Mary's St, EH1 1TA. Note that there are several other Travelodge properties in Edinburgh. Make sure to use the postcode EH1 1TA to navigate to our hotel.

Tuesday, March 20

• Using online sources (Wikipedia is fine for this) make some notes addressing questions such as: what is Scotland? Is it a country? Is it independent? When and how and why was it unified with England? During what periods of history has Scotland had its own Parliament?
• In a reputable national British news source, find a recent news article relating to Scotland. Make a few notes on the issue involved, especially noting any relevant political contrasts involving Scotland, England, and the UK.

Schedule:

• 9:30 AM: Edinburgh Castle visit (self-guided). Meet outside the main entrance to the castle at 9:30 AM [link to Edinburgh Castle on Google maps]. As with all of our visits on this trip, make a few notes to support later discussion.
• 10:45am: Meet for a discussion at the Red Coat cafe inside Edinburgh Castle, on the right as you walk up from the entrance (not the Tea Room near the Great Hall).
• 1:45 PM: Meet at the Information Desk in the main Entrance Hall of the National Museum of Scotland [Chambers St, Edinburgh EH1 1JF], ready for our guided tour, which begins at 2 PM. The tour is on the theme of "Scottish Science and Technology."

Wednesday, March 21

Required reading and research:

• Do a little online reading about the history and culture of Edinburgh. Choose one particular aspect of the history or culture of Edinburgh that interests you. Make enough notes to talk for about three minutes on your chosen topic. You will be asked to present your topic to the group.

Schedule:

• 9:25 AM: meet in the lobby of our hotel for a guided walking tour of Edinburgh, which will be leaving at 9:30 AM. This is a two-hour tour.
• 2:00pm: meet at the entrance to Surgeons' Hall Museums [The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Nicolson St, Edinburgh EH8 9DW] for our self-guided visit to the museum.

Thursday, March 22

Required reading and research:

• Do some reading about Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Make sufficient notes that you can answer quiz questions such as: name a few of Mackintosh's most important works and describe them very briefly in a few words; describe in one or two sentences the main features of Mackintosh's style; what years did his career encompass?; do you personally like his design style (and explain why or why not)?
• Choose one of the buildings in central Glasgow that was designed or influenced by Mackintosh (but don't choose the School of Art). Do some research and make a few notes so that you can give a 1-2-minute presentation about your chosen building when we visit it on our self-guided walking tour of Glasgow city centre.
• Plan your afternoon visit. As described below, you have the option of visiting the Hunterian or Kelvingrove museums, or alternatively feel free to make a suggestion to the instructor.

Schedule:

• 8:25am: Meet at Edinburgh Waverley train station. The exact meeting point will be the entrance to the platform for the 8:39 Glasgow Queen Street train.
• 8:39 AM: depart Edinburgh Waverley station, arrive Glasgow Queen Street station 9:54 AM. Walk to Glasgow School of Art at 167 Renfrew St.
• 10:30-11:15 AM: guided tour of Glasgow School of Art
• 11:30 AM: self-guided city center walking tour, with contributions from each group member (see homework above)
• The schedule for the rest of the day is flexible, but you are required to do one activity with cultural or intellectual merit (as usual, make a few notes for later discussion). Particularly recommended are the Hunterian or Kelvingrove museums, but if you have another destination in mind please suggest it to the instructor. Return to Edinburgh on the train of your choice.

Friday, March 23

Required reading and research:

• Use some online research to make notes on answers to the following questions.
  • What powers does the Scottish Parliament have? List any significant powers that it does not have. How do the powers of the Scottish Parliament compare to a state government in the US?
  • What is the dominant political party in Scotland at present? Historically (over the last few decades) which party or parties have dominated?
  • What is the majority opinion of Scottish residents regarding leaving or remaining in the EU? How does this compare to the UK as a whole? Write a couple of sentences on the political consequences of this situation.
• Make a note of a few facts that you personally find interesting about Linlithgow Palace.

Schedule:

• 11:15am: Arrive at the Scottish Parliament no later than 11:15 AM. Go through the Public Entrance, which includes going through a security checkpoint. Meet at the Visitor Information Desk in the Main Hall, for our guided tour which starts at 11:30 AM and lasts for approximately one hour.
• 1:35pm: Meet at Edinburgh Waverley station. The exact meeting point will be the entrance to the platform for the 1:45 PM departing train to Linlithgow.
• 1:45 PM: depart Edinburgh Waverley station, arrive Linlithgow 2:04pm. We will walk to Linlithgow Palace for our self-guided tour.
• Return on the train of your choice.

Saturday, March 24

Sunday, March 25