BOOKPACKERS AT U.S.C.

In 2016, the University of Southern California adopted BOOKPACKERS as a innovative cross-humanities concept in undergraduate education.

Andrew currently leads four BOOKPACKING classes at USC, each with a different focus and format. Two more classes are in development.

Andrew teaches two classes at U.S.C. during the Spring Semester.

• BOOKPACKING LOS ANGELES is a Saturday class. The students meet for a seminar on Saturday mornings, and then in the afternoon we head off-campus, bookpacking Los Angeles through a range of L.A. novels.

• BOOKPACKING AMERICA is a seminar class (T/Th 9.30-10.50), offering a virtual road trip from New England to the Hispanic South West, using classic and contemporary fiction to explore the varied cultures of the U.S.A..

These are GE-B classes, open to all. Sign up via open registration as part of November enrollment.

In May / June, immediately following commencement, USC offers students a series of off-campus classes set abroad and in cities across the U.S.A..  These ‘special session’ programs are called Maymesters. 

BOOKPACKING NEW ORLEANS is a month-long Maymester class which Andrew has led since 2017. The class takes students on a month-long exploration of New Orleans and the southern bayous, reading half a dozen key New Orleans novels over the course of the month.

Andrew will be leading the New Orleans Maymester in 2024 and 2025. A Bookpacking class to NEW YORK is scheduled to launch in 2026 - watch this space.

Applications for New Orleans 2025 will open via the Student Travel Abroad portal in October 2024.

Summers Session classes are held in the latter weeks of the summer vacation (mid July to mid August).

BOOKPACKING LONDON AND PARIS is a summer session class offering students the opportunity to spend a month in London and Paris, bookpacking two classic historical novels - ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens, and ‘Les Misérables’ by Victor Hugo.

Andrew will be leading the London / Paris Summer Session in 2025. A BERLIN Summer Session is scheduled to launch in 2026.

Applications for London / Paris 2025 trip open in late February 2025 via the Student Travel Abroad portal.

BOOKPACKERS at U.S.C. is the creative endeavor of Andrew Chater with executive producer Marion Dole.

BOOKPACKERS classes are offered by the U.S.C. Department of English. They are GE-B classes and open to all. Please contact the undergraduate advisors in English for more information.

BOOKPACKING LONDON AND PARIS and BOOKPACKING BERLIN are co-sponsored by the Department of History.

All off-campus classes at U.S.C. are co-administrated by the Department of Faculty Led Programs.