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MA in Irish Studies / Ma sa Léann Éireannach

 

MA in Irish Studies 2011 / 2012

MA in Irish Studies Handbook

Semester 1

The MA in Irish Studies is a one year interdisciplinary programme drawing on the disciplines of English, History, and Irish and including sociological and political science perspectives. The programme focuses on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and seeks to provide for participants a critical interrogation of key junctions and issues in the historical, cultural and social development of modern Ireland. The approach will be interdisciplinary throughout, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of the Irish experience since the early nineteenth century.

A wide range of political and literary texts, and other forms of cultural representation will be studied as primary material and students will be encouraged to make inter-connections between the various strands of their course.

The teaching language of the course is English. Essays, dissertations and oral presentations may be in either English or Irish at students’ own discretion.

Course Structure and Content

The course is of one calendar year’s duration, running from September to September, and consists of the following, to be undertaken by all students:

• A series of introductory lectures on key issues and events relating to continuity and change in Ireland before 1800
• Six obligatory taught modules, three in the first semester and three in the second semester; each module involving 2 hours a week of classes per module as well as independent reading
• Interdisciplinary seminars on aspects of the taught modules. Students are expected to take an active part in these seminars.
• An obligatory course in Irish language
• A dissertation of 15,000-20,000 words to be presented in September. The subject shall be chosen by students in consultation with the course board and the course director during the first semester.

The six taught modules are as follows:

Semester I
Ideology, Politics and Society in Ireland 1800-1921
Young Ireland to the Free State: Writing in English 1849-1922
Decline and Revival: Language, Literature and Society 1800-1939

Semester II
Divided Ireland: Politics and Society since 1921
The Politics of Modernity: Writing in English 1922 to the present
Gaelic and Free: Cultural Politics and Writing in Irish since 1939

These modules are assessed by essay. 

Irish Language Course
The aim of this module is to ensure that all students achieve a minimum working level of competence that will enable them to communicate in Irish. The course is obligatory and is offered at beginners (for ab initio learners), intermediate and advanced levels, as appropriate to students' needs. The course consists of four hours tuition per week for beginners and two hours per week for intermediate and advanced levels, as well as short periods at Áras Mháirtín Uí Chadhain in the Conamara Gaeltacht. Assessment is by written and oral exam at the end of the second semester. All levels of courses in Irish are graded either satisfactory or non-satisfactory and a grade of satisfactory is necessary in order to graduate.

Entry Requirements
Irish Students: Applicants should have at least a 2:2 honours degree in appropriate subjects. It is not necessary to have studied all or any of the core subjects of the course. Official transcripts are required for all students who are not graduates of NUI, Galway.

Overseas Students: North American Students need to have a minimum of 3.00 GPA in their degree result. Applicants who apply from abroad are strongly recommended to enclose with their application a sample of their written academic work in either English or Irish, and must also nominate two academic referees. Overseas applicants who are not native English speakers may be required to present evidence of competence in English.

For further details, contact Course Director Dr Louis de Paor, Centre for Irish Studies at louis.depaornuigalway.ie or Nessa Cronin, MA Programme Coordinator at nessa.croninnuigalway.ie

MA Course Board

How do I apply

Further information concerning the MA programme is available at http://www.go4th.ie/irishstudies/ma_irish_ft.html . Applications to this programme are made online via the Postgraduate Applications Centre (PAC) ( http://www.pac.ie/main.php?inst="gy&ln="e

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