Irish Studies on-line

Irish Studies Online

This programme, the first of its kind in the world, has been developed in partnership with Regis University, Denver, Colorado, and is targeted at non-traditional and mature students primarily who do not have access to traditional programmes of study in this area. The purpose of the course is to provide a basic introduction to Irish life and culture through the disciplines of Archaeology, History, English, Irish, Political Science and Sociology. The full programme will comprise five 8-week modules leading to the award of a Certificate in Irish Studies for students who successfully complete three of the modules and a Diploma in Irish Studies from NUI, Galway for those who complete the full programme.

The course will provide an overview of Irish history from the pagan Celtic world and the coming of Christianity, through to the cataclysmic famines of the 1840s, the establishment of an independent state in 1922 and Ireland’s integration into the European community which has been ongoing since the 1970s. Students will be introduced to Irish literature in both the Irish (Gaelic) and English languages from the Old-Irish sagas and early Irish lyrics through the emergence of Anglo-Irish literature in the eighteenth century and the twentieth century revival of writing in Irish. Particular emphasis will be give to the study of Irish society since independence with due consideration of such crucial issues as gender, religion, modernization, identity and socio-economic development.

In order to achieve this, students will be expected to undertake a course of independent reading in the contributing disciplines of Irish, English, History, Archaeology, Political Science and Sociology. The programme content will encourage students to make thematic connections between different perspectives on Irish life and culture, thereby emphasising the interdisciplinary dimension of Irish Studies.

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The five modules are as follows:

Introduction to Irish Studies I: Early Christian Ireland, 431-1169 
Studies early Irish culture and society from the introduction of Christianity in the 5th century, through the 8th century Viking invasion and the beginning of the 12th century Anglo-Norman conquest. Emphasizes literature created out of the rapprochement between the pagan tradition and the new religion. Includes extracts from Old-Irish literature including the heroic saga, Táin Bó Cuailgne (The Cattle-Raid of Cooley)and lyric poetry produced in monastic scriptoria.

Introduction to Irish Studies II: Medieval Ireland, Literature and Society, 1169-1603 
Focuses on the impact of the 12th century Anglo-Norman invasion on Irish social, political and cultural life. Provides a brief historical survey of Gaelic Ireland in the early middle ages and insight into the archaeology of the medieval Irish Church. Introduces the world of the Irish bardic poet and his work.

Introduction to Irish Studies III: Early Modern Ireland, 1603-1845 
Investigates the destruction of the Gaelic heroic world following defeat of Irish forces at the Battle of Kinsale and subsequent dispersal of native Irish and Old English aristocracy. Introduces political, social and economic structures of this period as well as the disintegration of Gaelic Irish cultural values and literary traditions from the Elizabethan period to the famines of the 1840s. Concludes with an overview of economic, social and demographic trends in pre-famine Ireland.

Introduction to Irish Studies IV: Modern Ireland: Culture and Society, 1845-1998 
Introduces the patterns of modern and contemporary Irish life and culture from a multidisciplinary perspective. Investigates the impact of famine on Irish society and the subsequent Gaelic Revival and Anglo-Irish Literary Revival from the 1880s until establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Explores the impact of cultural nationalism and the progress of 20th century literature in Irish and English. Studies the work of James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Seamus Heaney, Máirtín Ó Cadhain, and others. Concludes with features of modern Irish society including religion, the family, social change, and the Irish economy.

Introduction to Irish Studies V: Perspectives on Irish Society 1922-2002 Sociology developed as a discipline in the early 19th century, as a field of study that tried to define and explain changes that were taking place in societies as they changed from traditional agricultural to modern industrial ones. In this course the results of sociological research in Ireland will be used to examine Irish society. There is an underlying question that will be addressed as the course progresses - how has Irish society been changed by the economic transformation that was initiated in the 1950s?

All courses are taught via self-instructional materials prepared by scholars in the individual disciplines of Archaeology, History, Irish, English, Sociology and Political Science at NUI, Galway. Course content will be provided on-line, via the Internet, with the email support of a qualified online tutor at the Centre for Irish Studies.  

For further details, contact Ms Samantha Williams, Secretary to the Centre for Irish Studies at irishstudiesnuigalway.ie or visit the programme’s website at http://www.regis.edu/CPS/Academics/Degrees-and-Programs/Undergraduate-Programs/Irish-Studies.aspx for admission and technology requirements, course descriptions and tuition rates.

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