University of Galway

Course Module Information

Course Modules

Semester 2 | Credits: 5

This module explores the intersection between landscape, culture and literature in modern Ireland. It examines how ideas of 'placemaking' and 'sense of place' are defining features of Irish cultural traditions, particularly as expressed in Irish literature. Through a close reading of texts written in the English language, the module examines how the Irish landscape (and ideas of space and place) has played an important role in shaping the Irish cultural and literary imagination. It will also look at the ways in which Irish writers in the English language tradition deal with a sense of displacement which is a characteristic of the Irish experience in the modern period. Key critical approaches include: ecocriticism, environmental humanities, translation studies and cultural geography.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Explore the role of landscape in the modern Irish literary imagination.
  2. Examine ideas of 'placemaking' and 'sense of place' in the Irish literary tradition, in English-language texts.
  3. Analyse aspects of colonialism, history and culture in relation to the politics of place in modern Irish literature.
  4. Understand the impact and legacy of placemaking in Gaelic Ireland and colonial Ireland for contemporary writers.
  5. Critique the construction of space and place in modern Irish writing in the English language.
  6. Critically evaluate the significance of Irish landscapes and cultural practices of placemaking for Irish writers (in the English language tradition).
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Modern Irish poetry" by Crotty, Patrick
    ISBN: 0856405612.
    Publisher: Blackstaff Press
  2. "Modern Irish drama" by Harrington, John P. (ed)
    ISBN: 0393960633.
    Publisher: Norton
  3. "The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories" by Trevor, William (ed)
    ISBN: 0199583145.
    Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
The above information outlines module IS2103: "Irish Landscapes, Culture and Literature" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.