Maryville University in cooperation with the University of Limerick in western Ireland is offering a 4-week program. Join many other students and faculty from Maryville and other local universities at one of Ireland’s finest universities. Students will enjoy learning about “things Irish” through formal classroom settings, lectures “in the streets and fields of Ireland” by course professors, and excursion beyond the campus to Ireland’s popular cultural venues.

 Students will take one course in Limerick’s Irish Studies Program from a list of 6 course offerings and two courses from Maryville’s list of 7 courses. One required course in the latter group is Exploring the Culture of Ireland, a Maryville independent study course that allows the student to select 15 sites/experiences and write about them. Some preliminary readings and/or assignments and post-on-site assignments complete the program.

Limerick is the third largest city in Ireland and is 14 miles from the Shannon International Airport, with easy access to Dublin and the beautiful Ring of Kerry area of western Ireland. The University is well-known throughout Ireland for its Irish Studies Program. Its campus offers a wonderful set of opportunities, including the best recreational facilities of any Irish university. Its aquatic center is particularly impressive. Since the Maryville program will take place prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics, it is likely that the Irish Olympic swimming team will be training on campus during the Maryville program.

• Students live on campus in shared en-suite apartments in Cappavilla Village, the highest point on campus with great views of the Irish countryside and the river Shannon.
• Excursions include the environs of Limerick, Dublin, and throughout west of Ireland, plus others.
• Students will enroll in three 3-credit courses:
  • One course from a list of 6 courses in the Irish Studies Program of the University of Limerick (see below).
  • One of 6 regular courses taught by Maryville University and other St. Louis-area faculty (see course descriptions below).
  • One independent study (Exploring the Culture of Ireland), where the student selects 15 sites/experiences outside their other two classes – this structures students’ free time (see description below).
• Estimated cost for everything, excluding airfare, is $5,997. This includes room and board, transportation to/from Shannon airport, local transportation, some excursions, insurance, and tuition  for 9 credits.
• Airfare from St. Louis is estimated at $1,300.
• A $300 deposit (refundable until March 1) guarantees a participation slot in the program.
• For additional information see Dr. James E. Harf (jharf@maryville.edu) in Gander Hall 101.

Excellent economic value – the total cost of the program for 9 credits is less than half the cost of an 18-credit on-campus semester!

Course Descriptions

Maryville Courses:

• Irish Politics (Nathan Daugherty: Political Science – Maryville)

Taking students through the political history of Ireland from the Battle of the Boyne through the Irish Potato Famine, the Easter Rebellion, to its modern system. We will explore not only the long-standing political issues such as its relationship with England and the troubles of Northern Ireland, but also more recent issues such as the banking crisis of 2007-2008 and Ireland’s membership in the European Union.

• Identity Achievement and Culture in Ireland (Karen Walsh: Psychology – Maryville)

Through our own cultural experiences, we construct our sense of self, our essential roles, and our world view. Immersion in other cultures allows us to examine cultural influences on identity development from different perspectives. This course will allow students to explore social and cultural influences on identity information as it is experienced in Ireland. Understanding the universal stages of normal adolescent development will provide the foundation for exploration of ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation and other diverse aspects of Irish youth culture. Students will experience youth culture in Ireland through excursions and dialog, and examine the artifacts of Irish youth culture, including Irish music and visual arts, in order to gain a greater understanding of the articulation of Irish identity.

• Literature of Western Ireland (Jack Healy – Central Methodist)

The course will explore masterpieces in Irish literature. Students will read selected works by the following Irish writers: John Millington Synge, W.B. Yeats, Martin McDonagh, Peig Sayers, Jonathan Swift, Seamus Heaney, Lady Gregory, Thomas Moore, James Joyce, and Sam Beckett, among others. The instructor proposes visits to the Aran Islands, Yeat’s medieval tower in Gort, and the Yeats burial site in Drumcliff, Co. Sligo. Students will write a few essays based on their own readings. Venues to be visited include: Aran Islands, Gort (Yeat’s Tower), and Drumcliff.

• Contemporary and Recent Irish Conflicts through the Lens of Social Psychology (Jacob Yorg – Maryville)

The culture of Ireland offers a unique opportunity for students to create relations among people and nations through the lens of social psychology. Topics will include but are not limited to: recent and contemporary conflicts between the protestants and Catholics, and between England and both Ireland and Northern Ireland. We will also look at analyzing how these events help students better understand ideas about conflict resolution.

• Discover Ireland: Experiencing Intercultural Communication in Dublin and Limerick (Leilani Carver: Communication – Maryville)

This course focuses on learning about intercultural communication in three parts: pre-departure scholarly and fiction readings and on-site Irish culture experiences through visiting historic sites, museums, restaurants, and cultural events. Some of the intercultural experiences students will have include: watching an Irish film at the Irish Film Institute; strolling across the city in the Dublin Historical Walking Tour and 1916 Easter Rising Walking Tour; kissing the famous Blarney Stone; trying traditional Irish foods and a pint (while learning appropriate dining etiquette); cheering on a local rugby match; attending the historical tour of Glasnevin Cemetery; visiting the oldest army barracks in Europe; enjoying a traditional Irish House Party while listening to traditional Irish music; and visiting Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.

• European Business and Ireland (John Lewington: Business – Maryville)

Ireland joined the European Union in 1973 and has since transformed itself from a largely agrarian economy into a modern technologically advanced society that became known as the ‘Celtic Tiger.’ Ireland has always been famous as a small country producing unique beer (Guinness), wonderful hospitality, and beautiful hand-crafted lead crystal (Waterford). This course is an opportunity to learn more about the European Union, how the 2008 financial crisis impacted the Irish economy, and experience through several business visits how a relatively small country can find marketing niches that help it to survive in the global economy. Trips to Dublin and possibly London could be part of the course.

• Exploring the Culture of Ireland (James Harf: Political Science and International Affairs – Maryville)

This 3-credit course allows students to prepare for and reflect upon a wide range of both group and individual excursions during their program in Ireland. Students will participate in several day-long excursions in and around Limerick. Additionally, students will select 15 individual excursions throughout Ireland, approved by the program’s head professor at least one month prior to departure for Limerick.

These latter 15 locations: (1) could represent a variety of student interests and would be simply used by the student to fulfill the total number of elective credits toward graduation; or (2) may be tied closely to a student’s general education requirements; or (3) may be tied to a student’s major/minor. In the latter two cases, the student should also seek prior approval of the list of 15 sites from his/her campus academic advisor if the course is to be used for a student’s general education requirements or major/minor academic program. The selected sites in these cases will relate to the specific discipline(s) of the general education area or the major/minor program. The student will write two short papers for each excursion, a “before excursion” paper where the student describes the reason for the choice and what he/she expects to find, and an “after excursion” paper where the student reflects on his/her experience. The 15 “before excursion” papers are due prior to arrival in Limerick and the 15 “after excursion” papers are due one month following the end of the Limerick portion of the program. This allows you expanded time beyond your time in Limerick to complete the work.

Courses offered by University of Limerick Faculty:

• Irish Life and Literature (History/Literature/Cultural Studies)

• Law in Ireland (Law/Politics/Sociology)

• Sociological Perspectives on Irish Society (Sociology/Cultural Studies)

• Ireland in Film and Television (Media/Communication)

• Visual Culture in Ireland 1400-1950 (Art/Art History/History/Film)

• Creative Writing