This new interdisciplinary 200 level course offers a broad introduction to the study of Irish literature, history and culture. Students will gain a grounding in: Irish storytelling since the early Christian period, including through music and song; the history of the conquest of Ireland and Irish independence movements; the role of the Irish language in culture; the famine and its social and political aftermath; the history of religious difference; the relationship between Britain and Ireland; the work of major literary figures such as Swift, Joyce, Yeats, Beckett and Heaney; contemporary Ireland and the Irish economy.
Sample reading list:
Jonathan Swift, Gullivers Travels
Bram Stoker, Dracula
James Joyce, Dubliners
Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Seamus Heaney, Poems
See instructor for complete list
Reading/Writing assignments:
One novel, play or poetry collection each week (50-200 pages), plus songs, historical essays, and articles on Irish music, art and visual culture. Assessment will be via presentations/class logbook, class participation, mid-term paper and final paper.
Other information:
Students will study the work of major literary figures such as: Swift, Joyce, Yeats, Beckett, and Heaney; contemporary Ireland and the Irish economy.