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Ireland in Europe Summer School |
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 Course Description
A faculty of leading academics, writers and commentators drawn from Trinity College and other major Irish universities, make up the teaching staff of the summer school. A regular contributor to the special evening guest events is Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney.
Other past speakers have included the former UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, Oscar winning film director Jim Sheridan, and writer John McGahern.
The programme of lectures, seminars and cultural visits allows for some free afternoons, and a free weekend for independent exploring and activities. Theatre performances and music sessions are in the evening.
History: Students will be guided through key stages of Irish history, from the age of the Celts to contemporary times, including colonisation, the Great Famine and the struggle for Independence.
Literature:
 This seminar will focus on the writings of James Joyce, one of the major figures in Irish literature. It will place the writer in context with others of his generation including O’Casey and Yeats, and will offer a commentary on his role as a European writer.
Modern Irish Politics:Here students will be introduced to the Irish political system, the developments in Northern Ireland and the relationships between Ireland and Britain and between Ireland and the international community. A guided visit to Dail Eireann (the Irish Parliament) by a current member will also be included.
The Gaelic Tradition:This survey of the Gaelic tradition in Ireland will introduce the wealth of writing in prose and poetry and the strong traditions of earlier centuries. It will also discuss the Irish language, one of the Celtic group, and the role of minority languages in Europe.
Socio/Cultural Profile: This seminar will offer a perspective on relations between Church and State in Ireland. It will cover the role of the Catholic Church, women and Irish society, and attitudes to divorce, poverty and the concept of the ‘Celtic Tiger’.
Contemporary Irish Theatre: This session will focus on the work of modern Irish playwrights including Brian Friel, Frank McGuinness and Tom Murphy. It will discuss the issues preoccupying these writers and the relationship between politics and artistic expression.
Contemporary Literature:This seminar will introduce the work of modern Irish writers. It will look at the concerns and issues that are reflected and analysed by young short story writers, playwrights, poets and novelists.
Cultural Events and Field Trips:There will be visits to places of historical, archaeological and scenic interest including a visit with archaeological guide to the Neolithic burial chambers of the Boyne Valley and a guided visit to the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Cultural Visits will include theatre performances, Irish cinema screenings, a literary pub-crawl, poetry readings and traditional Irish music sessions.
For a detailed brochure and application form please send your postal address to:
incoming.ireland@usit.ie
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