CCSA - Ireland - Early Summer 2015

Discover the beauty and the tragedy, the history and the hope of the magnificent North and South regions of Ireland. Then it’s off to the beauty of the mountains, valleys and islands of the West of Ireland where Gaelic and traditional music can sometimes still be heard. Then we’ll head North, tracking the history of Ireland, ancient and modern, stopping at the magnificent coastal World Heritage Site, The Giant’s Causeway, and visiting locations associated more recently with the Troubles in Belfast and Derry. While based in Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, we’ll uncover the cultural significance behind Glendalough, Trinity College and places made famous by such writers as James Joyce and Jonathan Swift. Join CCSA with the Early Ireland program.

Description of Courses

ENGLISH/INTERDISCIPLINARY
Living at a Little Distance from the Body: Medicine & the Body in Irish Literature
Mrs. Jessica Hume, MFA from Bellarmine University
This course will allow and encourage students in the health sciences and in literature to make interdisciplinary connections between the development of medicine & the body in Ireland and Irish literature, and to examine the cultures that fostered those connections. Our fascination with the body has often found its way into literature, particularly Irish literature: think of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, James Joyce’s explorations of the body and sexuality, and other tales of famine, grave-robbing, spirituality, politics and sex, all of which are evident in depictions of the body in Irish literature. Students will potentially visit Kilmainham Gaol, the James Joyce Museum, a famine ship, Giant’s Causeway, the Aran Islands, and other relevant sites.
Prerequisite: students must have successfully completed their university’s lower division writing/English requirements
3 cr. hrs., UD

GENDER STUDIES/COMMUNICATION
Gender in Irish Film
Dr. Emily Ryalls from Mississippi State University
This study abroad course will focus on films that reflect popular ideas about what constitutes appropriate expressions of femininity and masculinity and what it means to be Irish. This course explores cultural and political discourses of gender and its intersections with sexuality, ethnicity, class and religion. Activities include visits to landmarks featured in films, Kilmainham Gaol (a prison turned museum) and the Abbey Theater. We will investigate gender representation in films about Ireland. Thus, we start from the premise that popular culture is an important site of popular expression, social instruction and cultural conflict, deserving of critical attention.
3 cr. hrs., UD/G

KINESIOLOGY/HEALTH
Meditation & Mindfulness on the Emerald Island
Dr. Jean Kiernan from Georgetown College
This course is an introduction to meditation and mindfulness applied to our modern lives. The centers that we will visit will represent the Irish culture and heritage and make use of the Irish landscape to aid in the process of meditation. In this way students come to experience a sense of peace and happiness in their lives. Through direct experiences, assigned readings and group discussions, students can learn how to use meditation and mindfulness as a solution to daily problems.
3 cr. hrs., UD

NURSING/PUBLIC HEALTH/SOCIAL WORK
Examine & Compare Health Care Systems in Transition: Ireland & the United States
Dr. Lorraine Bormann from Western Kentucky University
This travel class will focus on experiential learning as students explore Ireland’s health care system, the educational preparation and roles of the Irish health care team members, the health concerns of Ireland’s vulnerable populations and health indicators. Students will visit historical sites and healthcare institutions in Ireland and have the opportunity to interact with health care providers and consumers of health care. Students will examine the influence of Irish history and cultural beliefs on health practices.
3 cr. hrs., UD/G

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Irish Perspectives on Public Relations Case Problems
Dr. Skye Cooley from Mississippi State University
Students will hear lectures from PR professionals from a number of Irish based public relations agencies and the Public Relations Institute of Ireland and visit companies such as Jameson worldwide, Guinness and Kerrygold to learn of specific case studies for each firm. Students will learn case practices in public relations in an Irish and international context.
3 cr. hrs., LD/UD

English