ENGL 388: The West of Ireland Ireland

ENGL 388

4 Credits

4 Weeks in Ireland

Professor Marc Conner

We spend four weeks in the storied and rugged southwest of Ireland, based in Dingle and Tralee, County Kerry. From here we visit and study the dramatic Irish landscape of the Dingle Peninsula, the Blasket Islands, and the Ring of Kerry; prehistoric burial tombs and stone forts; Celtic and early Christian sites; the great medieval monasteries; the Norman and Elizabethan castles; and such lovely Irish towns as Killarney, Dingle, and Galway. We also travel throughout the west of Ireland, focusing on sites associated with the great 20th-century Irish writers, such as Yeat's tower of Thoor Ballylee, Lady Gregory's estate of Coole Park, and the Aran Islands so beloved of J.M. Synge. We read a range of Irish literature, from medieval poetry and mythic saga to the great achievements of the Irish Revival such as the poetry of Yeats and the plays of Synge, and also work from more recent Irish writers such as Heaney and O'Brien. Students write two interpretive essays, several "site readings," a travel journal, and create an experiential web log of their travels.

Prerequisite: ENGL 384: Understanding Irish Culture (3 credits, Winter 2012).

Program Fee (paid to W&L): $3,135. This includes 4 weeks accommodation in Ireland, approximately 60 percent of all dinners, all transportation within Ireland and site visits, guest lectures, entrance fees and other administrative costs, and mandatory supplemental health insurance.

Estimated Additional Costs: Airfare ($600); meals not included in the program fee ($500. Note: full kitchen facilities in each house); miscellaneous individual expenses ($300); books ($100).

Mandatory Pre-departure Orientation: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 7 p.m. in Northen Auditorium (Leyburn Library)

Contact Professor Conner for further information.