ENGL 388: The West of Ireland Ireland

ENGL 388 (4 credits)
4 weeks in Ireland
Professor Marc Conner

We spend four weeks in the rugged southwest of Ireland, based in Dingle, County Kerry, where Irish is still spoken. 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 storied Irish towns as Killarney, Tralee, and Galway. We 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 three short interpretive letter-essays, several "site readings," a travel journal, and create an experiential web log of their travels.

This course meets major requirements for a 300-level English course; for Late British distribution; and the FDR-HL requirement. The program welcomes non-English majors.

Prerequisite is ENGL 384: Ireland in Literature, History, and Film, which meets from 7-10 p.m. each Thursday night of the winter term.

Program Fee (paid to W&L): $3,150. This includes 4 weeks board in Ireland, approximately 60 percent of all dinners, all transportation within Ireland and site visits, guest lectures, entrance fees and other administrative costs.

Estimated Additional Expenses: $1,600. This covers: airfare ($750); meals not included in the program fee ($500. Note: full kitchen facilities in each house); miscellaneous individual expenses ($200); books ($150).

For more information, please contact Professor Conner at connerm@wlu.edu.