Requirements for the Minor

Irish Studies Courses -- Fall 2008

ENG 342WR:  Modern Irish Literature
Higgins, TT 11:30-12:45, Max: 25

Content:
This course will offer a contextual and thematic examination of Irish writing from the Revival to the present.   Ireland has been imagined or invented since ancient times by the writers, artists and thinkers who lived in, worked in or colonized “this most distressful country”. W.B.Yeats and his contemporaries in the Irish Revival believed that writers could change the course of history. Indeed according to Denis Donoghue, "Yeats invented a country and called it Ireland." We will read a wide range of Irish authors, concentrating on the ways in which the imagined Ireland often suppressed and surpassed the "real" Ireland. There will be three topics of particular study (i) Staging Ireland (ii) Women and Ireland and (iii) Irish writing and Violence.
Texts:
Possible authors include: Brendan Behan, Eavan Boland, Ciaran Carson, Brian Friel, Lady Augusta Gregory, Seamus Heaney, James Joyce, Michael Longley, Deirdre Madden, Derek Mahon, John McGahern, J.M. Synge, W. B Yeats.

Eng 348SWR:Contemporary Literature: Contemporary Irish Poetry
Schuchard, TT 11:30-12:45, Max: 18

Content: This course is based upon a close critical reading and evaluation of poetry written by Irish poets in English during the past forty years and whose work is currently at the forefront of international poetic discourse. The course focuses on poets from Northern Ireland and the Republic, on Protestant and Catholic, on urban working class poets and feminist poets, all in the context of the Irish literary tradition, the history of modern Ireland, and the Troubles.

Poets to be studied include John Montague, Seamus Heaney, Derek Mahon, Michael Longley, Eavan Boland, Paul Muldoon, Rita Ann Higgins, Bernard O'Donoghue, Dennis O'Driscoll, and Medbh McGuckian.

Particulars: Writing requirements include two 5-7 page critical papers based on the work of poets studied, and one longer 10-12 page final essay based upon independent study of additional work (poems or volumes not studied in class) by one or more poets studied. The focus of the course is on individual volumes of poetry and on their relation to the poet's entire oeuvre. Each student is responsible for reading the complete poems of one poet and leading a discussion of a particular volume studied by all students. Textual study of the poems will be complemented by manuscript examination in Special Collections when possible.

As this is an advanced course, it is assumed that students have taken English 205 or its equivalent; otherwise, students should seek permission of the instructor before registering.
 
MUS 270S: Traditional Irish Music
Flannery, Th, 4:00-6:30 p.m., MAX 18

Content: From the Chieftains, Altan, Solas and Enya on to Sinead O'Connor, U2, Riverdance and The Irish Tenors, in recent years there has been a huge interest in Irish music as performed in a wide variety of contexts and forms. This course will focus on the historical roots of that phenomenon, starting with the bards of ancient Ireland and continuing down to modern times. Special emphasis will be placed on the nineteenth century effort, amidst a situation of colonial oppression, to carry over into English the riches of the earlier Gaelic tradition. Attention will also be paid to the uneasy relationship between Irish folk and classical music, the distinctions between Irish and Irish-American music and contemporary efforts to connect traditional Irish music with related folk music of the world. Guest performers in the field will be invited to discuss and demonstrate their work,. Opportunities will exist for student instrumentalists and singers to develop their talents and skills for in-class presentation.

Texts: Articles, book chapters, recordings and films will be assigned throughout the course, many of which will be available in the library.

Particulars: No prerequisites. Grades will be determined on the basis of weekly response papers, a mid-term examination, an oral presentation and a research paper of some 10-12 pages.