Courses
Please note that not every course listed is offered each year and students should consult STU Self Service for current course offerings.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
IRSH-2003. Art of the Golden Age: Book of Kells (FNAR)
In this course students will study the artistic and cultural legacy of the Irish illuminated manuscript the Book of Kells. A Fine Art component of the course includes studio instruction in Celtic design, drawing, and illumination.
IRSH-2006. Introduction to Irish Studies
A general introduction to Irish society and culture. This course will provide an overview of the unique characteristics of the island and its people. Students will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with aspects of Ireland's land, cultural development, economy, politics, and literature.
IRSH-2113. Visualizing Irish Culture Through the Arts
This course will examine the broad influence of the arts on Ireland through the history of Irish poetry, painting, drama, music, architecture, religion, fiction, and film. Prerequisite: IRSH 2006 or permission of the instructor.
IRSH-2173. Introduction to the Irish Language I
Students will study the Irish Language, learning through exercises the four language learning skills: speaking, reading, writing and listening. There will an emphasis on the Irish spoken currently in Ireland today, supplemented by insights into modern Irish society and culture. Students will also learn about the linguistic composition of Ireland as a bilingual nation and how the Irish-speaking community has survived and continues to survive amidst a large dominant Irish Anglophone majority. No previous knowledge of Irish is required.
IRSH-2183. Introduction to the Irish Language II
A continuation of IRSH 2173. This course will follow on from the first semester, building on students knowledge of the Irish Language so far. The course will focus more on topics practical to students to practise their Irish here in Canada and also if they find themselves in a real-life situation in Irish-speaking Ireland (e.g. making enquiries, interests, sport, food and drink, asking directions). The course will focus on the four skills of speaking, writing, reading and listening. Students will develop their speaking ability as well as their ability to converse. Students will continue to learn more about Irish culture on this topic-by-topic basis throughout. Prerequisite: IRSH 2173.
IRSH-2193. Themes in the Cultural History of Ireland
This course is an introduction to specific topics in Irish Cultural History. Topics will vary from year to year and may include immigration, women in Irish society, popular culture, consumerism, the diaspora, music and the arts, etc.
IRSH-2463. Irish Literature
This course is a survey of the major figures in twentieth century Irish literature including W. B. Yeats, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, and Seamus Heaney. The Irish nationalism is a central focus. The course also includes a film component and features director/auteurs such as Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan. The impact of the Irish diaspora on the literature and film of America is also considered, with special reference to Eugene O'Neill.
IRSH-3213. Lines of Vision: Landscape, Art, and Irish Writing
This course is designed to deepen awareness and appreciation of Ireland's cultural landscape as it is expressed in the great Irish sagas' use of location and space, landscape and place, by examining how these are manifest. The overall premise is to assist the students' understanding of the concept of cultural representation with subsequent application of this understanding through the contemplation of the great Irish Sagas in the context of landscape, Irish based paintings, sculpture, music, subsequent literature, folk art and industry. It will examine specific and emblematic examples of the interdependence and cross-fertilization of mythology and the land with culture and poetry, painting, drama, music, and folklore.
IRSH-3423. Modern Irish Drama (ENGL)
In this course students will study selected plays from the major Irish dramatists of the 20th century.
IRSH-3483. Irish Film I (ENGL)
This course will study native Irish culture and the culture of the Irish diaspora. Students will view films of high realist auteurs as well as adaptations of novels, short stories, and plays to the big screen.
IRSH-3693. Irish Film II (ENGL)
This course continues the study of the portrayal of the Irish in feature films begun in Irish Film I, there is, however, a greater emphasis on the films and auteurs of contemporary Ireland. The critical approach, as with Irish Film I, relies primarily on cultural studies theory.