SHU in Ireland
Sacred Heart University’s ground breaking Irish Studies immersion program in Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland
Sponsored by the Center for Irish Cultural Studies
SHORT-TERM PROGRAMS
INTRODUCTION
Sacred Heart University offers perhaps the most immersive Irish Studies program anywhere, as students have the unrivaled opportunity to delve into Irish culture in the heart of the Irish-speaking Dingle Gaeltacht region. Students do not merely read about Ireland; they live the Irish experience through hands-on seminars lead by accomplished scholars and local experts using Dingle as the campus classroom. All of our courses feature active participation and immersion– both in and out of the classroom. What develops is a profound understanding of Celtic culture and society, historically and in the modern world.
ABOUT DINGLE, COUNTY KERRY, IRELAND
National Geographic once described this region as “the most beautiful place on Earth.” Many refer to the idyllic location of SHU’s Center for Irish Cultural Studies as the “best of both worlds” since it provides visitors with all of the amenities of a tourist haven, but in an authentic setting with traditional Irish culture. Dingle is a place with welcoming locals and many hospitable places in which to meet them…tremendous learning resources…magnificent relics, ruins and holy places…outstanding access to other areas of the country-and to Europe…immersive activities and opportunities to try something new…and a vast, living record of folklore, celebrations, history and authentic music and dance. If you wish to experience all that Ireland has to offer, the Dingle Peninsula Gaeltacht is where you want to be. In Irish, “An Gaeltacht” refers to the few areas in Ireland in which Irish is the community language of the people. In these areas, people work to preserve the vitality of the language and all aspects of Irish culture. Complementing the traditional culture are the modern amenities which make Dingle ideal for our students: banking institutions, high-quality medical facilities, retail shops, accessibility of bus and train services, a regional airport for travel throughout Europe and proximity to larger towns and cities such as Tralee, Cork and Killarney. Our home base is in the heart and soul of the Peninsula, Dingle Town - a thriving Irish fishing port teeming with restaurants, shops and lively pubs. Both instrumental music and song have a long tradition in the area, and Dingle is renowned among music-lovers, in fact, a variety of music can be heard any night of the week.
DINGLE STUDY CENTER
Classes are held in a stately, neo-gothic building in the center of Dingle, which is also home to the Diseart Institute of Education and Celtic Culture. Also, the center now possesses the only fresco in Ireland of the Last Supper created by American artist Eleanor Yates. Students have wireless internet access in the building which also boasts a chapel with stained glass windows by renowned artist and Irishman Harry Clarke. Tranquil walled gardens surround the facility. A world-class Irish Studies Library, the collection of Professor Pádraig O Fiannachta, former Dean of Celtic Studies at the National University of Ireland Maynooth, is available to students. The library is a collection of practically all Irish scholarly works.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Students studying in the SHU in Ireland program are housed in modern, spacious, two or three bedroom holiday cottages in Dingle, which are within a short walking distance to the classroom building. These shared and furnished cottages include a kitchen (and supplies), dining room, living room and 2 or 2 1/2 baths, washer/dryer, comfortable leather couches and a flat-screen TV. Dinner is provided to the group on class days only. Students are responsible for the remaining meals—prepare an Irish delicacy by cooking in the cottage or try out a reasonably priced meal at the local pub!
FIELD TRIPS & ACTIVITIES
All short-term programs include plenty of field trips and cultural activities, to give students a chance to truly experience Irish culture and see first-hand what is behind the theories or lessons of the classroom. Field trips and cultural activities during the short- term programs have included:
· walking "The Saint's Path" with T.P., a local expert on all things Dingle
· archaeological tours to sites on the Peninsula
· a night at a traditional Irish singing club
· Irish set dancing lessons
· a boat trip to the Blasket Islands off the coast of Dingle (not offered for the January term)
· weekly field trips planned to complement specific courses
· recreational and social activities such as: sea kayaking, boat trips to see Fungi (Dingle's resident dolphin), hiking to the top of Mount Brandon and horseback riding.
ACADEMIC CALENDAR
January Session: January 2-January 15, 2012
January 1: Students Depart US
January 2: Arrive in Ireland
January 15: Depart Dingle
May Session: May 12 – May 27, 2012
May 11: Students depart US
May 12: Arrive in Ireland
May 27: Depart Dingle
COURSES (Subject to change. Courses may be canceled due to lack of enrollment, program changes and/or may be capped).
All students will enroll in one course and receive three (3) credits on a Sacred Heart University issued transcript. Classes are held Monday through Thursday during most weeks to allow for immersion into the Dingle community and weekend travel opportunities.
JANUARY 2012 COURSE OFFERINGS
History and Memory in Modern Ireland (HI257)
Ireland has memories; some collective and others individual. It can trace its culture and identity from centuries of myth and history. Despite the limited size of Ireland, disputes about history seem to at times overwhelm agreements. This course will investigate some flashpoints: North and South, Catholic and Protestant, British and other non-Irish viewpoints, and historical interpretation over time. Major events, such as the 1798 Rebellion, 19thc. land wars, 1916 Easter Rising, 1920-21 war of independence, and 1969 riots between Catholics and Protestants will show the interplay of history and memory. The revival of Irish music in the 1960s also underlines the role of memory for national and cultural identity.
Contemporary Issues in Marketing: Ireland and the Dingle Peninsula (MK 399)
MK 399 will focus on the various marketing issues that currently affect businesses in Ireland and, specifically, on the Dingle Peninsula. Students will expand their basic knowledge of marketing through on-site visits to businesses and guest lecturers, through which they will learn first-hand about current marketing techniques and challenges. Students will also analyze these marketing techniques and present their observations and recommendations to help businesses further develop their individual marketing plans. Because of the unique nature of Dingle and the seasonality of its businesses, special attention will be paid to the further development and introduction of e-commerce and the Internet into the existing marketing mix. Students will analyze both the potential marketing threats and advantages which technology brings to the region.
Religion in Contemporary Ireland (RS 299)
This course will examine the complex and diverse factors involved in shaping the current reality of religion in Ireland. The changing face of the religious sensibility—new theologies, new spiritualities, new challenges—will be situated within the larger context of Irish history, the critical role of Catholicism as the principal cultural determinative, and the multi-cultural and multi-faith dimensions of twenty-first century Ireland.
MAY 2012 COURSE OFFERINGS
Geology of Ireland (PY 299)
Here is an opportunity to know Ireland – up close and personal. Mystical Ireland rose from the sea as a result of cataclysmic collisions on the way to “Pangaea,” the single land mass earth once had. Intense earthquakes shook the rocks; volcanic eruptions poured materials all over the land. The sea floor was uplifted and folded into massive mountains and deep valleys. Ireland also experienced global warming and cooling, from soothing warm tropical seas to the massive glaciers that gouged out the landscape we see today. Ireland exhibits all the evidence. The following areas of study will be involved in this program: Plate tectonics, interpreting rocks (earth’s textbook), volcanic evidence, faults, folds, cave formation and phenomena, and glacial structures. After the theoretical concepts are discussed in a classroom setting, field investigation and analysis will constitute most of the course. This course will be led by Professor Joel Block.
Modern Irish Literature (ENG 299)
Ireland’s rich history is full of stories: the coming of Christianity, the potato famine, the turbulent journey toward self-rule. Contemporary writers frequently draw upon this history to make sense of what has gone before and to explore present conflicts with some measure of distance. Reading some of Ireland’s more recent literature, we will explore various re-animations of the country’s past— the Celtic Iron Age, the colonial actions of Sir Edmund Spenser’s time, the remapping project of the mid-nineteenth century, and the IRA hunger strikes of the early 1980s among them—in order to uncover the significance of these stories for our own time. In the novels, plays, and poems of Seamus Heaney, Colum McCann, Marina Carr, Brian Friel, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill and others, we will explore writers’ reimaginings of the Irish past for the sake of its present and future. This course will be led by Professor Jenny-Rebecca Falcetta.
Theology & Native Irish Spirituality (RS 315)
Students will be introduced to the concepts of theology and spirituality, and will become familiar with the wealth of the tradition of early Celtic spirituality, including that native to the Dingle Peninsula, and its influence on Celtic myth, folklore and customs. As part of the course, participants will have the opportunity to interact with local people of the Dingle Peninsula to hear first-hand and on a personal level about the relationship between culture, theology and spirituality in contemporary Irish culture. Through readings, in-class reflection and discussion and written assignments, students will also utilize Celtic theological and spiritual concepts to examine the role of spirituality in their own lives. Field trips to archaeological sites give students a tangible representation of the history, depth and longevity of the Irish spiritual tradition. Through various cultural activities, students will also be exposed to aspects of Celtic culture including history, music and dance. This course will be led by Professor June-Anne Greeley.
Nursing Leadership (NU370)
Taking a comparative perspective focusing on the American and Irish contexts, this course focuses on leadership and management activities integral to the provision of health care for individuals, families and/or communities. These activities require assessment, collaboration and evaluation. The ability to work and communicate with others is fundamental to these activities. The transition to the role of the professional nurse in the American and Irish contexts is also explored. Themes of the course are health care as a system, professionalism and the role of the nurse in the provision of cost-effective quality care. Concepts and theories of leadership and management are integrated. Students analyze the health care delivery system in the United States and Ireland and its relationship to the practice of nursing. This course will be led by Professor Sherylyn Watson. Prerequisites: NU 340, NU 365
Irish Cultural Perspectives in Social Work Practice (SW299)
This course will expose students to understanding the bio-psychosocial and spiritual approach to the professional helping process through the Irish perspective. Students will interact with Irish human service professionals, visit social service programs and agencies in Irish communities, and learn about Ireland’s social service/welfare delivery system. Assignments will include learning about the Irish cultural heritage, typical Irish family dynamics, as well as developing interviewing and assessment skills through interactions with local residents. Students will also develop skills of cultural competence through interactions with local culturally diverse populations that seek refuge in Ireland. This course will be led by Professor Patricia Carl-Stannard.
Sports Marketing (SM265)
This course will serve as an introduction to the fascinating world of sport business and international marketing. Students will work on a project that involves important sport entities from the Dingle and County Kerry region of Ireland. Additionally, students will interact with and work with a local school in Dingle. The course will include site visits to related businesses, and key sport figures in Ireland will be brought into the class as guest speakers to supplement the course material. A strong focus will be placed upon both of the following: 1) marketing “of” various sports and sport products, and 2) marketing “through” sport - the latter of which will involve the use of sport as the vehicle to market non-sport products and services. This course will be led by Professor Joshua Shuart.
TESTIMONIALS
· “The course surpassed my expectations. I was amazed with how much knowledge each teacher had. The field trips were my favorite part. I got to see so many interesting things that I will never forget. I had such a great time.” ~Student from May term, 2011
· “I would definitely recommend the course, the experience abroad is exciting and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see another culture and fulfill a course requirement.” ~Student from January term, 2011
· “This experience has been one of the greatest times of my life. I learned so much about myself and how different other cultures are. I would love to come back to Dingle in the future and I wouldn't have traded this experience for anything” ~Tara May term, 2011
PROGRAM COSTS
JANUARY INTENSIVE 2012 & MAY INTENSIVE 2012
Through the normal billing process, Sacred Heart University will bill students the regular Sacred Heart University part-time tuition rate which currently is $1500 (for 3 credits). Sacred Heart University will also bill students $1460 for the remaining program fees, for a total $2960 per session. In summary, the following is included in your program fees:
· 3 tuition credits
· Holiday accommodations
· Overnight excursion
· Day field trips and tours
· Group & extracurricular activities
· Dinner on class days (Welcome dinner also provided)
· HTH international insurance plan
· Orientation: Program Handbook & orientation held at SHU and in Dingle
· Transportation to and from airport in Ireland for those on group flight
· On-site support
Notes:
Students are responsible for costs associated with airfare, books, all breakfasts/lunches (dinner provided on class days only), and personal expenses. Please click here for an estimated budget sheet. **A group flight has been arranged, admitted students will receive full details.
Apply for the Matthew Dalling Scholarship Now!
Note: College of Business students (at SHU) who are currently enrolled in The Welch Experience and who have not yet utilized their study abroad tuition credit are exempt from paying the tuition portion of the program cost ($1,500) when taking one business course. In order to take advantage of the waiver program, these students must apply.
Sacred Heart Students – Sacred Heart University scholarships and grants will not apply for the short-term programs. Students are welcome to contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance regarding loan opportunities and apply for scholarships.
Visiting Students – If you receive a financial aid package from your home institution, please check with your Study Abroad/Financial Aid Office to find out if this may be used for SHU in Ireland. Upon request, we are happy to provide your institution with the necessary documentation to support this. Please note that Sacred Heart University will not process financial aid for visiting students.
Download the SHU in Ireland Program Handbook here!
Lonely Planet lists Dingle among Ireland's top ten!
Sacred Heart helps charity through concert in Dingle!
APPLY NOW!
Deadline to Apply for January term is Friday, October 5