General Information
Celtic May Term preparation includes readings, discussions and movies. This will give you a
background on the history, culture and peace-building processes associated with sectarian
conflict in N. Ireland. Most of the readings/assignments/discussions can be completed
online. There will be one FTF full-group meetings in April to process the material, develop your
personal research question, learn how to conduct and videotape interviews, and cover the details
of our trip, itinerary and departure plans.
For each reading assigned, you will see a blog box; we are asking you to read ALL of the
readings, but submit a blog response only once a month (January-March). You are required
to respond to two other people's blogs each month (January-March). You may work ahead (e.g.,
over Christmas break), but you should complete your blog entry and responses for each
reading/movie no later than the date given below.
We will meet 4 times during the Spring semester. If you are forced to miss a meeting, you
need to submit blog responses for all of the readings that month. The April Marathon is a
mandatory meeting.
Watch movies with subtitles/captions because it is difficult to make out the accent until you
get accustomed to it.
January 14: Historical Origins of Irish & British Conflict
Reading Required: Mulholland: N. Ireland a Very Short Introduction
Watch Movie: Michael Collins OR The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Read: “Easter 1916” by W.B. Yeats (poem)
Understanding Check:
1) How did the British colonialism impact Ireland and Northern Ireland?
2) What is the importance of these dates? 1170, 1641, 1690, 1798, 1912, 1916, 1921, 1969.
3) What did the Penal Laws (16th -20th c.) have to do with land ownership, religion, language,
intermarriage, voting rights, education, employment, in Ireland?
4) What were causes of the Potato Famine?
5) Consider the events of 1609, 1641, 1689, 1690 -- why are these dates important to Ulster
Unionists? What are the roots of difference and identity between Irish Nationals and Ulster
Unionists?
January 21: Contemporary Conflict in N. Ireland
Watch Movie: Bloody Sunday
Read: “The Orange Idealist” by Robert Wilson Lynd
For additional understanding, check out this 1 hour documentary
Understanding Check: What are the principal political, cultural, and religious differences
between the Irish Catholics (also called Nationalists or Republicans) and the Ulster Protestants
(also called Unionists or Loyalists)? Why do you think that the conflict boiled over into an armed
war between paramilitaries in the 1970s-1990s?
January 28: Scottish & British History
Read: Scotland: A Very Short Introduction (Houston)
Understanding Check:
* Who were the native peoples of the area we now call Scotland?
* What is the historical tension between England and Scotland (e.g., 13th-century-14thcentury)? Who was William Wallace and Earl of Bruce?
* What was the Jacobite Rebellion? Who was Bonnie Prince Charles?
* Who was Mary Queen of Scots and what was her role in Scottish history?
* How did the Reformation play out in Scotland? Who was John Knox?
* Who were the Covenenters?
* What was the Union of the Crowns?
JANUARY 31 SUNDAY MTG TBA
We will discuss questions associated with readings. Try to answer as many as you can, but don't
panic if you don't have all the answers!
Monday, February 1
Tom McGill -- [we will meet Tom again in Belfast!]
Knickerbocker Theatre
4-5:30 p.m.
Revelation Fuels Transformation: Sharing stories from the margins through drama and film.
Tom Magill’s life was transformed in prison, when his enemy became his teacher. Since then,
Tom has worked with a diverse range of marginalized groups using storytelling and drama to
draw out the stories that people want to share. Often, these stories are of the trauma they have
inflicted or suffered in the past. The experience of recording and sharing their stories through
writing and on film is often therapeutic. It can also help people discover personal revelations that
enable them to transform their lives. Tom will screen some examples of short films that people
have made and are happy to share. Below is a range of groups that Tom has worked with. •
Youth involved in crime • Single parent women • Political prisoners (both Republican and
Loyalist) • Ordinary prisoners • Medically retired prison officers • Widows • Homeless youth •
Alcoholics • Substance misusers • Refugees/asylum seekers • Trauma survivors • Youth
suffering mental illness • Adult males & females with forensic mental illness in secure settings •
Children who have experienced Child Sexual Exploitation • Children suffering from cancer,
including terminal cancer • Women who have been trafficked for sex work
Feb. 4: Historical and Contemporary Scottish & British Tensions
Watch Movie: Braveheart
https://thehande.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/braveheart-the-10-historical-inaccuracies-youneed-to-know-before-watching-the-movie/
Listen: Rabbie Burns song sung at Opening of the First Scottish Parliament (watch ending)
Translation in Modern English
Who was Rabbie Burns?
Scottish National Anthem: 'Oh Flower of Scotland'
Understanding Check:
* When did Scotland establish their Parliament and what powers does it have?
* What was the recent Scottish referendum for sovereignty? {google this]
Feb. 11: Nonviolent Resistance
Read: Chenowith, Chapter 1 in Why Civil Resistance Works
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005SZEEXQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1
Read: 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action
Understanding Check:
* When does nonviolent resistance work?
* How do nonviolent resistance and war or armed conflict compare in terms of efficacy?
* Is violence ever justified? Is there such a thing as a 'just war'?
Feb. 18: Non-violent Resistance
Watch Movie: Stone of Destiny
Understanding Check:
* Why would college students risk their lives and future for a piece of rock? Can you
think of a symbol within the US that would have the same power of meaning?
* How is this an example of nonviolent resistance?
Feb. 24: Impact of Violence in N. Ireland
Watch Movie: Omagh (OPTIONAL MOVIE)
Check out famous Irish poet: Seamus Heaney audio links
Into Poetry? Check out more: "Poems from Opened Ground" by Seamus Heaney: “Digging,”
“Punishment,” “Whatever You Say Say Nothing,” “Singing School,” “After a Killing,” “From
the Republic of Conscience,” and “Voices from Lemnos” and his essay “Crediting Poetry” (you
can find these poems all online) ♣ Also the essay, for context, called “What I’ve Learned from
Seamus Heaney”
FEBRUARY 28 SUNDAY MTG TBA
Bring questions and ideas from the reading and movies for discussion.
Let's start thinking about projects -- any ideas of a theme you'd like to pursue?
March 3: Contested Space & Contested Narratives
Readings: (1) "Attitudes to Peace Walls: Research Report to Office of First Minister and Deputy
First Minister," University of Ulster. (2) "Public Memorializing in Post-Modernity: The Vietnam
Veterans Memorial as Prototype," Carole Blair, et al., Quarterly Journal of Speech 77 (1991):
263-288 (3) MORRISSEY, M. (12/2006). International journal of urban and regional research:
Planning for peace in contested space Blackwell Publishing. doi:10.1111/j.14682427.2006.00696.x
Understanding Check:
* What does the Vietnam War Memorial mean to you?
* Do you think the memorials in N. Ireland promote or hinder peace-building? What
about the walls?
* What are other examples of 'contested space'?
* What are the 'contested narratives' of Republicans (Catholic) vs. Unionists (Protestant)
that start to emerge from the readings and movies you've done so far? [An example of
contested narratives in the USA is the meaning of Columbus Day and Thanksgiving. What
are other 'contested narratives' that characterize contemporary conflicts?]
March 10: Contested Identities
Watch Movie: In the Name of the Father
Check out Protest Music:
1) “Zombie” by the Cranberries, lyrics, Warrington Bomb Attacks
2) “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2
3) “Suspect Device” by Stiff Little Fingers
MARCH 13 SUNDAY MTG TBA
Let's talk about contested space and contested narratives! No blog on these readings, just come
to meeting prepared to talk.
And...let's talk about project ideas!
March 17 -- SPRING BREAK
March 24: Peace Workers
Read: “Men Who Walked the Street: Father Alex Reid and the Rev. Dr. Roy Magee” from
Peacemakers in Action
Watch: Fourteen Days of Terror (Optional: 1 hour short documentary)
Watch: Father Alec Reid, Peacemaker (Required: 1/2 hour short) OR Read "Men Who Walked
the Street..."
Understanding Check:
*What was Father Reid's role in the peace process? What are the names of the major
players and the names of the peace accords?
*What would motivate a man like Father Reid to risk his life and position?
*What are the parallels with nonviolent resistance movements in the USA? (e.g., Civil
Rights Movement)
*How and why does nonviolence work? How do tactics for social change intersect with
your faith?
March 31: Hunger Strikes
Watch Movie: Some Mother's Son OR Hunger
Readings: 1) "Radical Reconciliation: Beyond Political Pietism and Christian Quietism," Allen
Boesak and Curtiss P. DeYoung. 2012. Orbis Books, New York. (pp. 115-158). OR 2) "A
Meta Analysis of Intergroup Forgiveness," Daryl VanTongeren, et al., The Journal of Positive
Psychology (2013). ALSO read John Paul Lederach, "Transformational Conflict" OR watch
brief interview with John Paul Lederach.
Understanding Check:
* What is peace-building?
* What is reconciliation?
* What is difference between conflict transformation and conflict resolution/management?
* What is forgiveness? How do you EVER forgive someone who has murdered your
family? How does your faith inform your perspective on forgiveness?
Saturday, April 9: APRIL MARATHON -- PLAN ON ALL DAY
Watch Movie: 5 Minutes of Heaven [prior to meeting]
Read: OPTIONAL (but a favorite of previous CMT students!) "David & Goliath"
GROUP MEETING: Processing Material & Developing Research Questions
Celtic Music: Special Guest Greg Wegner
Dialogue Resource Packet
Group Meeting:
*Finalizing Research Questions
*How to do Interviews & Developing Interview Questions
*How to Videorecord and Construct Video Essay
*The Elevator Speech
*Preview of Course Responsibilities for Trip: interviews, journals, participation
Readings to Take on Trip
Christ of the Celts (book) by Phillip Newell (Read this on plane!)