Focused International Term:
Ireland
Faculty, Courses and College
Requirements
Why Ireland?
An International Term in Ireland provides Augustana
students with an opportunity to fulfill college
requirements in a beautiful island with a unique
culture.
While it is surely part of Europe, Ireland has always
had a culture in many ways outside of mainstream
European traditions. Ireland’s relative isolation over
the centuries kept outside influence to a minimum
and traditional culture at a maximum. Now a
prosperous modern society (with the gains and ills
that implies), Ireland is known to possess the
youngest, best educated population in Europe while
retaining many of the old customs and attitudes that
make it a unique land of intriguing people.
The Irish language is the oldest Indo-European
language outside India. Its mythology, too, has more
in common with Hinduism than with that of Greece
and Rome and Ireland boasts the oldest surviving
pre-Christian lore of Europe. In short, Ireland is
your chance to visit the exotic without mastering a
WLIT 315 (PL): Mythic and Modern in
the Irish Landscape Dr. Joe McDowell
foreign language. (Well, not too foreign.)
We will divide our 11 weeks in Ireland among three
main locations: Killarney in the South, Galway in
the West, and Dublin in the East. We will spend a
shorter block of time in Belfast in the North of
Ireland. From each of these centers we will visit
castles, prehistoric sites, museums, and abbeys in the
surrounding countryside. Additionally, we have
some interesting visits planned with local musicians
and local bogs and mountains. The last week has
been reserved for personal travel and sight-seeing.
Some places we might visit include: Rath Croghan,
The Burren, Connemara National Park, Killarney
National Forest, The Rock of Cashel, Glendalough,
Saint Patrick’s Purgatory, Ben Bulben, monastic
ruins throughout the country, the ring forts on the
Inish Islands and the Dingle Peninsula, and castles
throughout, particularly O’Brien’s Tower on the
Cliffs of Moher, Yeat’s Thoor Ballylee, and Joyce’s
Martello Tower. In Dublin we will see monuments
of Irish history: Kilmainham Gaol, The GPO, The
National Museum, O’Connell Street, St. Stephen’s
Green, Grafton Street, Temple Bar, Dublin Castle,
and, of course, St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
We will also have a brief stay in Belfast Northern
Ireland and will visit the Giant’s Causeway and tour
the murals of the different ethnic neighborhoods.
The Irish enjoy an unusually close relationship with
their land—the soil itself. In some parts of Ireland,
the succeeding generations have actually built the
soil slowly over the years by covering the rock with
kelp, sand, and manure. Every place in Ireland has a
name and each name tells a story. From myths and
early medieval legends to modern plays, this course
looks at the intimate connection of the land and the
people in the Irish imagination and culture.
ANTH 330 (PS) (G): The Anthropology
of Ireland Dr. Adam Kaul
The Anthropology of Ireland is a class that examines
Irish culture. It will cover diverse facets of social life
in Ireland, including traditional music, religion, the
conflict in The North, tourism, Irish identities, and
much more. We will discuss how Irish culture has
been represented over the last century by
anthropologists and others. As part of the course,
you will also carry out your own anthropological
research projects on various topics. You will learn
how to conduct participant observation, take
anthropological fieldnotes, and conduct interviews
with local people.
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Cost
Study in Ireland
The cost of the full program will be $15,000 for the
term. This includes all travel within Ireland as well
as boarding costs, food, tuition and other college
fees. However, this price does not include travel to
and from Ireland, since it is almost always possible
to get a better price yourself than to take the tickets
we might find for you.
BIOL 328 (PN): Natural History of
Ireland Dr. Jason Koontz
When people think of Ireland, ‘green’ is a word that
immediately comes to mind. Irish greenness comes
from the diversity of the landscapes across the island.
This course will introduce you to the natural history
of Ireland through the exploration of Ireland’s
Currently, round trip plane tickets to Ireland run
between $700 and $900, though there are frequent
sales that can reduce this price. This cost is in line
with the other international programs the college
offers. The financial aid office may allow greater
limits on loans and other aid for students on
international term. Additionally, unlike students
traveling in Fall term, Spring term students do not
have to pay for Augustana housing the term they are
out of country.
You will need no further money for the basic
program, though you will probably want extra cash
for shopping, entertainment, and the famous Irish
cheese.
For more information contact:
Joseph McDowell, Director
(309) 794-7672josephmcdowell@augustana.edu
biology and the factors that influence life on the
island. Students will collect data to ask questions
and propose explanations about Ireland’s natural
resources. Ireland is a great living laboratory where
issues of conservation biology and natural resource
use and abuse have connections to ethics, politics,
and (especially in Ireland) religion.
Spring Term 2013