Queens University - Ypres Fieldtrip 2014
In 2013 I designed a new fieldtrip module for final year students to coincide with the centenary
of World War 1. The most imaginative element of this new module would be a four day
fieldtrip to selected First World War battlefields in Belgium and France. Eight students enrolled
for this module.
The main thrust of the module was to encourage students to make connections between past
history and present experience.
Module assessment consists of two elements; a 4,000 word essay on a selected topic and a
2,000 word reflective journal. Students were given four options from which to write an essay:
1. Discuss Augustine’s theory of a Just War with reference to the First World War.
2. With reference to at least three individuals, examine the message of the war poets.
3. Explore the troublesome Irish connections to the First World War and remembrance
of it.
4. Assess the response of the churches to the First World War.
Students choose their own topic and, under individual supervision, researched and wrote their
essay over an eight week period, with submission on Monday 31 March 2014. This exercise
was very important for students in that it encouraged personal exploration of important
relevant themes relating to the War. In addition to increasing their knowledge of their chosen
area of research, the essay whetted their appetite for the fieldtrip.
We flew from Dublin to Brussels on Monday 7 April 2014 and were based in Ypres for four days.
On each day we explored selected war sites. In addition to general information about the war,
our itinerary included a consideration of: the causes of the conflict (related to conflict
resolution today), The German perspective (at Langemarck cemetery), Ireland’s dilemma (Was
England’s difficulty Ireland’s opportunity for independence?), Ireland’s commemoration issues
(which are part of our current political landscape), the changing nature of war poetry (from
simple patriotism to brutal cynicism), the ‘shot at dawn’ victims, student participation (we
visited the grave of a student from our College in Belfast).
Students produced their reflective journals within two weeks of returning home and their
reflections have been startling. For example, ‘Brilliant experience, loved the essay and the trip,
both were extremely imformative’.
‘This module was by a significant margin the most
challenging and enjoyable module during my three years of undergraduate study’. ‘’The field
trip undertaken was quite simply life changing and highly emotional’. ‘This module has quite
simply been the highlight of my time at Queen’s University’.
This module was a tremendous success and all eight participating students achieved a ‘fist’
mark for the module. More importantly and challenging is that it continues to run on an annual
basis. I have already received bookings from seven students for 2015.
It would add enormously to the project if I could run it in collaboration with students from
another university or country. The cross-fertilization of ideas would be a very healthy option.
I am certain that it makes a significant contribution to my own students’ understanding of the
relevance of history for current citizenship.
16 June 2014
Prof L S Kirkpatrick
Institute of Theology
Queen’s University, Belfast