Trinity College Dublin

Students learn to read and translate basic classical Old Irish. They describe the orthography of Old Irish and how it differs from its modern counterpart, learn to analyze the grammatical structure of basic Old Irish sentences with the appropriate terminology, and to describe the concept of the "paradigm" and apply it to the grammatical analysis. The course teaches students how to recognize and explain the main differences between Old and Modern Irish, how to apply the skills of grammatical analysis acquired in the study of Old Irish to any other language, and how to use textual glossaries competently.

This course examines the role of human psychology - human thought and behavior - in the climate and biodiversity crises. Students learn about topics such as political and social identities, motivated reasoning and cognitive biases, money and power, human and social systems, morality, and the psychology of protest and civic action. 

This course helps students refine their ability to understand and interpret research from across the discipline of geography and develop their capstone project. It assists students in developing evidence-based opinions about research and assists them in identifying how they can help to push forward research frontiers through their own research activities. Following introductory lectures on the research process the course involves reading research papers and identifying questions about them; participating in seminars given by geography researchers presenting a research project they have been involved with that relates to the papers they read; discussions about opportunities and challenges when conducting geographical research; and reflections on what they have learnt about the research process through the course. Students also practice their own writing skills.

This course focuses upon Supernatural literature and film from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Students study novels by authors such as Ira Levin, Shirley Jackson, Jay Anson, Paul Tremblay, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Koji Suzuki. Selected films from a variety of national contexts are also featured. Students are introduced to the work of key critics and theorists dealing with the supernatural as a literary and filmic form and are encouraged to consider the ways in which classic supernatural themes and tropes have been updated to reflect contemporary anxieties, social mores, and cultural preoccupations. Students reflect upon the ways in which supernatural literatures from a range of global cultures (the USA, Wales, Spain Japan and England) might differ in their approach to depicting the otherworldly and the uncanny. The ways in which past national and personal traumas (and sources of guilt) can be refracted through supernatural narratives is also considered, and issues pertaining to faith, identity, and modernity are discussed.

In this course, students address the question of how political institutions affect economic development.  Students examine three core sets of institutions - state, nation, and regime – examining their character and development in both historical and contemporary perspective.  Students look at how democratic nation states emerged in the West, comparing this to the experiences of contemporary developing countries. They consider the major theories on how these institutions impact on development and what empirical evidence they have about this relationship.

This course introduces some key themes, concepts, and debates in urban geography. In particular it focuses on the concept of urban regeneration. Taking a critical view of urban regeneration, the course first considers the emergence of these tropes out of concerns about de-industrialization and dereliction brought about by the restructuring of the global economy following the 1970s recession. It then focusses specifically on the urban impacts of globalization, in particular how cities in the developed world have managed the shift from industrialism to post-industrialism. Next, the course examines regeneration from a number of perspectives. Finally, the course reflects on the extent to which urban regeneration remains a relevant approach in the post-crisis period characterized by austerity urbanism and growing precarity. Particular attention is given to the circular nature of processes of urban growth and decline and how regeneration efforts include and exclude particular social groups and identities.

Penology involves the study of how the state punishes those who have been convicted of offences. The subject covers the interlocking issues of sentencing, prison, and non-custodial punishments. Students to an in-depth look at the penal system and evaluate why, when, and how it is legitimate for the state to punish its citizens. The course also takes a practical look at the administration of punishment, with a particular focus on prisons. Students examine the contemporary issues and problems concerning these institutions and evaluate possibilities for reform. Analysis of penal policy and how it is formed is also involved. Penology involves a broad multi-disciplinary approach which includes aspects of sociology, political theory, and philosophy as well as law and human rights. It is closely related to criminology. Students are not required to take the course in criminology, however, penology and criminology are natural partner-courses and students who study both will find that they inform one another.

The cooperation of people from different disciplinary backgrounds is becoming increasingly important in developing knowledge and solutions in a complex world. This course explores how knowledge is created in and across disciplines, specifically by examining intersection between Computer Science and the disciplines of the Humanities commonly known as the Digital Humanities. It illustrates the potential benefits of and challenges to these interactions, by examining both emerging digital technologies and the traditional roots of cultural production such as language, historical records and institutions, and the arts. 

In this course, students identify the main historical phases in the development of Spanish, from its Latin roots to the modern language it is today.  Students learn to appreciate the influence of the different language varieties which shared, or share with Spanish the geographical space of the Iberian Peninsula, on its linguistic structures. This course helps students recognize the role of the Castilian dialect as the basis of Modern Spanish, and defines the process of its standardization. Students will discuss the role of Spanish as the primary medium of Spanish colonization.

This course covers the topic of food to explore the history of Mexico and its diaspora from the time of the Conquest, with a particular focus on food as national and cultural identity as reflected in cinema and literature. It will also explore how food provides a multifaceted lens through which to examine issues such as food and poverty, food as a transnational site of both community and exclusion, and ecological issues, such as control of natural resources essential to food production and security. Students will examine the topic of food as both a political issue and a source of creative inspiration through our analysis of texts, art, films and television series.