Ireland

This course aims to engender a mastery of the fundamentals of programming in C++, a language compiled to optimised machine-code, usable in a uniquely wide range of scenarios, from low level ‘close to the metal’ ones to ones involving high level programming abstractions. Command-line tools are used for program development so the module serves also as an introduction to that approach.

This course examines the social and economic justifications for intellectual property rights as well as their multi-layered regulation. Drawing upon a selection of domestic intellectual property regimes, this course shows the impact of international and European law and decision-making on EU Member States and critically evaluates some of the policies and goals that underlie today’s intellectual property. Although the idea of multi-level regulation of patent and copyright laws goes back to the end of the 19th century, intellectual property rights and their enforcement have been globalized more effectively since the establishment of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1994 and the related adoption of an international agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (known as the ‘TRIPS’ Agreement). The course provides an in-depth examination of the most important provisions of this Agreement and of other international intellectual property conventions, as well as EU regulations and directives that sought to harmonize (or in certain cases even unify, as in the case of trademarks and designs) national legal systems such as the Irish one.

This course examines politics and political science using a feminist analysis and a gendered lens. The course looks at the gendered nature of politics and examines topics including women in politics, gendered institutions, gender power, political leadership through a gendered lens and mechanisms to address the under-representation of women in political life.

This course trains students to put traditional Irish music theory into practice. Students are introduced to a wide range of traditional repertoire, styles and techniques, taught by leading artists in the field. Students then apply these skills to their own performances, compositions or arrangements, which are submitted at the end of the semester. Students work on one major project and one minor project, choosing any two of the following options:

- Performance
- Composition/Arrangement
- Essay

Performance:
Major Performances will be a set of tunes, to be performed and recorded in Weeks 11-12, showcasing a variety of the playing styles studied in class.
Minor Performances will be a single tune or song demonstrating some of the techniques taught in class

Composition/Arrangement
Major Compositions will be an original work or set of tunes, exploring a variety of the instrumental and regional playing styles studied in class. Minor Performances will be a single original tune or song demonstrating some of the techniques taught in class.
Major Arrangements of traditional material will be written for at least 6 of instruments available from among the ensemble. Minor arrangements will be written for at least 2 of instruments available from among the ensemble.

Essay
Major Essays will be 5000 words, researching a topic covered in class (or closely related topics, to be approved by MC).
Minor Essays will be a 1000-word commentary on the student's recording or composition, outlining the styles and techniques demonstrated.

This course offers an exploration of the derivation, development and practice of Irish foreign, security and defense policies, with a particular focus on contemporary challenges. Students gain a detailed insight into Ireland's place in the contemporary world order, the transformation of Irish national foreign, security and defense policy through its membership of the European Union and the efforts of Irish policy makers to pursue Irish interests and values within an evolving global order. This includes an analysis of Irish foreign policy strategy, policy making and economic, political and military engagement. This course provides a solid theoretical and empirical grounding for further advanced study, and encourages students to compare and to evaluate critically competing understandings of Ireland in the world. Transferable skills are developed through independent research, teamwork, communications and role play.

This course examines the causes and consequences of climate change in relation to agriculture, recognizing agriculture as both a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and a sector highly vulnerable to climate impacts. With particular attention to Ireland, where agriculture accounts for a substantial share of national emissions, the course explores innovative land-use solutions and strategies for mitigation and adaptation at local and global scales. Topics include livestock management, food systems and dietary choices, agricultural efficiency, bioenergy, and policy pathways toward carbon neutrality, including those proposed by Teagasc. The course also emphasizes the development of research skills, including the sourcing, critical evaluation, and synthesis of information related to agriculture and climate change.

This course provides students with an overview of the origins, languages, literatures, and mythologies of the Celts from prehistoric to medieval times. This course begins with a survey of the main periods of Celtic archaeology and then considers how the Celts were portrayed by Classical Greek and Roman authors, our only written sources for the history of ancient Celtic Europe. Following this, English translations of legal and historical texts composed in Ireland from the seventh century onwards are drawn upon to build up a picture of life in the medieval Celtic world, considering topics such as the structure of early Irish society and the role of women. In the second half of the course, students are introduced to the main genres of early Irish literature. This rich tradition will complement insights gained in the first half of the course. Students will focus on reading texts within the contemporary medieval context and will become familiar with the diversity of the early Irish literary tradition. The course also addresses recent scholarship in relation to the interpretation of the relevant literature.
 

This course is for students who have no previous knowledge of Korean and offers an introduction to Korean language and culture. It enables students to develop competence in a range of everyday tasks in Korean. The course focuses on oral communication and on acquiring essential listening and speaking abilities. Students develop and practice basic reading and writing techniques. The stimulus material (oral, aural and written) provide an introduction to Korean grammar and syntax and contribute to giving the students an insight into aspects of Korean life and culture. This course is delivered via small group teaching with classes having a maximum of 16 students.

This course focuses on investigating the types of societies that occupied Europe in the Bronze Age and the role they played in shaping an emergent European civilization. A range of themes are addressed including patterns of production, exchange, and interaction, the role of warfare, and the exceptional social and economic developments evident in central Europe, the Aegean, and Iberia. Following these thematic treatments, students investigate more critically the nature of Bronze Age societies in Europe by focusing on how the concept of "chiefdoms" has been developed and used by anthropologists and archaeologists. This involves a close look at some Polynesian chiefdoms that have been used as interpretive models to help understand Bronze Age European societies and then specific European case studies focused on Denmark, Wessex in England, and the Munster region in Ireland.