Celtic Studies

The course introduces students to the early literature of the Celtic countries (which is studied in translation). This course deals with the early heroic literature of the Celtic countries, with a focus on Irish texts from the Ulster Cycle and in particular on Táin Bó Cúailnge, THE CATTLE-RAID OF COOLEY, the most important extant epic from medieval Ireland.

This course studies Celtic mythology with a main emphasis on Irish and Welsh mythological texts. It provides an understanding of Celtic mythology from before Christianity and how this tradition has continued into the Christian era.

Students engage in basic everyday interactions in Irish; learn how to introduce themselves in Irish and give some details about themselves and their background; build on their conversational skills and vocabulary; and obtain a basic understanding of Irish grammar and phonetics.

In this course, students study the main cycles into which Early Irish literature is divided for purposes of analysis; the varying views of modern scholarship regarding the nature and function of early Irish saga; the main features of heroic biography and apply the template to the sagas read; the underlying moral or message of the sagas studied; and the relevance of Early Irish saga for the modern reader.

This course provides a survey of Irish-language poetry composed during the twentieth century. Using Louis De Paor’s bilingual edition of poems from the period, Leabhar na hAthghabála | Poems of Repossession, the course discusses questions of thematic and stylistic continuity as well as evidence for evolution within the poetic tradition of the Irish. Common themes and conventions in the Irish language poetry of the 20th century as well as an understanding of how these themes underwent development and were re-articulated over the course of the century are acquired. Such themes include gender discourse, post-colonialism, and the politics of language. Introductory use of literary theories and secondary sources is also included.

This course concerns the status, roles, and representation of women in medieval Irish and Welsh society. The student is introduced to primary material which can inform us about the socio-legal position of women in these societies as contrasted with that of men, including legal tracts, literary texts, historical texts and didactic writings, the originals of which were written in Irish, Welsh, and Latin (but read in English translation). The importance of marriage and other kinds of union in the lives of women is examined, and the impact these unions had on women’s social status will be assessed. Various literary texts are read, with a view to considering how femininities and masculinities are constructed in them, and the characters of prominent literary women are examined and analyzed. The question of women’s agency in society, especially in the area of learning, as well as the factors that wrought change on women’s social position, is also addressed.

This course provides an introduction to the mythology and religious beliefs and customs of the ancient and medieval Celts, on the continent and in the Isles, and to the later reflexes of these beliefs in modern folklore. It examines evidence for the religious beliefs of the pre-Christian Celts and explore some of the essential elements of Celtic mythology. Material and archaeological evidence from Continental Europe, Britain, and Ireland are consulted, as well as written evidence, from classical writers of the late centuries BC to the Christian writers of the middle ages in Ireland. This section of the course includes study of some major Irish mythological texts (read in English translation) and consideration of the place and function of mythology in early Irish society. Students are also introduced to folk-beliefs and customs of Ireland, including traditions and stories concerning the fairies, saints, and holy wells; death customs and rituals; and traditions concerning the calendar and seasons. 
 

What made Ireland the country it is today? The course addresses that question by examining Irish history, culture, and society in an interdisciplinary and interactive manner. Students are introduced to key themes, debates, personalities, influences, and events that help to provide a greater understanding of how Ireland evolved into the country it is today. From the arrival of Christianity to post-Celtic Tiger Ireland, attention is focused throughout on fundamental issues related to religion, gender, sexuality, language, literature, politics, society, music, sport, film, and material culture. The course is structured around key topics which address a series of relevant issues relating to Ireland. Each topic is addressed in an associated lecture by an expert in that particular field. 

This course enhances students' understanding of "The Forgotten Irish" by addressing various sectors of society which have often been cast aside from the stereotypical view of what it means to be Irish. Topics such as religion, colonial connections, gender, and sexuality, traveler culture, and the role of "New Irish" immigrant communities are explored in a multi-modal context including literature, print, film, art, music, and original source documents.

This course considers key themes, topics, debates, and controversies in Irish culture, focusing particularly on the representation of Irish-ness and Irish culture in literature, film, drama, and art history. Key issues explored include cultural nationalism; the literary revival; the myth of the West; Dublin in cultural representation; gender and nation; commemoration and memory; institutional abuse scandals; race and immigration; and class prosperity, recession, and austerity.