Center for Irish Studies

  NEW FALL '09 CONTENT BEING ADDED REGULARLY
Fall Semester 2009
Suite 3302 | Newton Building | PO Box 8023 | Statesboro | GA 30460
Telephone: (912) 478-2350 • Fax: (912) 478-0653 • Email: irish@georgiasouthern.edu
Welcome to the Irish Studies matrix at Georgia Southern University: a Carnegie doctoral-research institution that's one of Georgia's top universities of choice for HOPE scholars. The "go-to" entity for Irish education, scholarship, business, science, and culture in the University System of Georgia, the Center helps the University community and the public explore and enjoy Ireland and Irish America. Located upon a park-like, residential campus in the town of Statesboro, fifty miles northwest of Savannah, the Center's at the heart of a region that boasts exceptionally rich and diverse Irish patrimonies, both native Irish and Scots-Irish (Ulster-Scots). • Our work acknowledges the great sweep of Irish experience: ancient Gaelic civilization; colonization from Strongbow to beyond Cromwell; and the worldwide Irish diaspora. Also of concern is contemporary Ireland: a high-tech powerhouse; earth's "most global" economy. The Center is a pace-setter in bringing top-quality artists, performers, lecturers, and semester-stay scholar-teachers to South Georgia. Our student-centered ethos is reflected in our Interdisciplinary Minor, our Study-in-Ireland opportunities, and our sponsorship of two student clubs. • Beir bua!

Enjoy a weekend of learning and relaxation in one of America's most beautiful and historic cities. Our Symposium is a two-day, open-to-everyone event that brings fascinating scholarly speakers to Savannah, Georgia. Presenting their material in clear, accessible fashion, these speakers deepen understanding of the Scots-Irish as a vital American presence: past, present, and future. Featured disciplines include archaeology, history, literature, cultural studies, and more. The venue is the Coastal Georgia Center, which adjoins Savannah's storied antebellum district (and offers plenty of no-fee parking). • While we hope that you'll attend both the Friday and Saturday sessions, you're welcome to participate during just one day. Bridging the two days is a Friday-evening bluegrass concert (free with either one- or two-day symposium registration). Bluegrass is but one legacy of Scots-Irish settlement in America—and it's always a good reason to celebrate!
Did you know? During the 1760s, George Galphin—a colorful, enterprising Ulsterman—spearheaded a pioneering Scots-Irish (mainly Presbyterian) community along the Ogeechee River between Savannah and Augusta? Responding to advertisements in the Belfast Telegraph newspaper, settlers sailed into such ports as Savannah and Charleston before making their way to the new venture, known as Queensborough. Galphin and his dream are just one focus of our Symposium.
Be part of the making of a book! Four Courts Press (Dublin) will work to publish the Symposium's proceedings as an edited volume.
Most courses listed in this section count towards the Irish Studies Minor. The vast majority of Georgia Southern students must take 15 hours in pursuit of a Minor. Irish Studies is a smart choice: Today, more than ever, college graduates need global exposure to be competitive. • The Irish Studies Minor is interdisciplinary. During the current calendar year, over a dozen relevant courses are available, from "Art: Drawing Irish Landscapes" at the start of the alphabet to "Women Writers: Irish Voices" near its end.
Irish Theater • Professor: Gary Dartt
Irish Literature: 1850 to the Present • Professor: Joe Pellegrino
Occurring over five weeks in June and July 2009, our Study-in-Ireland Program attracted forty students and was a huge success. So, we're thrilled to offer a similar opportunity for summer 2010. Based at the Waterford Institute of Technology in Waterford, Ireland's oldest city, the Program invites each participating student to choose two courses from a menu of eight full-credit offerings. In addition, there's a mandatory (and fun!) one-credit course: "Introduction to Irish Culture." Complete details appear in early September 2009, but the draft list of courses contains the following options.
Four Lower-Division Courses
Introduction to Philosophy • Principles of Physical Geology (Irish Emphasis) • Drawing and the Irish Landscape • Art Appreciation
Four Upper-Division Courses
Irish Literature since the Famine • Irish Philosophy • Environmental Geology (Irish Emphasis) • Painting Ireland in the Open Air
Check out more about our Summer 2010 courses here
The Center for Irish Studies is focused on students. We want your college experience to be positive, nurturing, and highly productive. We're glad to chat with you about our courses, offered both in Statesboro and Ireland. Should you opt to work towards the Irish Studies Minor, we'll help you design a study program that meets your graduation deadline. Please email irish@georgiasouthern.edu to schedule an appointment.
FYE 1220-AAZ • CRN 86946
Tu & Th: 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Professor: Marti Lee
FYE: "Ireland & You." Get on track for success at Southern while exploring past and present links between Ireland and America. As a special feature, the course covers study and career opportunities in Ireland.
ANTH 4431-A • CRN 82820
Tu & Th: 3:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Professor: Barbara Hendry
Ireland is the principal case study in this investigation of European cultures from prehistory through the present. Successive waves of invasion and settlement—and complex trade and emigration patterns—have given the Emerald Isle a particularly rich, diverse culture.
IRSH 3090-A • CRN 84281
or ENGL 5090-A • CRN 85170
or WGST 3090-A • CRN 84298
Mo, We, Fr: 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Professor: Howard Keeley

In 1990, President-elect Mary Robinson famously announced that Irish women were rocking the system, not the cradle! In fact, Irish women have long provoked debate through their brilliant writing. Among other authors, this course considers the flamboyant Sydney Owenson, who penned the novel The Wild Irish Girl (1806).

     
 

 

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