Ireland in Text and Image

Summer 2012: June 17 to July 26

Program Location

The program will spend almost six weeks in Ireland — ten nights in Cork (in the South), fourteen nights in Galway (on the West coast), two nights in Doolin (on the West coast), and twelve nights in Dublin (on the East coast). The program schedule includes frequent cultural events and outings keyed to the program’s text & image themes, plus field trips into the Irish countryside and coastal regions. Plans to date include drama, dance and musical events at the Galway Arts Festival, movies at the Galway Film Festival, and performances in Dublin (Abbey and/or Gate theatre). A personal travel three day weekend is built into the schedule during which group members are encouraged to travel to other towns in Ireland or the nearby cities of Belfast, Liverpool, Edinburgh, or London.

Academic Program

The program is seeking students who (a) are already committed to creative writing or film analysis as a career, or (b) would like an opportunity to explore their communication talents in a structured situation rich in feedback and the traditions of written expression.

Such students are welcome from all departments and programs on campus, especially from those where creative expression and media analysis are featured pursuits (for example, Media Arts & Design, English, Communication Studies, Writing, Rhetoric & Technical Communication, Theatre & Dance, and the interdisciplinary minors in Creative Writing and Film Studies).  Participants will take six credits, with everyone enrolling in a Creative Journaling seminar, and each student choosing one of two additional courses: either the Irish Film course or the Travel Writing course.

The Journaling Seminar will be taught as a creative writing outlet organized to encourage personal expression in various forms (including poetry, fiction, essay, playwriting/screenwriting, and photography). The Irish Film course will focus on analysis & reviews of Irish films and the Galway Film Festival. The Travel Writing course will focus on analysis & reviews of Irish Theatre performances and arts festivals in Cork and Galway.

All three courses will be offered under SMAD and ENG course numbers—your choice (see courses numbers below).

Instructional methods include lectures, guided tours, journal assignments and/or papers, and required attendance at assigned plays, performances, films, and other cultural/historical outings.

Tentative course offerings:
ENG 396/SMAD 322: Journaling Seminar, (3) and either
ENG 382/SMAD 398: Irish Film, (3)
or
ENG 496/SMAD 311: Travel Writing (3)

Instructional methods include lectures, guided tours, journal assignments and/or papers, test/exams and required attendance at assigned plays, performances, films, and other cultural/historical outings.

Notes:
Each of the three courses is offered under SMAD and ENG course numbers. All students must take course #1, and choose either course #2 or course #3

Accommodations

Students will reside in residence halls/dormitories in Cork, apartments in Galway and Dublin, and hostels on overnight trips. Some group meals and a weekly allowance will be provided. Students will use dorm/apt. kitchens for meal preparation.

Tentative program calendar

Program Costs

For the current projected costs for this program, please click on the following link to the Fees for JMU Study Abroad Programs page.

Cost projections at current exchange rates for a group of 18-22 students include (a) a program fee of $4,000, (b) airfare of approximately $1,100, (c) summer school tuition for 6 credits, and (d) personal expense monies of about $50 per week. (All lodging, transportation, program event admissions and a weekly food allowance are included in the program fee.) Students are required to bring a laptop computer.

Application

For more detailed instructions and to download the application, please click on the following link to the Applications and Forms section for JMU Short-Term Programs.

In addition to the Short-term Application, interested students will find program specific information on applying located at http://smad.jmu.edu/ireland/forms.html. Applicants must have a 2.5 minimum GPA, and must have Soph more, Junior, Senior or Graduate standing status.

For More Information

For additional information about the Ireland: Text and Image program, please contact the program directors:

Thomas McHardy
Associate Professor
School of Media Arts and Design
Tel: 540-568-2547
E-mail: mchardtj@jmu.edu

Erica Bleeg
English, Assistant Professor
Tel.: 540-568-6860
E-mail: bleegek@jmu.edu

• Participating instructors for summer 2012:

Kevin Reynolds
Associate Professor
School of Media Arts & Design
Tel.: 540-568-8183
E-mail: reynolkj@jmu.edu

Laurie Kutchins
English, Professor
Tel.: 540-568-3756
E-mail: kutchill@jmu.edu