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JMU Summer in Ireland:
Ireland in Text and Image

Ireland Writing Banner

Summer 2008: June 15 - July 25 (tentative dates)

Program Location

The program will spend six weeks in Ireland from June 15 to July 25 — two at University College Cork (in the South), two at The National University of Ireland, Galway (on the West coast), and two at Trinity College, Dublin (on the East coast). Day trips from these locations will include Blarney and Bunratty castles and the cities of Cobh, Kinsale and Killarney (in the South), The cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands (in the West), and the Hill of Tara and Newgrange (in the East). The program also sets aside three free weekends, during which group members are encouraged to travel to the nearby cities of Belfast, Liverpool, Edinburgh, or London.

street music

Academic Program

The program is seeking Junior and Senior students interested in extending their critical writing skills in the areas of theatrical performance and cinema studies, while also exploring a selection of wider issues in Irish politics and culture. All participants take a 3 credit journaling seminar featuring lecture-discussions with Irish critics, academics and politicians, and also choose between one of two other 3 credit classes: either a course in contemporary Irish theatre and performance, or one in popular film criticism (applied to recent Irish movies). To support these two courses, the program attends the Cork Midsummer Ireland group Arts Festival, The Galway Film Festival, and—in Dublin—the Gate and Abbey theatres, and the Irish Film Institute. Each group member receives a weekly food allowance, plus food supplements for travel days and outings. Students are encouraged to bring along a laptop computer, though access to computer labs is provided on all three university campuses.

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.

Tentative course offerings:
1. SMAD 498 (ENG 412/THEA 303) Senior Seminar (may also be taken as Special Topics in English, or Topics in Theatre), 3 credits
2. SMAD 373 (ENG 382/THEA 466) Media Analysis and Criticism: Film (may also be taken as Film since 1960: Ireland, or Media Performance), 3 credits
3. THEA 382 (SMAD 305, ENG 302) Contemporary Theatre: Ireland (may also be taken as Special Topics in SMAD, or Special Topics in English), 3 credits

Note:All students must take course #1, and choose either course #2 or course #3.

Please click here for a program itinerary.

Accommodations

Students will reside in residence halls/dormitories in Cork, Galway and Dublin, Ireland. Some group meals and a weekly allowance will be provided.

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.

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 should submit a program-specific application form, an essay and a recommendation from a faculty member in the applicant's major. A personal interview may also be required. Applicants must have a 2.75 minimum GPA, and must have Junior or Senior status as of summer 2008.