In my first post, I mentioned plans for a summer study abroad experience in Ireland. The study is designed for MU students who want a good personal introduction to Irish culture. This June we will travel through out Ireland, based for about a week in Dublin, Derry, Donegal and Galway city.
I'll teach a course on the sociology of Irish culture. More on that in future postings. My colleague Bill Kerwin will teach a course on Irish literature. We're reading some of my favorite Irish works while visiting the places in which they're set. For example, in the first week we'll study two books of short stories on life in Dublin published almost 100 years apart - by James Joyce and Roddy Doyle.
In Derry, we'll read two incredible novels about the Troubles by Seamus Deane and Jennifer Johnston.
Along the way, we'll also read plays by Synge and Friel, poetry by Yeats and Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, and stories by Edna O'Brien, William Trevor and Elizabeth Bowen.
We're also going to meet some incredible people and visit beautiful sites.
I've traveled extensively in Ireland since 1996. Over the years, it's become a home away from home. I can't wait to share this experience with our students.
