Irish Studies — The Program
Director
Professor
The Program
The Irish Studies Program is an interdisciplinary program of study designed to provide students with the opportunity to study Irish and Irish-American culture, primarily through literature and history. Course offerings cover major aspects of Irish culture from ancient times to the present.
A two-course sequence, Early Irish Literature and Irish Literature, provides students with an overview of Irish literature and the society that produced it from the 6th century to the middle of the 20th century. Study of Irish history from the 17th century to the present links old Ireland and new. Study of the development of Ireland in the 20th century focuses on the social and political upheaval surrounding the uprising of 1916, partition, civil war, the gradual emergence of an independent Irish Republic and the ongoing political turbulence centered in Northern Ireland.
Courses on James Joyce and William Butler Yeats focus on the contributions to world literature of Ireland’s two most noted writers. Courses on the Irish short story and the modern Irish novel explore the mastery of particular literary forms by Irish writers. Study of recent Irish writing examines the continuing literary achievement in Ireland, both in Northern Ireland and in the Republic. Study of the Irish presence in America explores the contribution of this major immigrant group to the literature, the politics, and the culture of the United States. Special topics courses offered occasionally—on Irish drama, on Irish poetry, on Irish women writers—provide additional opportunity for students to investigate evolving artistic, social, and cultural concerns of the Irish people.
Requirements and Recommendations
Six courses are required for completion of the Irish Studies Program. Students are strongly urged to plan their course of study in consultation with the director of the program to ensure a broad exposure to the field of Irish Studies.
For matriculated students, successful completion of the program is recorded on official university transcripts when they have met all graduation requirements.
Courses may be chosen from among Irish Studies courses and those offered by CLA departments from the following list:
- AMST 405 (The Immigrant Experience: Aliens and Anglo-Saxons in American Society, 1830-1930)*
- ENGL L377 (AMST L377) (Irish-American Literature and Culture)
- ENGL 391 (Joyce)
- ENGL 392 (Yeats)
- ENGL 415 (Irish Literature)
- ENGL 416 (Early Irish Literature)
- ENGL 419 (Recent Irish Writing)
- ENGL 425 (Irish Short Story)
- ENGL 427 (Modern Irish Novel)
- ENGL 455, 456 (Independent Study I and II)*
- HIST 230 (Nationalism in the Modern World)*
- HIST 339 (Irish History, 1688 to Present)
- HIST 395 (History of Boston)*
*May count toward the concentration when a substantial portion of the student’s work in the course is on an Irish topic and when the course is approved by the program director.
Transfer Credit Policy
Credit for courses taken elsewhere may be negotiated with the program director.