Ireland: Literature for Children and Youth

Summer 2010 dates: May 24 - June 13, 2010

EDCI 443 (3 credits)

This ancient Celtic land of poets and storytellers is an ideal site to explore literature as it relates to a society. Due largely to its location, Ireland has retained unique cultural traditions and architectural structures stretching back to the Bronze Age, and further! The course provides a global perspective to learning about literary genres as students explore literature in a rich cultural context.

Objectives address the University of Maryland Performance-Based Standards (PBA), the Essential Dimensions of Teaching (EDOT), principles of the Interstate New Teacher Association and Support Consortium (INTASC), and the NCATE Program Standards.

During our stay in Dublin we will visit Trinity College, explore historic Georgian neighborhoods, and listen to tales of Dublin’s Viking past. We’ll visit the National Museum of Architecture and History, City Hall, Dublin Castle, the Guinness Brewery, and Kilmainham Goal (jail).

Outside Dublin are Glendaloch, St Kevin’s 6th century monastery, and Newgrange with passage tombs built 3000 years ago.

Traveling in the West of Ireland, our group will see ancient abbeys, Norman castles, and rural villages set in dramatic landscapes. We’ll explore Doolin and the nearby Cliffs of Moher, rent bikes on one of the Aran Islands, attend concerts and literary performances in Galway, and hike the hills and lakes of Connemara as we focus on Irish heritage- past and present.

Students will stay in hotels, bed and breakfast establishments, and hostels. Transportation in Ireland will be bus and/or rail.

Faculty & Staff

Faculty Director Ann Gourley will accompany the group to Ireland. Mrs. Gourley, whose parents were raised in Ireland, has been there many times. She has worked on projects with the local Irish American Club, and enjoys Irish literature, dancing, and music. Mrs. Gourley has taught Education courses for the University of Maryland and Trinity College in DC, including Children’s Literature, since 2002. A former elementary school teacher, she graduated from the University of Maryland (BS and MA) and currently works as a consultant for Wright Group/McGraw-Hill.Please contact Mrs. Gourley for information about course content and itinerary.

For questions about the application, registration and pre-departure logistics, please contact the Study Abroad Office.