Irish Studies Minor Expanding

The Academic Council at Loras College recently approved the implementation of a new Irish Studies minor, which seeks to deepen understanding of Irish history and culture. This interdisciplinary program involves courses in literature, communication, history, politics and legal studies. Opportunities for students to engage in educational study in Ireland are also available.

The requirements for the minor include 18 credits. Three to nine of those credits must be taken in the form of experiential learning, either through a semester study abroad program at the Institute of Art, Design, and Technology (IADT) at Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, through a January term or participation in a proposed summer research project, which includes a class affiliated with IADT.

President Jim Collins and Andrew Auge, Ph.D., professor of English and program chair for Irish studies, recently traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to visit IADT and discuss plans for expanding the existing partnership. A joint summer research project was developed that will allow for collaborative work between Loras and IADT faculty and students. The first summer research project will take place in June 2008, focusing on the topic of immigration and work in Ireland as well as the United States. John Eby, Ph.D., associate professor of history, will direct five Loras students through this project. They will be joined by five IADT undergraduates and a few graduates from the master’s in public culture program. The second summer research project will take place in June 2009 and will involve a conference on the theme of Catholicism and public culture, which will be co-hosted by Loras and IADT.

Irish Studies Minor site