ENGL 238 - The Music, Folklore, and Literature of Ireland

(MUS 238) FDR: HA (changed to HL for Spring 2020 only)
Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
Credits: 4

Prerequisite: INTR 238 in the preceding winter term. This course engages the music, folklore and literature of Ireland and the ways that the creation of these art forms is related to the places in which the art was created. We cover a wide variety of the history of Irish art and focus on the importance of place in the written, oral, and aural traditions of the island. Students study a range of musical compositions, styles, and traditions alongside the rich body of Irish folklore and folk customs that underlie these musical creations, as well as the rich literature that informs all of these artistic efforts. After the first week on campus, the remainder of the course takes place in Dingle in the West of Ireland and in Dublin.

Spring 2020, ENGL 238-01: The Music, Folklore, and Literature of Ireland (4). (Adapted for virtual instruction due to COVID-19 global health pandemic.) An intensive engagement with the culture of Ireland, focusing particularly on music, folklore, and literature and the ways these artistic efforts interact with place and history. The main focus is on 20th-century and contemporary Ireland, particularly the rich period of the Celtic Revival, the Irish Renaissance, and the Irish War of Independence. We will also range over the periods of ancient Ireland, the Celtic period, early Christianity, the Vikings, and the development of Ireland from the Norman invasion through the Great Famine. Readings will include classics of Irish literature, such as the poetry of W.B. Yeats, the fiction of James Joyce, the travel writings of J.M. Synge, and the folklore of Lady Gregory, as well as other works of poetry and fiction. Musical elements will include the histories and modes of Irish music (traditional, classical, folk, modern, and more) as well as actual engagement with the music through tin whistle practice and playing. Instruction will take place via digital lectures, Zoom virtual classrooms, online discussion forums, short interpretive papers, musical listening forums, and video instruction and performance. Includes guest lectures by Alex Brown on Irish religion (focusing on St. Patrick and St. Brendan), and by musicians and folklorists from Co. Kerry, Ireland. (HL - approved for Spring 2020 only) Conner and Dobbins.