A Virtual Study Abroad Experience
An online series of 16 modules to develop students’ cultural competency, critical and comparative thinking skills, and professional development, through a study of the narratives of Ireland, past and present. This program comes directly from ISAIreland, and the syllabus was developed in consultation with CCID and other community college partners.
Irish history and culture can provide a very interesting platform for all students, whatever their own heritage. As an English-speaking country with elements of culture that are in places, very familiar, and in other ways, unique, we provide an interesting, friendly online campus for students to internationalize their approach to learning.
Course Overview
Who is this program for?
This program was created so that students can have the experience of learning about a different culture, developing their cultural competency and global awareness. The course is designed to be a very easy and accessible course for community colleges to either add to their syllabus, or incorporate as an existing course. It aims to develop cultural competency, critical thinking and comparative knowledge through a study of Ireland, past and present, and its connection to U.S. narratives.
How does it work?
16 module, 30-hour course with classes on the history and culture of Ireland, and contemporary Ireland in the 21 century. Each module focuses on narratives which can also be identified in American experiences past and present.
Students can complete the course and assignments at their own pace. A liaison person from your college will work with ISAI to monitor assignments and accept reports on student participation. No grading or evaluation is required by your liaison person.
Online classes include outdoor site visits, guest speakers and professors, and interviews with Irish people across a diverse spectrum. Modules also include a resource list and post-class video assignments.
Each program has a pre- and post program survey, to provide data for you on the success of the learning outcomes of this program. It is the ideal way to provide a cultural competency program without the travel component.
Syllabus Overview
A Brief History of Ireland:
The first half of the course covers the history of Ireland, from Gaelic times, through colonization, emigration, revolution, independence and the establishment of a new Republic. This also covers women’s studies, the Civil Rights movement, and Northern Ireland.
Contemporary Ireland:
Ireland is now one of the world’s most developed countries, having experienced an economic boom over the last 30 years. We look at modern Irish society through the lenses of business, sports and leisure, literature, global networks, and advocacy.
Comparative Narratives:
Each module carefully identifies points of connection in Irish and US narratives, and we encourage the students to consider perspectives and responses to these narratives. Assignments are structured as short video responses to each class.
Guest Lectures and site visits:
Throughout the course, we have included expert speakers from different parts of Irish life. We speak with Dr. Paula Meehan, former Ireland Professor of Poetry, Senator Eileen Flynn, Professor Liam Kennedy and Professor Diane Negra of University College Dublin, Professor Christine Kinealy of Quinnipiac University, Niall O’Dowd and Don Mullan on Northern Ireland and the Irish Civil Rights movement, Sylvia Rios and Conor Donnan on Native American Narratives, and many other interesting and diverse Irish people. Our site visits include Yeats Country, the Hill of Tara, Donegal Castle, Dublin City & many other places of interest.
Student Testimonials
FAQs
The course has 16 modules, which include a 35 minute online class, a reading list, and a prescribed assignment per each class. It will be available to students from September – December 2021. Students will receive a certificate from ISAI providing they complete each class and assignment.
Students will
Investigate the world beyond their immediate environment, framing significant problems and conducting well-crafted and age-appropriate research.
Recognize perspectives, others’ and their own, articulating and explaining such perspectives thoughtfully and respectfully.
Observe and evaluate the opinions and experiences of diverse audiences, with an awareness of geographic, linguistic, ideological, and cultural similarities and differences.
Engage in a personal way with the narratives and themes of each module and contribute creatively to an ongoing dialogue over the duration of the program.
Reflect critically on their role as a member of the global community and pursue ways to create positive change.
The primary lecturer is Dr. Niamh Hamill, Ph.D. in Cultural History, director of the Institute of Study Abroad Ireland and Professor of Global Studies, Drew University NJ. Guest speakers include Dr. Paula Meehan, Senator Eileen Flynn, Consul General of Ireland Claire McCarthy, Professors and lecturers from University College Dublin, Quinnipiac University, Penn State, and a diverse community of Irish advocates, experts and spokespersons.
If you enrol a minimum of 10 students in the program, they will be fully funded. Extra students can also be enrolled at a discounted fee of $50 per student. You may use the funding of $500 in conjunction with a small fee from students, or your own funding, to increase the amount of students who take part, but a minimum of ten students is required.
ISAI will need a liaison person who is willing to make students aware of the program, help them to enrol, and be available as a contact with the faculty at ISAI to receive student progress reports. Student assignments will be evaluated by ISAI, but your faculty / liaison person will have access to all assignments and evaluations
Please click the ‘expression of interest button’, complete the form and send back to us. We will contact you immediately to discuss any aspects of the program with you, and help you with the next steps.
The Institute of Study Abroad Ireland (ISAI) currently work with over 200 community colleges in the USA, usually on education trips to Ireland, but since Covid-19, we have created a virtual version of our educational study trip. ISAI is a long-term partner of Community Colleges International Development (CCID) and we agreed that there was a need to address the need to provide a cultural competency program for students who don’t, won’t, or cannot travel. The Irish Consulate at Austin, Texas kindly provided funding to debut this program in Texas, and give a number of colleges the opportunity to offer the program to their students for fall 2021.
The Institute of Study Abroad Ireland
http://www.isaireland.com
Community Colleges for International Development
https://www.ccidinc.org/
Consulate of Ireland in Austin TX
https://www.dfa.ie/irish-consulate/austin/
Dr. Melissa Whatley is responsible for evaluating the outcomes of this program. The tool we will use is the Global Perspective Inventory (GPI) is a survey instrument developed at Iowa State University (https://www.gpi.hs.iastate.edu/) that measures three dimensions of global learning: cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal. For the ISA evaluation, students complete the 32-item GPI at the beginning and at the end of their program to measure progress over the course of their virtual experience. For more information, please see our Evaluation Report here.