HIST 7280 - Irish History

3 cr.

This course examines the history of Ireland from its beginnings to the present. It focuses on the cultural history of Ireland as it evolved through a series of waves of immigration since ancient times, which created new cultural mixes and confrontations. The course explores religions, social and political institutions and gender history of this island, which provided a haven for a variety of immigrants from ancient times. The methodology of this course is interdisciplinary, including archeology, comparative cultural and social history, and religious studies. We shall examine the diversity of Irish social and cultural origins and investigate how these contribute to the formation of an Irish identity. The story of competing mores will be examined in the tensions, which are apparent in the modern history of Ireland today.