Interdisciplinary Institutes
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Courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Library
This summer, the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning (CITL) is offering an interdisciplinary institute on “THE IRISH IN BOSTON” to be held on July 26 & 27, 2013. CITL institutes are designed for alumni, parents and members of the general public who enjoy exploring a subject of common interest from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. These institutes draw on the expertise of professors at the College of General Studies at BU. The “Irish in Boston” weekend will include a day-and-a-half of lectures, discussions, and performances focused on the history, music and poetry of the Irish in Boston. It will also include a trip to hear live music at “The Burren,” an Irish pub in Davis Square. The institute will be held at Boston University’s College of General Studies, 871 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215.
Sally Sommers Smith, an Associate Professor of Natural Science and an expert scholar and practitioner of Irish fiddle music, will be presenting a session on “The Sounds of Home: Irish Music in Boston, 1880-2012.” Megan Sullivan, an Associate Professor of Rhetoric and author of Irish Women and Cinema and Women in Northern Ireland: Cultural Studies and Material Conditions, will be presenting a lecture/discussion on “‘Bridget’ in Boston: Irish Domestic Servants and the Culture of Work.” Meg Tyler, Associate Professor of Humanities and author of A Singing Contest: Conventions of Sound in the Poetry of Seamus Heaney, will be giving a talk entitled “Crossing Yet Another Border: Irish Poetry in Boston.” And Tom Whalen, Associate Professor of Social Sciences and author of Kennedy Versus Lodge: The 1952 Massachusetts Senate Race and Profiles in Presidential Courage, will be hosting a lecture/discussion entitled “Triumph of the Irish Brahmin: John F. Kennedy, the 1952 Massachusetts Senate Race, and the Creation of a Political Dynasty.” Together these presentations and discussions will explore questions such as: How has Irish music influenced the American music scene? When Irish women cleaned houses, did they also reorganize a city? Does Irish poetry matter beyond Ireland? And, what’s the difference between ‘shanty’ and ‘lace curtain’ Irish? The Kennedys knew–do you?
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With regard to lodging for the “BU The Irish in Boston Institute,” you can stay in a dorm room in the Student Village OR you can stay in one of the two hotels below. Blocks of rooms have been reserved until June 26, 2013.
Boston University Dorm Room has single rooms available in suites of four that share two baths and a common area for $79.00 per person per night. We will make those reservations for you.
Hotel Commonwealth has rooms available for $259.00 per night not including taxes. You are responsible for making your own reservation. The phone number to make your reservation is 866-784-4000 or 617-532-5019. In order to get the above rate, you will need to mention “BU The Irish in Boston Institute.”
Hotel Buckminster has Standard Queen rooms available for $169.00 per night not including taxes and Standard Double Twin rooms available for $179.00 per night not including taxes. You are responsible for making your own reservation. The phone number to make your reservation is 800-727-2825. In order to get the above rate, you will need to mention the “BU The Irish in Boston Institute.”
Experience Irish Boston in all its interdisciplinary wonder! Join us for a memorable weekend of fun, friends and exploration of America’s Irish background. Please see the full schedule below. If you have any questions, please contact njmck@bu.edu or akcook@bu.edu.
Click here to register for “The Irish in Boston: An Interdisciplinary Institute.”
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THE IRISH IN BOSTON: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY INSTITUTE
July 26 & 27, 2013
FRIDAY, JULY 26, 2013
4:15 – 5:00 p.m. Registration and coffee/cookies, CGS lobby
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Sally Sommers Smith presents “The Sounds of Home: Irish Music in Boston, 1880-2012.”
Lecture & performance in the CGS Katzenberg Center
7:30 p.m. Meet at “The Burren,” an Irish pub in Davis Square (247 Elm St., Somerville) for dinner and music
SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2013
9:00 – 9:45 a.m. Continental breakfast, CGS lobby
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Megan Sullivan presents “’Bridget’ in Boston: Irish Domestic Servants and the Culture of Work.”
Lecture/discussion in the CGS Katzenberg Center
11:00 – 11:15 a.m. Break
11:15 – 12:15 p.m. Tom Whalen presents “Triumph of the Irish Brahmin: John F. Kennedy, the 1952
Massachusetts Senate Race, and the Creation of a Political Dynasty.” Lecture/discussion in
the CGS Katzenberg Center
12:15 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch in CGS lobby
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Meg Tyler presents “Crossing Yet Another Border: Irish Poetry in Boston.” Lecture, discussion
and reading in CGS Katzenberg Center
2:30 – 3:00 p.m. Closing remarks and discussion in CGS Katzenberg Center