Students enroll in four courses throughout the program: one required course, two electives, and an internship. The required course and elective A are intensive, six-week courses, and elective B is a thirteen-week long course. Starting Week 9, students will have ended their required course and elective A, will continue with elective B, and will start participating in an internship and taking their internship seminar.
Required Course
Students must enroll in the following course:
CAS SO 341 Contemporary Irish Society
This course aims to introduce students to the salient cultural, political and economic narrative threads that underpin contemporary Irish Society. Within those threads, it will be suggested that there are tensions between contesting modernist and conservative strands. During this course, students will be provided with an introduction to foundational evidence and also to theoretical sociological structures that have a bearing on the construction of this specific national identity. Further, the aim as a consequence, is for students to reflect on their own national identities.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Individual in Community
The required course takes place during weeks 2-7.
Elective A Course
Students enroll in one of the following intensive elective courses that take place during weeks 2-7. Some have a limited enrollment and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
CAS HI 254/PO 231 The History of Ireland
This course provides an introduction to the major themes and events that have shaped modern Irish history. Each lecture focuses on a seminal moment in the history of modern Ireland – examining its background, and assessing its impact on the country, its people and the often-troubled relationship with Great Britain. The lectures begin with the impact of French and American revolutions on Ireland in the late eighteenth century, and then focus on the seismic events of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries – from the Great Famine to the War of Independence. The course concludes with an evaluation of the on-going peace process in Northern Ireland.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Historical Consciousness
Social Inquiry I
CAS EC 372 The Irish Economy
The Irish economic experience has been historically characterised by turbulence, excitement, optimism and despair. While world-leading in some aspects of our economic development, we are also severely lacking in other vital areas. We examine the history of Irish economic development from a rural farming-based economy to a leading export-led services economy. We analyse the key drivers of economic success, while critically evaluating the role of government policy and regulation, taxation, spending, and welfare. We also focus on social justice in Ireland from an economic perspective.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Historical Consciousness
Social Inquiry I
Research and Information Literacy
SAR HS 422 Ethics in Health Care
Offered in the fall only.
Introductory course developing a critical awareness of issues arising in biomedical ethics. Contemporary issues will be used to examine ethical reasoning, ethical theories, ethical principles, and cases and narratives in ethics. Special attention will be paid to developing skills of critical thinking through an examination of philosophical arguments and practical exercises. Learners are also provided with a theoretical grounding in classical and contemporary schools of ethical reasoning.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Ethical Reasoning
Critical Thinking
Elective B Course
Students enroll in one of the following elective B courses, that are taught over 13 weeks of the program (weeks 2-14). Some have a limited enrolment and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
CFA AR 340 The Arts in Ireland
Offers students the opportunity to study and experience the most vibrant aspects of visual art and music in Ireland. The music strand provides an introduction to the structure, characteristics, scope, and history of Irish traditional music. The areas of rhythm and melody and the methods by which Irish music is taught will be covered in the practical workshop section of each class. For part two of the course, students study visual arts, which affords students an opportunity to study and experience the most vibrant aspects of the visual arts in Ireland. Padhraic Egan (Music), Caoimhghin O Croidheain (Visual Arts).
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Aesthetic Exploration
Historical Consciousness
CAS EN 392 Modern Irish Literature
This course will introduce students to key writers in modern Irish Literature concentrating on the cultural, political and historical contexts of each of the works we examine. We will explore prose, poetry, drama and the short story. Students will be introduced to the discipline-specific terms of Literary Studies and will employ analytical and interpretive skills in evaluating the literary and the socio/historical significance of these works.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Aesthetic Exploration
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
CAS IR 306 International Human Rights Law
An introductory course detailing global, regional, and domestic legal frameworks for the protection of human rights. Learners marshal knowledge and perspectives gleaned from source materials to gain ethical reasoning, discernment, and advocacy skills with reference to contemporary issues.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Ethical Reasoning
Critical Thinking
Writing-Intensive Course
COM FT 415 Screening Ireland
This course provides a developmental and thematic overview of media in Ireland, we will discuss film, television, animation, digital games and Web 2.0. Different theoretical approaches are incorporated, including socio-historical perspectives, industrial contexts, globalization and cultural studies. Students will be actively encouraged to research and develop critical perspectives on areas of particular interest to them, while developing their own media praxis. Whether these perspectives are informed by theories of colonialism, race or gender, students will learn how to utilise these critical models in the creation of media texts that both educate and innovate. The combination of critical theory and media practice will provide not only an introduction to screen media in Ireland but to prepare students to be the next generation of influential media producers that shape public discourse.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Aesthetic Exploration
Teamwork/Collaboration
Writing-Intensive Course
SAR HS 425 Health Care Policy and Practice in Ireland
Offered in the fall only.
How can healthcare policy and practice in Ireland be described? What are its origins and how has it evolved, specifically related to cultural, political, social and economic developments? How can the current fragmented and two-tiered system be improved? These are key questions, especially following the launch in 2017 of the ten-year Sláintecare healthcare programme. During this course students will discuss these questions, using the six building blocks of the World Health Organisation (WHO) health system framework, comparing the Irish health systems with other health systems.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Social Inquiry I
Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
QST FE 445 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
Prerequisite: FE 323 Financial Management
Required for Finance concentrators. Introduction to the investment management process. Defining investment objectives and constraints. Introduction to Modern Portfolio Theory, CAPM, APT, Efficient Markets, stock and bond valuation models. Immunizing interest-rate risk. Active vs. passive investment strategies, fundamental vs. technical analysis, trading practices, and performance evaluation. Introduction to the role of futures and options in hedging and speculation. Students are expected to become familiar with current events in the financial news. Corbet.
Units: 4
Internship Placement
During the final seven weeks, students work full time, four days per week, in internships with organizations in the greater Dublin area. Study Abroad will enroll students in a non-unit Hub co-curricular and a four-unit internship course, which includes a classroom component. Placements are contingent upon the student’s past experience, professional interest, and available opportunities in any given term; flexibility is essential. Upon successful completion of the internship experience, students will receive a Hub requirement in the area Individual in Community from the co-curricular HUB SA 330.
Below is a list of internship areas where students have been placed. While BU Study Abroad guarantees an internship to program participants, specific placements vary from term to term and may not always be available. Likewise, internship placements may be available in academic areas not listed.
Journalism
Work in writing, copy editing, research, design, and production for magazines, newspapers, or publishing houses. Past internship placements have included New Island Publishing, the Irish Catholic, and Columba Books & Currach Press.
