Irish History & Culture Abroad 2017
May 29th - June 8th, 2017“Irish History & Culture Abroad” compliments the activities of History Course 330-325-DW, Class Abroad: Ireland (Winter 2017), which is designed to take students from the classroom to the field to apply learned knowledge in History and Classics. Students are meant to participate in an engaged learning environment. They will travel, visit, observe, present, and discuss a variety of political, cultural, social and economic topics in Ireland, and in these ways, further their knowledge far beyond the traditional classroom experience. Dawson students will be expected to share their ideas and experiences in journals, essays, oral presentations, written reflections, and photo assignments so that they can appreciate their wider historical context and environment. It is the hope that upon graduation, Dawson students who have participated in this project will have obtained an education that not only inspires further study, but also fosters a life-long sense of curiosity and appreciation for their wider communities and surroundings.
Project Update
Two teachers from Dawson traveled with 12 students to various locations throughout Ireland from May 29th to June 8th. While in Ireland students visited a variety of cultural, historical sites: they did city walking tours that showcased major historical moments; they witnessed significant political nationalist moments at museums; they steeped themselves in cultural and intellectual events through the lives of various Irish writers and linguists; and generally, they experienced what the Irish people lived through over the centuries. Students had worked on a research essay during the course of the semester on different aspects of 19th and 20th century Irish history and while in Ireland gave oral presentations and participated in seminar discussions with their classmates and teachers on their topic at various historically and culturally appropriate locations. Presenting your research topic on the 1916 Rising after a visit to the Kilmainham Gaol where 14 nationalist leaders of the uprising were executing made the history come alive for both the student presenting as well as the other students who participated! Similarly, talking about the rise of Irish culture and nationalism after examining the murals of Northern Ireland underscored the reality of living in a culturally divided nation for centuries. Site visits such as these added a significant and powerful pedagogical element to all the presentations,
and students were able to make links between the course material and the actual history by engaging with each other’s research in a meaningful way.
Other writing and video assignments throughout the trip also allowed students to reflect at a personal and historical level about their experiences in Ireland. They kept a journal whereby they recounted some of the events they witnessed and sites they visited. These journals pushed students to record personal and intellectual insights for each site visited, and thus gain a deeper understanding of the Irish historical and cultural experience over the centuries. Students also completed a video assignment where they selected a site visited and make a ‘publicity’ video of the Irish site – a fun assignment that allowed them to mix some creativity with their historical learning.
Students who engage in this kind of learning experience are special, they are curious, dynamic and want to engage with their history, and the ‘Irish’ students of winter 2017 certainly embraced every moment. They explored many facets of the history of Ireland, but they also learned how to travel as a group and make special friendships, how to respect other cultures and people, and to also recognize that their North American lifestyle and experiences are only a small part of today’s global world.
