Global Studies Seminar

INTR 202 GLOBAL STUDIES SEMINAR / SPRING 2025

Includes local excursions to Irish heritage sites in New England  (participation in field trips required)

INTR 202 Global Studies Seminar will focus on contemporary issues related to the history, literature, language, and culture of Ireland. In addition, business, political, environmental and migration issues will be explored. Course includes local excursions, which may incur additional fees.

The course will be taught by Professors Katherine DiMarca and Pelin Kadercan. We’ll meet once a week on the Brockton campus (Tuesdays 12:30 – 1:45 PM) with additional material online

THE COURSE:

Ireland’s history offers a rich and complex lens through which to examine immigration as a contemporary and relevant universal theme. It fosters a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of people and cultures around the world.

Students will analyze the factors that led to the Great Famine and compare and contrast the experiences of Irish immigrants in the 19th century with those of contemporary immigrants seeking a better life in the United States at the present. The 1600s Partition, civil rights campaigns in USA and Ireland, and Northern Ireland peace process will be explored.

We’ll also dive into Ireland’s cultural expressions in literature, art, music and film to appreciate these art forms and understand how they reflect ideas, beliefs, and issues central to Ireland and its people.

By visiting local sites such as the Irish Heritage Center in Canton, the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail, and/or the Museum of Newport Irish History in Rhode Island, students will  gain an experiential understanding of Irish immigration and its impact on our own local history and culture here in Massachusetts and New England.

If you have specific questions regarding the Ireland Global Studies Seminar, email Professor Kate DiMarca at kdimarca@massasoit.mass.edu or Professor Pelin Kadercan at pkadercan@massasoit.mass.edu.

View our Global Learning Certificate

Photography courtesy of Katherine DiMarca