Engaging With Borderland Communities in Ireland: People, Culture, and Peacemaking in County Monaghan

“Engaging With Borderland Communities in Ireland: People, Culture, and Peacemaking in County Monaghan” will offer participants extraordinary experiences abroad. During this 6-week program, students will live with host families, and they will work on specially designed projects in cooperation with both MSU faculty members and Irish community leaders. Using multidisciplinary approaches and insights, students will focus on complex cross-border issues and on the cultural, sociological, political, economic, environmental, and psychological impacts of both borderland conflicts and efforts at peace-building. Through their community projects, students will help Irish citizens promote and sustain peaceful relationships among dissimilar regions, and they will, in turn, learn from a culture with an ancient, rich history.

We will travel to various areas in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to gain deeper understandings of conflict, peace keeping, cultural histories, and revitalization. We will also explore the histories and cultures of the people of County Monaghan, of Northern Ireland, and of the Republic of Ireland through visits to local museums and heritage centers, outdoor fieldtrips, weekly reflections, and community events.

As we focus on cross-border issues, including those that arise from differing religious histories, and on peace-keeping efforts, we will also concern ourselves with topics and materials related to Irish literature and music; natural resources and agriculture; youth education; social sciences; community regeneration; parks, recreation, and tourism; archaeology; and political policy.

College sponsors: College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Arts & Letters, and the College of Social Science

Courses offered for Summer 2008 (Mid May to late June): IAH 231B; ISS 325; ESA 480, 490, 491, 493, 890; ANR 475; 490; PRR 410; AEE 475

Contacts: Dr. Carole Robinson, Lead Faculty Member, carolero@msu.edu and Glenn Sterner sternerg@msu.edu

See: http://studyabroad.msu.edu/programs/irengaging.html