electiveHQ

The spectacular archaeological heritage of Ireland indicates that people have been living on this island for at least 10,000 years. This module explores how Ireland's rich and diverse archaeological record of monuments, landscapes and objects tells the stories of those people and their ways of life from early hunter-gatherer times to the present. You will study the first settlement of the island, the establishment of farming and the building of monuments like Newgrange. We explore Ireland’s place in the 'Celtic world' and the lasting impacts of the introduction of Christianity, life and society in medieval times and the emergence of modern Ireland. This is an accessible module aimed at students across the full range of disciplines and programmes in UCD. It will provide you with a clear understanding of Ireland’s past, the Irish landscape and key times of innovation and change. The module is organized as follows: (a) One highly-illustrated lecture each week presenting the story of Ireland from the Mesolithic to the present; (b) special case studies in a second lecture slot each week; (c) fortnightly tutorials to complement and reinforce the lectures; and (d) specially selected readings and two projects which you will complete based upon directed visits to the National Museum of Ireland and the Irish National Heritage Park. Museum Visit: self directed or virtual (TBC) Heritage Park: virtual fieldtrip due to Covid-19 restrictions Previous students said these things about the module: "I learned so much in this module, it was a joy attending lectures and tutorials. In fact the tutorials were the best I have had all year". "A clear and comprehensive teaching style with extra talks from different expert speakers. Truly, a module which was packed full of wealth in terms of information and expertise." "excellent teaching staff, amazingly organized learning and support material, brilliant fieldtrip" "Lecturer was friendly and approachable, the tutorials were informative and the notes online aided my learning"