Eligibility
- 18 years of age or above
- Good academic and disciplinary standing at Penn State
- 2.5 cumulative GPA or better at the time of application review
- Sophomore standing or above at the start of the program
- Prerequisite for all ENGL courses: ENGL 015 or ENGL 030
- Prerequisite for ART 499: Advanced Art : Students must have completed a 200-level Art course and have permission from the instructor, contact Professor O'Leary.
Program Description
Travelling Ireland - Through Ecologies of Literature and Sustainability in the Arts
Penn State’s Irish program was conceived as a collaborative course between Literature and the Visual Arts. Ideas about place, why and how we tell stories, language, visual and written arts are a few of the ongoing conversations in our program. Ecologies of Literature, sustainability, engagement and social action, post-colonialism, multi-generational trauma, resilience, history are studied through field trips, workshops with renowned poets, artists and practitioners. The program is led by Professor Helen O'Leary and Professor Janet Lyon.
Irish Resiliency: Art, Sustainability, and Literature in Ireland
Ireland has long been a place of resilience, creativity, and natural beauty. More than a century ago, the Republic of Ireland, forged as a modern nation by playwrights and poets, produced a remarkable body of literary and visual art. Read the literature, study the art, and attend plays in Dublin; create your own visual and literary works under the mentorship of outstanding contemporary writers and artists in studios in the Burren, County Clare; use natural dyes, forrage plants and seaweeds, visit the Aaran Islands; and conclude five weeks at the medieval port city of Galway on Ireland’s west coast. Throughout the trip, students of art, literature, and writing will learn how this ancient place and small nation has managed to emerge as a leader in sustainability, from the times of the earliest monks to current environmental activists.
Each year we invite many speakers to meet with our students to discuss a wide swath of contemporary concerns.
Bioregionalism, according to poet Gary Snyder, is the understanding that our relationship to the natural world takes place in a place, and it must be grounded in information and experience. Students enrolled in this interdisciplinary studio course will immerse themselves in the history, culture, and natural environment of Ireland and meet with contemporary artists, writers, and naturalists. We attended five significant plays at world acclaimed Irish theatres and visited museums and galleries throughout Ireland. The students read selections from the long tradition of Irish writing that focuses on the natural world, from early humans who marked the landscape with stones to the monks and their largely anonymous poetry drafted when Ireland was heavily forested. Famine and deforestation later shaped literary and political responses to the landscape.
The course involves travel for five weeks in Ireland (Dublin, The Burren School of Art, Inis Oirr, and the Galway area. The course readings serve as a general introduction to issues in twentieth and twenty-first-century Irish culture and will specifically explore the landscape and locations of many of the stops on our trip. The work of the course while in Ireland will consist of reading and discussing the common texts, visiting a number of sites through required field trips, meeting with a number of visiting Irish artists and writers, exploring some areas, such as Inis Oirr, at leisure, and drawing and writing in response to the locations.
From travel and field observations, students keep an artist’s sketchbook. They draw from nature and observation, collecting plants and using them to create natural dyes, inks, and pigments. The students will also attend a basket weaving workshop with leading basket maker Joe Hogan. During the trip, or upon return to the United States, students choosing the final three credits in Studio Art will consult with Professor O’Leary and Professor Lyon to develop a project which will be completed upon return to campus. Emphasis will be on learning about the local natural world and creating work that interacts with the environment in ways that are respectful and sustainable.
Dates
Summer: June 4 - July 2, 2024
Program Costs
Summer Costs
For more information on program costs, please be sure to review the budget sheet. These budget sheets include information on costs that are billable to the bursar bill, as well as estimated additional costs. Costs vary by program, so it is important to review this information carefully.
Please note that tuition rates may vary depending on major and class standing.
Scholarships
The Education Abroad Office awards a number of grants and scholarships to students who participate in an education abroad program through Penn State Global. The application for the scholarships awarded through the Education Abroad Office is included with your program application. Eligibility is based on academic merit and/or financial need. You must have a current FAFSA on file to be awarded. There are additional scholarship opportunities through our partner universities, Penn State Academic Departments, and other sources. To view a full list of scholarships, eligibility requirements, and deadlines visit Funding Study Abroad.
Student Aid
Penn State students who plan to study on a Penn State approved program can use most forms of financial aid towards the cost of the program. Exceptions include work-study awards and some athletic scholarships. If you have specific questions regarding your aid awards, contact the Penn State Office of Student Aid.
Withdrawal & Refund Policy
Withdrawal and refund details are dependent on the timing and reason for your withdrawal from a Penn State Education Abroad Program. For specific details and steps on how to withdraw, read the Education Abroad Policies.
After Commitment
Once a student has committed to a Penn State Education Abroad program, they are financially responsible for any fees incurred on their behalf. Therefore, if a student plans to withdraw from a program it is their responsibility to immediately notify the Education Abroad office, in writing; email is preferred.
Regardless of the timing or reason for the withdrawal, the student will be responsible for paying the Education Abroad Administrative Fees. For faculty-led freestanding programs, there is a specific withdrawal penalty schedule.
Education Abroad makes every attempt at keeping the program and administrative costs to a minimum. However, when you commit to participating in a program, Education Abroad begins to make financial commitments on your behalf. In case of withdrawal, the following fees will be charged to your Bursar account
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Upon Commitment - 90 Days Prior to Departure: 25% Program Fee + EA Admin Fee
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30 - 89 Days Prior to Departure: 50% Program Fee + EA Admin Fee
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29 Days - Departure Date: 100% Program Fee + EA Admin Fee
Following the start of the summer semester, any adjustment of tuition charges will be made according to the Tuition Adjustment Schedule as determined by the Office of the Bursar. More information can be found on the University Senate Policy on Withdrawal and Leave of Absence.
After the Start of the Program
If a student withdraws after the start of a program, any adjustment of Penn State tuition charges will be made according to the Tuition Adjustment Schedule as determined by the Office of the Bursar. Students may be responsible for up to 100% of program costs. In most cases, partial credit cannot be awarded for leaving a program before its successful completion.
For additional information on withdrawal policies, separate and apart from financial consequences, please consult the University Senate Policy on Withdrawal and Leave of Absence.
