Discovering Ireland

(2.5,3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

ARCH 20170 Discovering Ireland: Landscape at UCD; This module, intended for students new to Ireland and so largely unfamiliar with Irish archaeology and indeed Irish history, shows how the Irish landscape can be read as a document in which is locked many clues about Irish identity, ancient, medieval and modern. The module is focused on the idea of heritage: cultural landscape as a key element of irish heritage. The module is based not on classroom work but on fieldtrips and Blackboard-presented materials, the logic being that the best way to understand landscape is to visit it, reading about it in advance and reading about it again having experienced it. Two fieldtrips are planned, both concentrating on ancient and medieval landscapes within reach of Dublin by coach (one is to west Wicklow and Carlow, and one to Meath, in both cases looking at megalithic tombs, medieval castles, and other archaeological treasures). Students will be provided with handbooks to faciliate their own (self-led) field-trips to parts of Dublin. The first field trip will be Saturday October 13 (full day), and the second will be October 21 (full day).