Masculinities and Manhood in Irish Writing and Culture

(5 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This module explores theories and representations of manhood and masculinities in Irish literature, drama, and culture from the early 1960s to the present day. Students will critically examine various shifts, changes, and stasis in multiple models of Irish manhood through close readings and critical discussions of a broad and diverse corpus of Irish drama and fiction. as well as other cultural representations. Students will explore themes such as the subjective, cultural, and socio-political construction of manhood in Ireland, as well as the evolution of Irish hegemonic masculinity and patriarchal systems and structures. Students will also interrogate, through critical readings and seminar discussions, the ways in which multitudinous formations of manhood play out across Irish writing and culture, as well as Irish social and political structures. Students will further examine these concepts with regard to Northern Irish and Queer masculinities, as well as exploring masculinities in the context of women's and female-centric writing.