Irish and Celtic Culture, Film, and Music

This interdisciplinary course explores how writers, filmmakers, musicians, political figures, and citizens continue to struggle with the diversity and tensions of Celtic identity. The focus of the course will vary from year to year to include a broad range of topics centered on the fusion in Irish, Scottish, and Celtic life of culture, politics, religion, history, drama and film, and music. Sample topics include films by Jim Sheridan, Neil Jordan, and Paul Greengrass; contemporary Celtic music such as Altan, Solas, and Capercaillie; literary works by such authors as Joyce, Yeats, J.M. Synge, Frank McCourt, Martin McDonagh, and Seamus Heaney; the Great Famine; emigration; the resistance to British rule; the Irish Civil War; "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland; and Scottish nationalism. Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cape Breton, and other traditional musicians will visit the class to perform and discuss Celtic music and society.