For this last blog post of our last unit (and before we begin final project presentations next week), students will synthesize their study this semester and reflect on a significant aspect of individual, group or other learning during this semester that had deep impact on their understanding of Ireland and Irishness. It’s been a great class, and as always, I have learned an enormous amount from these bright, curious and engaged students. It’s been a pleasure!
This week, we'll look at videos and other sources, and discuss selected aspects of popular culture in Ireland. We'll briefly investigate Irish Traveller history, lifestyle and politics, and the impact of the Magdalene Sisters Laundries for girls and the Industrial Schools for the boys.
This post will serve as a space for sharing reflections on, ideas and inquiries about, and responses to our work in class this week, my resources, and developing and ongoing questions about aspects of Irish popular culture and the divides that exist as well as found resources while cybersleuthing, and during discussions and other research activities. Students will also provide relevant and excellent links, as context for what and how they are learning in this unit. In class this week, we took a quick dip into Irish popular culture, current themes and the dualities and cultural divides that exist in this ‘collision’ culture in a post-Celtic Tiger Ireland.
We took a look at traditional Irish food and I brought in some of my books, maps, monographs, photos, event guides, menus, design catalogues, newspaper clippings, government documents and reports, and other artifacts, and students did group work sparked by interaction with these artifacts, discussions in class, and reflection on cybersleuthing and other research work focused on Irish culture and the dualities that exist. This post will serve as a space for sharing reflections on, ideas and inquiries about, and responses to our work in class this week, my resources, and our ongoing questions about aspects of Irish popular culture and the divides that exist as well as found resources while cybersleuthing, and during discussions and other research activities. |