MA in Gaelic Literature
University College Cork
Key Information
Campus location
Cork, Ireland
Languages
English
Study format
Distance Learning
Duration
1 - 2 year
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
EUR 4,930 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* EU students full-time; EUR 2,465 year 1 part-time; EUR 2,465 year 2 part-time | non-EU students: EUR 7,300
Scholarships
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Introduction
Our MA in Gaelic Literature (Online), offered by the Department of Modern Irish at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland, provides students with an in-depth introduction to a distinctive body of literature, giving expression to the many identities of the Gaelic world, and extending over 1200 years, from monastic to modern times.
This course will take you on a literary journey across place and time as we examine sources (manuscripts) and literary texts from the early Christian period to the modern era. This emphasis on place – both local and international – informs the historicity of Gaelic literature studies.
We also create links over time between authors such as Colum Cille and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Gofraidh Fionn and Seán Ó Ríordáin. This allows us to consider Gaelic literature as an organic entity – redefining and reinventing itself as each historic challenge is encountered and overcome.
Course Delivery
The programme is delivered online through English (using texts in translation) by acknowledged experts in the fields of Gaelic language and literature: this coordinated, panoramic approach to the study of Gaelic literature will address and develop the various themes and influences that feed into and inform this literature, including mythology, spiritualism, historic events, landscape, and diasporic studies.
Why Choose This Course
This is the only online course offering a comprehensive programme in Gaelic literature from early times to the present, delivered by recognised academic experts in the field. All the subjects dealt with in the different modules are placed in their historic context. For instance, the module on Women's Poetry in Gaelic Society references poetry and song through its historic phases in tandem with contemporary material.
A highlight of our cross-module approach to course content and delivery is the exposure of the student to the primary sources for Gaelic literature, especially manuscript sources in Ireland and abroad. The treatment of the development of Gaelic Ireland as an international entity, and the panoramic approach to the study of Gaelic literature over time are innovative features of this programme.
Gallery
Admissions
Curriculum
Programme Modules
The online MA in Gaelic Literature is an online programme running for 12 months (full-time), or for 24 months (part-time), from the date of first registration for the programme.
- In Part I students take 60 credits consisting of core and elective modules
- In Part II students complete a Research Dissertation (30 Credits)
These modules cover all aspects of Gaelic literature from the first appearance of poetry in the margins of Latin manuscripts in the ninth century, to an exploration of the sense of place in the work of Irish authors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Lectures will be recorded, and both they and ancillary lecture material (notes, slides, bibliographies etc.) will be made available via Canvas, the online teaching platform used by University College Cork.
Part-time option: Students taking the part-time option complete 60 credits of taught core modules in Year 1. In Year 2 they complete the 30 credit dissertation module.
PART I
Core Modules
- GA6012 The Social and Cultural History of the Irish Language, 1200-2000 (10 Credits)
- GA6013 The Transmission and Interpretation of Gaelic Literature (10 Credits)
Elective Modules
- GA6010 Beginners Irish Language (10 Credits)
- GA6014 The Phases of Gaelic literature (10 Credits)
- GA6016 Placenames and Sense of Place in Gaelic Literature (10 Credits)
- GA6032 Women’s Poetry in Gaelic Society (10 credits)
- GA6033 Fionn Mac Cumhaill in Gaelic Tradition (10 credits)
- GA6040 Literature in Translation (10 Credits)
Part II
- GA6019 Dissertation in Gaelic Literature (30 credits)
Please see the University Calendar (MA Gaelic Literature-Online) for more information and learning outcomes.
Postgraduate Diploma in Gaelic Literature
Students who have completed and passed modules to the value of at least 60 credits in Part I and who fail or do not wish to proceed to Part II may exit the programme and be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Gaelic Literature.
A series of short introductory lectures will outline a roadmap of the objectives and content of the programme, including information on what will be expected of students and on how the course is to be run. Students must have constant access to internet-delivering technology in order to attend this course.
The programme will be conducted over 12 months and will incorporate the delivery of online reading material and reading lists, and online discussion topics and reaction-pieces, to be addressed individually and also collectively in online discussion groups. Weekly pre-recorded lectures will be delivered, and real-time meetings will be convened at intervals to be determined by the class and teachers. The dissertation topic will be chosen by the student in consultation with either the course coordinator or the individual lecturer or both.
As registered students of University College Cork, students of this programme will have access to all Library facilities, databases etc., as well as student email accounts
Assessment
- Continuous assessment based on assignments such as discussion papers and reaction-pieces. There will also be the possibility for group assignments based on the online forum described above, and making maximum use of existing online facilities such as Canvas.
- End-of-module essays based on texts and text-critical material addressed in the course.
- The submission of a 30-credit dissertation.
Connected Curriculum
We encourage innovative teaching and learning practices at UCC and this is embodied in the online delivery of this programme. Our accessible learning approach reflects our commitment to the Connected Curriculum where we emphasise the connection between students, learning, research and leadership through our vision for a Connected University. Our staff will support you in making meaningful connections across the breadth of the Gaelic literary tradition.
Who teaches this course
This course is taught by academics from the Department of Modern Irish and include:
Professor Pádraig Ó Macháin
Dr Aidan Doyle
Ms Mairead Ni Loingsigh
Dr Seán Ua Súilleabháin
Dr Sorcha Nic Lochlainn
Dr Síle Ní Mhurchú
Dr Ken Ó Donnchú
Program Outcome
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Upon successful completion of the MA in Gaelic Literature a student may elect to pursue further study to doctoral level. If such study is to be undertaken at UCC, students may choose to spend time abroad as part of their programme. Students with this qualification will also be in a position to apply for scholarships to study for further degrees at overseas universities. See the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences for more information on a PhD in this area.
In addition, the MA in Gaelic literature is an ideal qualification for those wishing to pursue careers in sectors such as heritage, local history, broadcasting, and media.