Course Name: Irish Culture for English Language Learners

Day(s)/time of class: Wednesdays 18:00-20:00 (Irish time)

Course length: 6 weeks, 12 hours in class + self-study and assignments for teacher feedback

Course dates: Wednesday 05 July to Wednesday 09 August 2023

Course cost: €150*⁺

Level(s): B1+ - C1

*Returning students receive a loyalty discount.  Please email infolang@ucc.ie for details.  Or take this course in addition to another full or part-time English language course and receive a discount.

⁺UCC staff and students should email infolang@ucc.ie to enquire about special offers. 

Course Overview

An exploration of Irish Culture and History especially for students of the English Language.

Learning objectives

By the end of this course, you will:

• Be able to use words, phrases and conventions associated with the recording of dates and time, such as BC, AD, age, and period: the Stone Age, 600 BC, Early Christian Ireland, "Ré na mBard", the Georgian period
• Have developed an understanding of change and continuity in the context of Irish culture by exploring similarities and differences between the past and the present and between different periods in the past
• Be able to examine and use critically a wide range of sources of evidence e.g.: photographs, pictures, objects, memories of older people, buildings, stories and songs, written sources, films, other media, information and communication technology

• Be able to compare accounts of a person or event from two or more sources
• Be able to ask questions about evidence and make simple deductions from evidence
• Be able to use imagination and evidence to reconstruct elements of the Irish Culture e.g. events of a 19th-century school day, emigration scene during famine times, appearance of a crannóg settlement, a letter or diary written by a historical character
• Be able to communicate this understanding of the Irish Culture in a variety of ways: oral language, writing, drama, artwork, modelling, other media, information and communication technologies

• Be able to imagine and discuss the feelings and motives of people in the past
• Be able to discuss how an event in the past may have been perceived by those who participated in it
• Be able to ask questions about animals, plants, objects and events in the immediate environment and their relationships
• Be able to ask questions that will identify problems to be solved in the environment- for example: how can the Curlew be protected?
• Be able to observe, describe and discuss physical, natural and human elements and processes in the immediate environment
• Be able to interpret information and offer explanations
• Be able to draw conclusions from suitable aspects of the evidence collected

Weekly course plan (may change slightly depending on class needs)

Student Feedback/Assessment

Students will receive regular feedback from their teachers on their progress.  Due to the nature of this course, there will be no formal end-of-course assessment. 

Minimum class numbers

A minimum number of 4 students will be required for this class to run.  If 4 students do not sign up, you will be offered to transfer to another course (depending on level), postpone to another term, or a refund.

Online class connection requirements

Microsoft Teams application - cameras on during class time.

A good internet connection and a quiet space where you are free to speak (headphones/earphones optional)

Attendance/End of course certificate

Attendance will be taken in every class.  If you attend 80% of your lessons, you will receive an end-of-course certificate.  Please advise the teacher if you know in advance that you will be absent.

How to Apply

Open for applications.  Part-time application form