PSI 2224 - Ireland: Dublin & Belfast

Credits: 2
This course will be a travel January Term to both the Republic of Ireland as well as to the North of Ireland that remains part of the United Kingdom. The history of “the Troubles” (the years of violent conflict in the North of paramilitaries of the Irish Republican Army and the Ulster paramilitary forces that ended in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement) will be explored via the many historical museums, gallery exhibits and visits with journalists from the Irish Times. The Good Friday Agreement for the first time arrived at a tenable peace solution that declares a united Ireland can only come from a direct vote of all of the Irish people (North and in the Republic). Given Brexit’s ramifications for Northern Ireland and the border in the Irish Sea that all Irish sides oppose, there is an opportunity for that vote to happen and unify Ireland because those in Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union. With Brexit those in Northern Ireland, because they are still part of Great Britain, have to leave the European Union, and the complications of that arrangement are just being played out now. Since most want to remain in the EU they will no doubt push for a vote to unify to remain in the EU by leaving the UK. This will take years but going next January will be one of the most fascinating times to be in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. We will meet with representatives of both parliaments, press from both sides, voters and young university students. We will also take in the cultural sites of both parts of Ireland.
McDaniel Plan: January Term; Experiential