HIS21190 History of Irish Americans

Academic Year 2019/2020

This course will examine the history of Irish immigrants and their descendants in the United States from that nation’s colonial origins to the twenty first century as a case study in the history of American immigration and ethnicity. It will proceed chronologically through Irish American history, exploring questions about concepts of assimilation, diaspora, and invented ethnicity. Through this narrative the course will raise and discuss several topics and issues: the origins in Ireland of Irish emigrants to America; the causes of Irish migration to America; the processes of that migration; Irish immigrant settlement patterns; gender and family in Irish American life; Irish American adaptations to the American economy; Irish Americans and race; Irish American relations with Ireland; and Irish Americans in American politics and in American popular culture. It will also make comparisons, when useful, to the experiences of other immigrant groups in America, as well as those of Irish immigrants and their descendants in other parts of the Irish diaspora.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:
- Understand issues in the scholarly study of transnational migration and important concepts used in that study such as diaspora, transnationalism, and inventing ethnicity
- Place the history of Irish America in the context of that broader study of transnational migration.
- Assess the historiography of Irish America and the primary sources relevant to the module.
- Present aspects of the historical debate about Irish American history orally and engage in discussion.
- Present aspects of the historical debate about Irish American history in written form.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

11
Seminar (or Webinar)

10
Specified Learning Activities

45
Autonomous Student Learning

45
Total

111
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module combines large-group and small-group teaching, through a weekly lecture and seminar. Weekly lectures provide overviews of weekly topics, with focus upon key historical trends, debates and events. Weekly seminars focus on small-group active / task-based learning using large-group and small-group teaching, through a weekly lecture and seminar. Weekly lectures provide overviews of weekly topics, with focus upon key historical trends, debates and events. Weekly seminars focus on small-group active / task-based learning using both secondary and primary sources related to the weekly topic covered in the lecture. Autonomous learning is nurtured through required preparatory reading each week, a written mid-term assignment and a final two hour exam. Key research, writing and citation skills are explicitly incorporated into seminar work and are assessed and advanced in the written mid-term assignment. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Continuous Assessment: Students are assessed on their participation in weekly seminars. Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

10
Assignment: Essay: 1,500 word essay to be submitted by the end of week 7 Week 7 n/a Graded No

30
Examination: End of semester two-hour exam 2 hour End of Trimester Exam No Graded No

60

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on the mid-term Essay Assignment is given in writing on the returned hard-copy. Feedback on the two-hour examination will be given by appointment in one-to-one meetings.

Name Role
Kerron O'Luain Tutor
Mr Philip Walsh Tutor