To familiarise students with a plurality of narratives within Irish history and an appreciation for alternative and marginalised perspectives on the past; To provide students with an understanding of the theoretical and empirical debates surrounding the construction of historical narratives in Ireland; To enable students to critically assess and analyse both primary and secondary material relating to these topics and frame these within a wider discourse on Irish society.

(LO1) Upon completion of this module students will have gained an understanding of diversity within Irish historical scholarship, and an awareness of political, literary and material contexts.

(LO2) They will also have a comprehension of the way different narratives challenge traditional understandings of Ireland’s past and will be able to analyse issues such as pluralism, gender and ethnicity with the appropriate empirical and theoretical frameworks.

(S1) Communication (oral, written and visual) - Presentation skills – oral

(S2) Communication (oral, written and visual) - Presentation skills - visual

(S3) Communication (oral, written and visual) - Listening skills

(S4) Communication (oral, written and visual) - Academic writing (inc. referencing skills)

(S5) Critical thinking and problem solving - Creative thinking

Topics covered during the module may include: Invisible Places: Otherworlds in early Irish literature and thought; Oppression in a 'Golden Age'?: Slavery in early medieval Ireland;  On the wrong side of the Law: Medieval crime and punishment; Siding with the Devil?: Witchcraft and the case of Alice Kyteler; Conflict and identity in early modern Ireland; Modes of address: Social diversity and material culture in post-medieval Ireland; A ruptured landscape: Displacement and memory in Irish history; Early Irish feminism: A 19 th   and 20 th   century comparative analysis; State control of family life? The Irish Free State in the 1920s and 1930s; The Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition.

Teaching Method 1 - Seminar
Description: This module will consist of 11, two-hour seminars. During these seminars, students will be introduced to the key concepts involved in a particular topic. This will provide a basis for oral presentations and subsequent written work. Assessed written work will enable students to explore these topics in greater depth whilst the 15-minute class presentations will stress the importance of the construction of a valid and lucid verbal argument as well as creating an understanding of the issues involved in understanding Ireland's complex and divided past.
Attendance Recorded: Not yet decided