Diasporan communities in such cities as London, New York, Boston, Chicago, Sydney, and Buenos Aires are studied in terms of their politics, religion, and culture as well as their relationship with the homeland and their sense of exile. Current trends of repatriation are also considered. Analyzes the causes and consequences of the great famine in the years 1845-1855, in terms of nineteenth century economic theory, demographics, agricultural practice in Ireland, and property rights. Government policies regarding food distribution and relief efforts, the immediate effects on the population and the land, and the long-term economic impact on Ireland, England, and the U.S. are also examined. Ireland's modern humanitarian role as a leader in famine relief is considered.
Readings draw on primary sources from the time of the famine as well as contemporary analyses.
The second half looks at the overwhelming influence of Joyce upon another icon of Irish literature, Samuel Beckett, and his early attempts to free himself from the Joycean legacy. Field study component. Looks at women writers as satirists, revolutionaries, poets, and novelists, as well as in their current role within a society which is radically reassessing its patriarchal assumptions. The distinctive voice of women is examined across a variety of genres in a culture shaped by colonialism and Catholicism as much as by a Celtic past. Attention is also given to the influence and effect of poetry written in Irish.