Dublin program reinstated

Study abroad offered to English majors

And then Professor of English John Hobbs asked the EPPC would they say yes to the Dublin program and his heart was going like mad and yes they said yes they will Yes.

Students now have an opportunity this Fall to accompany Hobbs in Dublin to study authors including James Joyce, Flann O'Brien, Samuel Beckett and W.B. Yeats. The curriculm focuses on Irish modern fiction, theater and poetry.

"Irish literature is read and taught on this side of the Atlantic, but to teach them in their own culture and location provides a historical context to their work," Hobbs said.

Associate Dean of the College Suzanne Gay said, "The educational rationale is it augments our curriculum very nicely. The idea is you gain an appreciation of Irish literature by short but intense exposure."

Hobbs previously taught in Dublin through the Oberlin study abroad program in 1984, 1988 and 1991. The Dublin program was inactive for six years due to lack of funding by the College.

Sarah Nelson, educational technical intern in OCTET and former graduate of Oberlin, participated in the program in 1991. "To be in a recently decolonized country and to read their creative output, you can just relate to the literature on a deeper level." Nelson said. "It's definitely worth going on because you get to see a lot of theater." According to Nelson, the program was fun and exciting because Hobbs invited a variety of interesting speakers to class, including local academics.

"I think the Irish culture is one one of those cultures people think they know a lot about," said Nelson. "There are so many other levels other than associating the Irish with Guiness, lepruchans and Riverdance."

Hobbs describes Dublin as the youth city of Europe, where new theaters and restaurants crowd the town. "There is a great buzz and excitement to the city-not like past times I visited," Hobbs said. Students will not be spending all their time reading, according to Hobbs. He said students will have a multitude of opportunities to visit the Abby Theater as well as tour the countryside during weekends and Fall Break.

Students can also design independent projects on nationalism and the politics of Northern Ireland, the Easter Rebellion, the Irish cinema, women's issues, post-colonialsim in Irish history, traditional music or the Irish language.

The rich social life in Dublin feeds into the literature students read by hearing the same language in the streets and pubs," Hobbs said."It is a culture immersed in literature and storytelling."

Top o' the morning: Some students will have the opportunity to roam the streets of Dublin next Fall. (photo courtesy of John Hobbs)