Ireland Summer 2024 -- Preliminary Information

 

Bridge in Ireland

WHY STUDY LITERATURE AND PHOTOGRAPHY IN IRELAND?

Ireland offers a heritage of traditional and contemporary culture, with a wealth of artists, museums, entertainment, and historical sites that will inspire student’s study of literature and photography.  Dublin, a UNESCO “City of Literature,” is the major center for Irish art and national history. Ireland’s largest city, Dublin is a hub for artists, food, pubs, art, and museums. Many of the major artists and historical figures that shaped Ireland call Dublin home. Dublin will offer students a captivating and vibrant city that will enrich their studies of Irish culture. Further west is Galway and the Wild Atlantic Way. Students will visit the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands where Irish remains the primary language. The landscapes of Western Ireland served as inspiration for a number of artists who used geography as a means to explore a unique Irish identity. The capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast is more than its Game of Thrones association. A fascinating and complex history, Belfast with Derry present one of the world’s largest collections of cultural and political murals that illustrate the story of Irish history. With its picturesque landscapes, its fascinating social history, and its wealth of art and culture, Dublin and Ireland is where students can become passionate about literature and photography in their study abroad.

SEE THIS IRELAND PROMO VIDEO AND MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS:

 


HIGHLIGHTS OF ACTIVITIES AND FIELD TRIPS

 

  • Located at the center of Dublin, students will board and study at Trinity College, which dates back to 1592.
  • Bloomsday Festival in Dublin, a city-wide celebration of James Joyce’s Ulysses.
  • Events and exhibitions at the James Joyce Center, Dublin Writers Museum, and Museum of Literature Ireland support our reading in Irish literature.
  • A Black Cab Tour with guide of the murals of Belfast.
  • Photography fieldtrip to the Cliffs of Moher and an all-day trip to the Aran Islands. 
  • A visit to the Seamus Heaney HomePlace and Derry’s “Free Derry Museum” to gain insight into the complex political, social, and literary history of Northern Ireland.
  • Fieldtrips to the Dublin Gallery of Photography and Belfast Compact Photo Festival (pending).
  • Tour of the old Trinity Library and the Book of Kells exhibition

PROGRAM LOGISTICS

  • Open to students age 18 and older with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or more. If you are below a 2.00 GPA and place a deposit for this program, it will be returned to you, and you could be assessed a nonrefundable $50 application fee from AIFS. If you’re not sure about your academic status, please check your SRJC portal or contact the Study Abroad coordinator, Patty Warne (pwarne@santarosa.edu).
  • Students will be taking ENGL 1B (Literature and Composition) and ART 82 (Beginning Digital Photography). Please see class link for details. 
  • Optional flight transportation package available (minimum 10 students) at additional cost.
  • Accommodations in Dublin (20 nights), Galway (5 nights) and Belfast (7 nights), all with single rooms within a shared apartment/student dorm with shared kitchen and living space, and laundry facilities on site. Linens and towels and free wireless internet are included.

Dublin: Shared apartment/student dorm at Trinity College Dublin. The accommodations are connected to campus via 24-hour footbridge and gated access with keycard.

Galway: Shared apartment/student dorm at NUI (National University of Ireland) Galway. Free shuttle service is provided between the campus and the city center during the day and accommodations are within 30-minute walking distance from the city center.

Belfast: Shared apartment/student dorm at Queen’s Elms Village, Queen’s University Belfast.

  • Transportation included for all excursions and travel days.
  • Leap Card travel pass pre-loaded with €25 for use on buses, Luas and Dart trains in and around Dublin and on some public buses in Galway will be provided. Translink pass for unlimited travel on public transportation in Belfast also included for Belfast section.
  • AIFS will provide experienced staff team in Dublin and dedicated staff member in Galway and Belfast to ensure smooth running of program and provide information and support to the group.
  • Student medical insurance will be included as outlined in the AIFS insurance brochure.

WHY CHOOSE THIS PROGRAM?

This program is offered to enable students to study abroad while making normal progress toward their degree objectives, and earning units in courses taught by Santa Rosa Junior College faculty. This program is offered in partnership with the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS), which arranges transportation, living accommodations, and a wide range of student and instructional support services. Units earned on this trip will appear on transcripts issued by Santa Rosa Junior College.

PROGRAM DATES

  • The dates for this program are still to be determined. Students will be in Ireland for 5 weeks, most likely beginning in June and ending sometime in July, 2024. This program will also include approximately two mandatory class meetings prior to departure (TBD), most likely to take place after spring finals but before departure. We will also hold a pre-departure meeting to be conducted by AIFS.

 APPLICATION DEADLINE

  • The deadline has not yet been set, but it’s projected to be in early March 2024. Please note that this program is first come, first served and once it reaches its full capacity of 30 students, the program will be closed. We anticipate the application process will begin sometime during the Fall 2023 semester.
  • If you’d like to receive an email once the application link becomes available, please request to join our Ireland Summer 2024 contact list by emailing the Study Abroad coordinator, Patty Warne, at pwarne@santarosa.edu.

FALL 2023 & SPRING 2024 INFORMATION SESSIONS (for Summer 2024 departure)

Your instructors, Tony Ruiz (truiz@santarosa.edu) and Jessica Layton (jlayton@santarosa.edu),    plan on holding informational meetings on this program either via Zoom or in-person on both the Petaluma and Santa Rosa campuses. Please check back here later for those dates and times.  

PROGRAM COSTS/SCHOLARSHIPS/FINANCIAL AID

  • AIFS Program Cost is still to be determined. We expect it to be somewhere around $5,000. These costs will include all lodging, scheduled field trips, medical insurance, and AIFS services. It will not include airfare, day-to-day expenses such as food, and class tuition and books. Check back here later for AIFS fees, as well as a run-down of what is and isn’t included in them. AIFS will also be offering a group flight option at additional cost.
  • Scholarships Information: There aren’t many scholarships available for summer, but AIFS is generally able to provide one for $500, provided you’re willing to maintain a blog. Check back here later for the AIFS scholarship instructions and its due date. (It won’t be due until sometime in spring 2024.)
  • Financial Aid: Unfortunately, there is very little financial aid in the summer and there are no summer loans. Students can possibly get the California Promise Grant (formerly known as the BOG fee waiver) based on their current FAFSA. In addition, if you are eligible for the Pell Grant, check out the Gilman Scholarship here: https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/

AIFS REFUND DATES & CANCELLATION FEES

Please check back here later for refund dates.

AIFS PROGRAM CANCELLATION POLICY

Please check back here later for a summary of the AIFS program cancellation policy.