Ballyvaughan: Writing Place & Distance - Art & Environment in the West of Ireland
Program Dates
TBD*
*Students should arrange to arrive to Ireland (Shannon Airport) on the morning of the program start date.
Program Overview
Writing Place And Distance In The West Of Ireland will provide students with an intensive and immersive experience in creative writing in one of the most artistically vital and ecologically stunning locales in all of Europe. Through workshops, seminar discussions, and dedicated writing time, students will write responsively to the art and landscape of the Burren, a spectacularly vibrant geological formation in the far west coast of County Clare, Ireland. The program will take place at the Burren College of Art, an intimate, world-class art school founded by artists for artists, and uniquely connected to its surroundings with its twenty years of experience teaching art, writing, and the creative life to students from around the world.
Program Eligibility & Admission
- Open to rising sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students.
- Recommended for Writing, Literature & Publishing students and Environmental Studies minors.
- Limited to 16 students.
Course Information
Total of 4 credits. Students will be required to be enrolled by Emerson College in the following course:
- Undergraduate Students: WR 325 - Writing Place & Distance in the West of Ireland (4 credits)
- Graduate Students: WR 620 - Art & Environment in the West of Ireland (4 credits)
Academic Highlights
- Let your writing be inspired by your surroundings while staying at the Burren College of Art in the charming village of Ballyvaughan.
- Experience and learn about the Burren’s unique ecology and history, read Irish literature related to environmental concerns, and respond creatively to the work of local artists-painters, sculptors, photographers and fellow writers.
- Explore the works of Irish writers, including Tim Robinson, award- winning author of The Stones of Aran, Eamonn Wall, author of Writing the Irish West, poets Moya Cannon and Mary O’Malley.
Cultural Highlights
- Enjoy an excursion to Inis Mor and Inis Oirr, two of the Aran Islands.
- Take a field trip to Corcomroe Abbey and Kilmacduagh Monastery.
- Embark on a full-day excursion to nearby Galway city.
- Take a field trip to Coole Park and Thor Ballylee.
- Opt to join faculty and classmates on a hike and enjoy beautiful landscape views.
- Visit the famous Cliffs of Moher.
- Try a full Irish breakfast, Guinness and beef pie, Colcannon, Boxty and brown bread.
Cost & Inclusions
Program Fee:
$TBD
Included in Program Fee
- Tuition (4 credits)
- Registration Fee
- Housing in shared townhouse-style apartments
- Burren College of Art fees
- Excursions
Not Included in Program Fee
- Round-trip airfare to/from Shannon Airport (Est. $1,200)
- Local transportation
- Meals and incidental or personal expenses
- Passports (or visas, if required)
- International Health Insurance*
*May be waived by those with alternate comparable insurance.
*Health Insurance Coverage: Participants must have an insurance plan that provides coverage while abroad. If you feel your current insurance is not adequate, please research a plan that is.
For information on Supplemental Health Plans, please visit our Health Insurance Requirements page.