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ENG42190

Academic Year 2026/2027

Archipelagic Ireland: Modern Irish Literature and Marine Environments (ENG42190)

Subject:
English
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
English, Drama & Film
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Professor John Brannigan
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module reads Irish literature through the lens of archipelagic and oceanic criticism (the Blue Humanities). We will examine how Irish writers have engaged with the island, coastal and marine ecologies of the Irish archipelago, against a background in which Irish cultural and political discourses have often been defined by terrestrial preoccupations. We will turn to the sea in works by W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, J.M. Synge, Eavan Boland, Moya Cannon, among others. At the same time, we will follow the oceanic turn in literary studies through the critical work of Elizabeth DeLoughrey, Steve Mentz, Stacy Alaimo, Hester Blum, and Philip Steinberg.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Situate Irish literature within the theoretical and critical frameworks of oceanic and archipelagic criticism
2. Develop analyses and arguments about Irish literary representations of material environments
3. Demonstrate advanced critical and theoretical analyses of modern literary texts

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

120
Autonomous Student Learning

60
Seminar (or Webinar)

20
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The module is taught through a weekly two-hour seminar. The seminar will consist of group discussion, task-based learning, and close reading of both literary and critical texts. Students will also learn through critical writing exercises, engagement with theoretical sources, and some fieldwork exercises.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Presentation of abstract and working bibliography for the research essay Week 9 Graded No
20
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Research Essay, 4-5000 words Week 14 Graded No
80
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Wed 12:00 - 13:50
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