Irish Studies in the EFL Classroom

As newly developed curricula explicitly ask for the treatment of cultures and literatures outside the Anglophone ‘mainstream’, i.e. the UK and the USA, our focus will be on Ireland. Consequently, the aim of this project is to acquaint students with the culture of Ireland and look closely at its language and literature. All these aspects of Irish life are intertwined and should be seen in an interrelated manner. There is a focus on the historical background to Ireland, mentioning the peoples on the island, the languages they spoke and the cultural artefacts which they have left behind. The present-day linguistic situation is in the focus and current developments in language in Ireland are examined. The cultural framework for Irish studies is also looked at closely and is continuously referred to throughout the project. The application of this knowledge to possible school projects and classroom teaching forms an important focus, for instance the use of literature and film to communicate Irish culture to German students. Themes are looked at in their historical dimension as well as in their relationship to representations through films, literary texts, songs, cartoons, textbooks etc. today. A range of topics are analyzed, such as stereotypes, geography, politics, education, the media, current issues as well as relevance for language teaching.

Project Leader

PD Dr. Ina Bergmann

Prof. Dr. Maria Eisenmann

 

Team

Prof. Dr. Jochen Achilles

Prof. Dr. Helmut Flachenecker

Matthias Fleckenstein

Prof. Dr. Daniel Kölligan

Dr. Bernd Vath

Aimee Waha

Emma Phelan

Publications

Monograph

Eisenmann, Maria. Ireland - Changes and Challenges. Schöningh, 2009.

Contribution

Eisenmann, Maria. "in your head they are fighting"  – Anregungen zur Arbeit mit Musikvideoclips am Beispiel des Songs Zombie" Der Einsatz von Musik und die Entwicklung von audio literacy im Fremdsprachenunterricht, edited by Blell, Gabriele / Kupetz, Rita, Lang, 2010, pp. 250-261.