Course Co-ordinator: Dr Shane Alcobia-Murphy

Pre-requisite(s): Available only to registered postgraduate students.

This course looks at the changing political and cultural contexts of the so-called 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland and examines the artistic responses to some of the key events during that period (specifically Bloody Sunday, the Hunger Strikes, the Shankill Butchers, and the Good Friday Agreement). Studying the works of influential writers (Seamus Heaney, Paul Muldoon, Derek Mahon, Medbh McGuckian, Seamus Deans, Eoin McNamee, Frank McGuinness), visual artists (Willie Doherty, Paul Seawright, Victor Sloan, Eoghan McTigue) and film-makers (Paul Greengrass, Steve McQueen, Maeve Musphy), the course explores the role of the artist in a time of violence, the relationship between narrative and trauma, and the role of memory in a divided society.

12 x 2-hour seminars per week = 24 hours; 3 x 2-hour film screenings = 6 hours; 6 x 1-hour workshop = 6 hours.

Continuous assessment: review portfolio (4 x 500 word reviews) [20%)]; 3500 word essay [60%]; 2 individual presentations [10% each].