Cork Specialty Courses – 2026 Summer
Academics
Cork offers a vibrant mix of cultural heritage and contemporary thought, making it an inspiring setting to study Ireland’s rich traditions and political history while exploring innovative approaches to environmental stewardship. Its lively summer festivals and welcoming community provide an immersive learning experience both in and out of the classroom.
You will enroll in three to seven credits during the summer session. At least one 3-credit course is required.
Summer
Click the course title to view course details, description and availability. Course availability is contingent upon scheduling constraints, meeting enrollment minimums, and is subject to change. To request a course syllabus: syllabus@usac.edu
- SummerAnthropology Nutrition 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
We’re excited to introduce this new course option as course details are being finalized. Please check back after 1/15 for full course details.
- SummerGeography Sociology 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
We’re excited to introduce this new course option as course details are being finalized. Please check back after 1/15 for full course details.
- SummerAnthropology History 100-level 1 credit Taught in English
The ‘In Search of Irish Roots: Tracing your Family Genealogy’ syllabus takes place over five sessions, with a distinct topic for each session. This course is about far more than genealogical sources; it also facilitates an interdisciplinary understanding of the primary sources and principal events that have shaped Ireland over the past several hundred years. It will therefore provide an overview of social, cultural, and political change in Irish society, so as to lead to a further understanding of the shaping of modern Ireland. It draws on cultural, political, and historical geographies of Ireland and includes analysis of class, religion, place, patronage, politics and territorial organisation, the impact of landlordism and landscape transformation, the distribution of secular and religious institutions, nation-building, and state formation. All of the above topics are address and put into practice during two out-of-classroom field trip tours (Cork North Inner and South Inner City).
- SummerManagement Political Science 400-level 3 credits Taught in English
This course is designed for students to develop a strong theoretical foundation in international conflict resolution. Students will develop the knowledge and the skills to evaluate conflict situations and analyze outcomes. This course will cover topics related to contemporary state-based conflicts, and students will learn and discuss the complexities and contradictions of specific events in history. Students will evaluate the nature of international conflict and how it has evolved over time and explore the various stages and strategies of conflict prevention, containment, and resolution.
- SummerAnthropology 200-level 3 credits Taught in English
This course introduces the academic discipline of folklore through the material and intangible culture of Cork and Ireland. There will be a focus on the collection, archiving and dissemination of folklore and oral history in Cork and Ireland. The themes of social and sacred assembly as well as community culture will be outlined and discussed. Aspects of material culture such as housing, furniture, and food will also be considered. Students will put their ethnographic skills into practice on the class field trip to the Muskerry Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area).
- SummerWorld Languages and Literatures 100-level 1 credit Taught in English
The Irish language (Gaelige) has both a rich history and a strong ongoing presence in contemporary Irish society. Over the millennia, it has played a crucial role in shaping Irish identity and culture. Today, Galway and NUIG play important roles in sustaining and preserving the rich scholarly and artistic legacies of the Gaelic language and draw greatly from the vitality of the language in the nearby gaeltacht (or Irish-speaking) regions of Connemara and the Aran Islands. This course is meant to give you a better sense of that linguistic heritage and provide opportunities for richer contacts with the Irish-language speakers, performances, and aspects of every-day life one encounters around Galway. The class will provide a basic preface to the structure of the language with the aim of developing some elementary conversational, grammar and reading skills in modern Irish.
- SummerCriminal Justice 200-level 3 credits Taught in English
We’re excited to introduce this new course option as course details are being finalized. Please check back after 1/15 for full course details.
- SummerMusic 400-level 3 credits Taught in English
Music-making in Ireland today encompasses a wide range of scenes, communities, and sub-cultures, each performing slightly different versions of Irishness. This course examines the last 50 years of popular, classical, and traditional music through the prism of national and regional identity, with special focus on the vibrant live music scene in Cork City. Taking in artists such as U2, Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison and Hozier, students will examine how music reflects different ways of being Irish.