Service Learning
Fall 2015 Semester Dublin

About the Program

Give back to your host community in an experience that combines meaningful service learning placement with academic reflection in a structured environment. You’ll gain invaluable skills and knowledge while contributing to the quality of life in Dublin’s marginalized communities. Designed for students interested in development education, community volunteering, or advocacy, you'll improve critical knowledge and skill sets through a combination of classes and a service learning placement. Service learning placements are typically situated within immigration, education, disability, youth work, sustainable urban development, and other fields.

Program Structure

You'll enroll in 1 service learning course and 3-4 elective courses at the CEA Dublin Center. You may also enroll in up to 2 CEA virtual courses or 1 optional elective course at the International School of Business (ISB). Your service learning course meets for 45 contact hours and you'll spend 30 hours at your service learning site. Together, your course and service learning placement are worth 3 credits. Elective courses meet for 45 contact hours/3 credits. You may earn a total of 15 credits (up to 225 contact hours) during the semester.

Your service learning placement hours may take place Monday-Friday; the exact time of day and days of the week will be determined after you arrive. Elective classes meet twice a week, Monday-Thursday. Active learning components required by your courses may be scheduled for Fridays.

CEA virtual courses are taught in English using an online Learning Management System. You are expected to be an active participant in online forums, in addition to completing your regular readings, videos and homework. You can expect a blend of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (at your own pace) learning approaches that provide individual attention and flexibility for your learning style. Engaging in your “own way” gives you an opportunity to showcase your engagement in any topic or assignment while being part of an online global learning community.

Prior to departure, you will select your preferred courses. You will be enrolled into courses based on their availability. It is in your best interest to have multiple alternative courses approved by your home university prior to your departure due to course availabilities. Please consult with your academic advisor at your home university on credit pre-approval guidelines.

Excursions

Get out and explore! Excursions are offered for most semester, year, and summer programs*. Semester students are typically offered between two to three excursions and summer study students are typically offered between one to two excursions. You'll receive a calendar of excursions during orientation; here are a few day and overnight excursions we've offered in the past.

Galway, Connemara, and the Aran Islands

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Relax as a private bus takes you and your fellow students across Ireland, from east to west, to the Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular vista of coastline and dramatic rock face. You’ll continue to Galway, the country’s fourth largest city and considered by many to be the cultural capital of Ireland. Enjoy the spectacular sunset over Galway Bay as you discover Galway’s charmingly narrow pedestrian streets. The next day, you’ll depart for Connemara, home to beautiful and rugged landscapes where the Gaelic language is still spoken. We’ll take a ferry to the Aran Islands, where you’ll experience a link with a time long passed. Explore Dun Aengus, a fort that dates back to the Iron Age, before returning to Galway to experience live traditional music in local pubs.

Kerry

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Kerry is known as “The Kingdom” for good reason. Home to some of the most magnificent scenery in Ireland, from the gorgeous Killarney National Park to the jaw-dropping beauty of the Dingle Peninsula, we’ll venture off the typical bus tour routes so you can experience these places in a unique fashion, such as an early morning horse ride through the park and a (gentle) bike ride to Muckross House and Abbey. You’ll learn about the park’s flora and fauna, as well as the lives of the Kerry Chieftains that once resided there. No introduction to Kerry would be complete without a visit to Fungi the Dolphin; local fishermen will take you out to sea to meet Dingle’s biggest celebrity and learn about his Atlantic home. Enjoy a tasty lunch under the canopy of trees at Torc Waterfall and mingle with locals while experiencing the nightlife of Killarney town. The trip to Kerry offers a delicious combination of action, history and nature that is sure to leave you spellbound.

Glendalough and Powerscourt Gardens

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During this day trip, a private bus takes you to County Wicklow and Glendalough, the site of an old Irish monastery founded by St Kevin. Explore this scenic setting in the Wicklow Mountains in a valley between two lakes (“Gleann da loch”) and take a tour of the site. This classic example of an Irish monastery dates back to a golden era when Ireland was referred to as the “island of saints and scholars.” On the way back to Dublin via the coast road, we’ll stop at Bray, one of Ireland’s favorite seaside resorts.

Belfast

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Travel north by private coach to Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Once battered by the “Troubles” between Catholics and Protestants, since 1998’s Good Friday Agreement, Belfast enjoys the hustle and bustle of any major city with its shops, bars, and restaurants full of life and activity. As a reminder of the past, we’ll visit “Loyalist” and “Republican” quarters of the city to view colorful murals that depict the bitterness of a divided community.