I loved this class but it was so much reading! The amount of reading expected for this class was really mind blowing, and there were a couple instances where I had to read a 700 page book in the span of a couple days so that I would be ready for class in addition to textbook reading due on the same day. However, the books were great and interesting and if you fall behind on some readings it's not the end of the world! I never participated in class but attended every class and got an A. The paper was a big undertaking but was manageable! Professor Jauretche was sweet and engaging in class but a little unhelpful when I reached out asking for help or advice when I joined the class late. I ended up being pretty behind for the first part of the course because I was unclear about where to find the different things assigned and what was expected of me.

Grades breakdown goes like: 15% participation (attendance are taken); 25% group annotation project; 20% annotated bibliography (preparation for your final paper); 40% 10-pages final paper. Coursework gets busier toward the second half of the quarter, as that's when assignments are due. For most of the weeks you are just reading novels/plays, which isn't at all like "works" if you love reading. The lectures are discussions of the texts you read led by Professor Jaurretche essentially. Some of the texts include Dracula, Juno and the Paycock, Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, portions of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, Yeats' poems, and Waiting for Godot. Professor Jaurretche is knowledgeable and kind and reachable.

Professor Jaurretche is a very caring and passionate professor. She obviously knew tons about the texts that we covered and led really interesting discussions. We would usually read one book or play each week, in addition to supplemental historical reading. There are no pop quizzes or anything so you don’t have to stress too much about falling behind. Your grade is based on research projects/essays. The one downside of this class is that there was only one meeting each week so we didn’t get to dive very deeply into any of the materials by analyzing them for, say, two days. That being said, I feel like I truly learned so much about Irish history and culture through this class, not to mention literature. If any of those things interest you, I would highly recommend this class.

I’m also selling the course reader for $30, if you’re interested text **********.