Ireland

Preface
We are all looking forward with eagerness and excitement to the five weeks we will spend together at Oideas Gael in Gleann Cholm Cille in Ireland. This program presents an unprecedented opportunity to learn in a culturally rich environment uniquely positioned at the crossroads of Ireland’s fascinating past and its postmodern future in the European Union. Study-abroad programs, while wonderfully educative, are filled with novel circumstances and occurrences that we cannot anticipate. Following the example of many programs and of our own Program Syllabus of the fall and winter quarters, here is the Program Covenant. This Covenant will assure as much as possible a matching of expectations on the part of the students with those of the College and with the faculty of this opportunity in Ireland. This Covenant supplements but does not replace other College policies, particularly the Student Conduct Code. Each of you has received a copy of the U.S. State Department Travel Advisory for the Republic of Ireland and also for the United Kingdom (covering our brief visit to Northern Ireland); you are expected to read it carefully.

All students going to Gleann Cholm Cille are required to read this Covenant and sign it. Studying abroad demands a different kind and degree of attention and integrity. You may, despite our best efforts, still think that there is no reason why Irish people ought not to love Americans and to strive to be as much like us as possible. You may have somehow managed to avoid noticing that this portion of the Ireland program is at least as academically serious and demanding as were the first two quarters of the program; you are urged to reconsider that position.

The Covenant
I understand that a long-term relationship between the Evergreen State College and Oideas Gael involving multiple Ireland programs and hundreds of Evergreen students is ongoing. I understand that the students of the spring 2010 Ireland program are the sixth group of students who will meet the faculty and staff of Oideas Gael and the people of Gleann Cholm Cille. I understand that it is the expectation of the College, which will be explicitly incorporated into our end-of-program-evaluations, that I will to the best of my ability conduct myself at all times and in all situations so as to reflect well on the academic credibility of the College, as well as on the social responsibility and cultural sensitivity of its students. My modesty, humility, consistency, and willingness to learn are the greatest gifts I bring with me to Ireland.

I understand that the high cost of both access to and living in Gleann Cholm Cille have the consequence for us of needing to utilize the hours of each day and week in a more intense fashion than is the case at Evergreen that can more easily afford to adapt to the multiple and conflicting obligations in students’ lives. The actual curriculum or modular offerings of the program at Gleann Cholm Cille are thus concentrated into just a few weeks, with a consequent schedule that relies more so than does Evergreen quarters upon an almost every day schedule, including weekends and evenings. The expectation of the faculty, upon which our evaluations will be based, is that we will all work unusually hard in this period, postponing until at least May 17th the all-day collapses we will all be yearning for by the end of April.

I understand that in addition to the credit I receive for my written work, the credit I might earn for the spring quarter will be based on examinations and/or written reflections evaluated by Seán Williams. I understand that the primary reason we are able to participate in this study abroad program is because the Oideas Gael institute offers classes in Irish, and I will do my best to absorb and use as much of the language as possible. A large part of my credit will be awarded for language study. No credit of any sort will be awarded for sightseeing or unreflective absorption of the culture. I understand that the faculty looks upon the time period from the winter evaluation conferences until the beginning of the Ireland program as preparation time.

I understand that the faculty of the program, as is frequently the case in the last quarter of a yearlong program, expects to conduct her seminars much closer to a graduate-school model. Among other things, this means that students will be conducting work involving cultural sensitivity. Failure on the part of participating students to fully and honestly participate in our once-a-week seminars will result not only in loss of credit but a complete undermining of the seminar. Failures to meet obligations in local classes and to local teachers will result in automatic loss of credit, along with the Wrath of Seán, which I hope never to experience under any cirvcumstances. In addition, I understand that some seminar time will be devoted to integrating our fall and winter academic work with our field study experiences, and that caring attention needs to be paid to our collective ability to process the experience. I recognize that a sense of community does not happen automatically, and I will make the effort to be flexible so as to accommodate the needs of those who are different from me.

I understand that if I am under a doctor’s care at home, I will consult with that doctor prior to my departure to ensure that I have complete and sufficient prescription medicines to last for the five weeks of our trip. This includes, but is not limited to, anti-depressants, allergy medication, migraine medications, cold medications, antibiotics, etc. I understand that there are no medical facilities in the Gleann, and that a country doctor comes through town only once every week or two for one hour, and that my needs do not take precedence over those of local people. I will have to wait in line like everyone else and may not, in fact, be seen by the doctor at all. I understand that just because I am in Ireland, my life will not necessarily improve dramatically, my dreams will not necessarily come true, and I will not necessarily come face to face with my heritage. I recognize that there is no ATM in Gleann, and that my options for accessing e-mail will be extremely limited, slow, and an enormous hassle.

I understand that absences from class, for a variety of reasons, will not be as tolerated as they are at Evergreen. Should I choose to drink alcohol excessively (to the point that it interferes with my work or damages the reputation of the College or of Oideas Gael), I understand that Seán has a zero-tolerance policy and enormous contempt for people with disabling hangovers. Because the classes and projects are generally much smaller (3-10 people) and more intense and frequently building upon cumulatively improving levels of skill, there is a greater interdependence in the group and hence greater consequence for everyone of a missed meeting. Additionally, absences in the context of a host country sharing its native heritage will reflect very poorly upon the Ireland program and the Evergreen student body, and can be interpreted as profound discourtesy to the instructor. Absences will thus result in automatic loss of credit as well as shame.

From the end of winter quarter until I arrive in Gleann Cholm Cille, and after May 17th until we meet together back at Evergreen, what I do with my time is my own business. Between my arrival at Gleann and May 17th, I understand that the College expects me to conduct myself at all times of the day and night as a representative of the Evergreen State College and the state of Washington. Activities and circumstances which I can now regard as thoroughly my own business, such as a wee-hours rambunctious party in my Olympia apartment involving alcohol and drugs and Bing Crosby records, will by College policy be regarded in Donegal as if they were on-campus occurrences subject to College rules and discipline. Public disturbances or public intoxication, in particular, will not be tolerated. I am hereby warned about the (comparatively) adventurous nature of automobile travel after dark in rural Ireland, about the disconcerting frequency of seemingly intoxicated drivers in those hours, about the unbelievably high speed of drivers on impossibly narrow country roads, and about the escalating crackdown on these practices. I understand that it is the expectation of the faculty that it is each student’s responsibility to avoid being involved as passenger or driver in any such circumstance.

Seán Williams has discussed with us the potentially compromising dispositions that we as young Americans might encounter among those who have formed their images of Americans from Hollywood movies and sensationalist TV. I have been warned not to purchase, sell or share drugs under any circumstances. I agree not to participate in any political rallies or gatherings, whether alone, with friends, or by invitation of Irish people (such participation is not only illegal for us, but it can also be very dangerous). I promise not to antagonize the local police or the local citizens, and to carry my passport with me at all times. I understand that the faculty prefers that all of our personal or social excursions, particularly at night, should be in groups of at least two persons from Evergreen. If I choose against this advice to go off by myself or with someone not in the Evergreen program, I am required to tell my roommate(s) of my destination and expected time of return. Public displays of affection are, generally, quite inappropriate in small-town Ireland, and I promise to refrain from them beyond general hugs.

I understand that I will be living with other people, some of whom I do not know well. I understand that I will work hard to get along with these people and will not deliberately upset the harmony of the household. I understand that a speedy apology is a good thing. Moving from cottage to cottage will not win me friends, either among my classmates or with my landlords, and is an ill-conceived response to perceived household difficulties. It is therefore not an option. I will leave my cottage clean and tidy upon my departure, and strive to be on good terms with my landlord.

Forming a sexual relationship with a local person is inappropriate. The College has rules about establishing sexual relationships with local people while involved in an academic program; however, what you do before April 20th and after May 17th is your own business. You are reminded that Ireland is not immune to any of the problems facing 21st-century men and women, and that HIV and other major issues are found everywhere on the planet. Condoms have only recently become available in Ireland, and their use is not yet normalized.

I understand that both Seán Williams and the College are serious about all these expectations and regulations. Were I to fail to live up to the academic expectations, I understand, the result will be minimally loss of credit. If I am involved in incidents judged by the faculty to be dangerous or damaging to the reputation of the College or the general good of the program, I understand that I will be immediately expelled from the program and from Ireland, and sent home at my own expense even if Seán has to frog-march me to the airport. Violations of the Covenant serious enough to cause expulsion from the Evergreen program in Gleann Cholm Cille may also jeopardize my right to remain an Evergreen student.

While my primary responsibility is for myself, it is in the best interests of the entire group of students and faculty in the spirit of a good learning community that I assist my fellow students in making the most of our opportunity in Gleann Cholm Cille. I am expected to derive as much as possible from the academic and sociocultural activities, contribute constructively and sensitively when asked for opinions or assistance, and intervene when necessary to assist in our avoiding the mistakes which the novelty of the situation might elicit. I understand the academic and the sociocultural expectations of the College for the program in Gleann Cholm Cille. I will keep this covenant in my portfolio for future reference.

All students seeking to earn 16 Evergreen credits in the spring quarter will be required to:

1. Attend all classes faithfully while in the Gleann, work hard on Gaelic, and participate in the daily tea ritual by volunteering to make tea and clean up afterward. The people there notice our good attitude about that sort of thing, which will help the reputation of future Irish Studies programs.

2. Keep a reflective journal as part of the requirement for the integrative seminars (and as an essential aid to your final integrative paper). Entries in the journal should be minimally and absolutely four times a week, averaging minimally several full pages per week. (Some students might like, in addition, to keep a diary wherein more private thoughts are recorded.) All of your journal work will be kept in confidence by the faculty. In particular, try to note unusual or interesting comments by Irish people that either confirm or deny your expectations about Ireland and Irish people; you may need these comments or questions when you are formulating your integrative essay.

3. Participate in debriefing and processing seminars back in Evergreen during the final few days of the quarter unless you have been expressly allowed by Seán to return to the States elsewhere or on a later date.

4. Write a major end-of-quarter final integrative essay (personal, comprehensive, and comparative) of between 20 and 30 pages. This essay should explicitly focus on the relationship between our two quarters of study at Evergreen and the studies and experiences in Ireland. No extensions or incompletes in order to finish the paper at a later date will be possible.

5. Write self-evaluation and faculty evaluation for the year.

6. Participate in an end-of-year evaluation conference. Whatever amount of credit has been earned by the time of the evaluation conference will be submitted to the Registrar on June 15.