University of Wisconsin–Madison
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UW Summer Launch in Ireland: Battles, Borders and Bogs

A stone castle with several peaked roofs has a bridge allowing cars to pass underneath it.
Students stare where a man is pointing inside a brick building with many metal archways.
Different colored buildings are along a river, and the tallest building among them is the steeple of a church. A bridge across the river is in the distance.
Students stand inside of a courtyard of a castle with tall, multicolored stone walls.
Fifteen students pose with the "Finger W" in front of a brick wall.
The roof of a castle includes a turret, arches, and very ornate points at the top of each spire.
Several students look towards a man speaking whilst inside mossy, old, stone walls.
A large Irish flag hangs around several smaller, triangular flags of different colors.
Taken from on top of a grassy hill, overlooking a marina filled with sailboats.
The exterior of a brown stone house, with four windows each carrying a potted green plant. To the right of the windows, there is a red door trimmed with white.

This program is planned to be offered again in Summer 2026. Visit our Summer Launch page for a list of all international Summer Launch programs!

Ireland, Dublin

This program is part of UW-Madison Study Abroad's Summer Launch!

There is expected to be a high level of interest in the UW Summer Launch programs. As space on the program is limited, IAP encourages students to put care and thought into their application materials.

Join your fellow incoming first-year Badgers on this exciting summer program to Dublin, Ireland! Led by Political Science Professor and Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, Dr. John Zumbrunnen, UW Battles, Borders and Bogs is a unique, engaging experience designed especially for incoming UW-Madison first-year students.

Through classroom learning, guided site visits around Dublin, and an overnight excursion through the Irish countryside with stops at an ecovillage and a bog restoration site, you’ll explore Irish political history and political thought through the lens of controversies about land ownership, land use, private interests and the public good. 

Students accepted to this program will participate as a cohort in a two-day pre-departure orientation session then travel together to Ireland and back to Madison. You'll start fall semester having built strong relationships with your internationally-minded peers and faculty mentor, and having completed 3 UW credits.

This program is offered by UW-Madison in cooperation with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). There are no prerequisites for this program.


To explore all UW Study Abroad Launch program options:

Note: You may only apply to and participate in one UW Study Abroad Launch program.

Learning Objectives

We have overall Goals and Expectations for Study Abroad Participants, covering the personal, academic and professional aspects of study abroad. Additionally on this program, you can:

  • Explain in your own words the centrality of conflicts about the land in key moments and controversies in Irish political history and political thought.
  • Compare and contrast the intersection of land and politics in urban and rural Ireland
  • Analyze current debates about sustainability, climate and the environment  in the context of the place of the land in Irish political history and political thought.

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to providing quality study abroad and domestic study away programs for every UW-Madison student. We work strategically to identify, address, and remove barriers that may prevent participation and to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for students. Our staff actively engages with students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds and prioritizes the continuous development of our knowledge and cultural competence. We also recognize the importance of increasing access to study abroad for historically underrepresented student populations. We are committed to diversity and inclusion so that every student can engage with and understand their identity through a new lens and continue to develop and make progress on their personal, professional, and academic goals.

Sustainability

We recognize that the future of study abroad, domestic study away, and international internship programming requires a Commitment to Sustainability. We are devoted to examining, developing, and improving sustainability in all our endeavors, aligning with campus priorities and following through with UW-Madison's climate action and Resilience Commitment. Join our efforts and learn more about how to study abroad sustainably.

Request Information

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Eligibility

  • International students are not eligible to apply to this program.

  • This program is for incoming First-Year students only. The program would take place prior to your first semester of study on campus.

  • Incoming Freshman
  • Open to UW-Madison degree-seeking students only
  • Good academic and disciplinary standing
  • At the time of application and the semester prior to participation, UW-Madison students must be currently enrolled. Transfer Students to UW-Madison need to be currently enrolled at their home institution

Advising Location

Program Structure

UW Signature

Subjects

Political Science, History, Environmental Studies 

Classroom Language

English

Housing

Apartments

Program Duration

Summer: late July to early August 

Anticipated 2024 Dates: July 24- August 9 

SOAR attendance: schedule any time before the program start

Program Orientation on campus: July 22-23

Departure: July 23

Ireland: July 24 - August 9 

Return to campus: August 9

Application Deadline(s)

Future durations will be posted at a later date.

APPLY NOW

 

"Because of this program, I'm definitely more comfortable with college coursework, living away from home, and making friends, all of which I was really worried about before going to Ireland." Summer 2023 participant

Ireland is known for its natural beauty:  rolling pastures full of sheep, the rocky landscape of Connemara; the vibrant green heights of the ring of Kerry; countless seaside towns and villages.  The beautiful land of Ireland, though, has been the subject of centuries of political conflict. UW Battles, Borders and Bogs will focus on five moments: 

  • Early Ireland.  We’ll start by considering the discovery of “bog bodies,” and we’ll visit the “Kingship and Sacrifice” exhibit of the National Museum of Archeology.  We’ll also explore early Viking activity in Dublin and see Viking artefacts. 
  • The Plantation Period.  The political and religious conflicts that animated “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland in the late 20th century have their roots in conflicts over the land during the “Protestant Plantation” period of the 17th century.  We’ll read and discuss primary texts from the period, and we’ll visit historic Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin
  • Famine and Land War.  Through the 19th Century, Irish political played out in the context of struggles with and for the land, with the Irish Famine followed by the late century Irish Land Wars.  We’ll read arguments made on all sides of these controversies, explore the EPIC Museum of Irish Immigration, and tour a 19th century tenement house
  • Independence and Partition.  The 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic declares “the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland.” Irish Independence, though, brought partition of the island, not unified “ownership.”  We’ll visit sites around Dublin where the 1916 Easter Rising played out, study the documents that established the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and talk about the past, present and future of the border.
  • The Future of the Land.  We’ll end our class by talking about the future of Ireland, its land and politics.  Our overnight excursion south of Dublin will take us to a bog restoration site and to an experimental ecovillage, where residents are attempting to live sustainably. 

As this description suggests, we'll spend some of our time (most every morning, actually) together in the classroom, discussing shared readings and other course materials.  We'll also be out and about in Dublin and, later, in the countryside. You'll also have some time to explore. 

Upon successful completion of the program, you will earn 3 credits and be able to choose from the approved equivalents linked below.

Affiliate Institution(s)

CIEE Dublin Center

Course Equivalents

Use the links below to see a list of courses that past students have taken on this program and the UW equivalents. Note: This list only includes pre-approved courses for your program and may not be an exhaustive list of courses, departments or equivalents. Courses may not be available the semester you are abroad. You will receive instructions on the course equivalent process after acceptance. View Course Equivalents

Program Leader

Dr. John Zumbrunnen

Professor, Political Science

Dr. John Zumbrunnen, Political Science Professor and Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, has wide-ranging interests in the history of political thought, democratic theory, and American political thought. He is passionate about teaching first-year students and has recently been a recipient of the Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award, the Phi Beta Kappa Excellence in Teaching Award and the Alliant Energy Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. Zumbrunnen also directs the American Democracy Forum, a program that aims to encourage conversations about the founding principles of American political thought and the place of those principles in the ongoing practice of American democracy.

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