Wexmester Two Summer 2024
June 17 through July 19, 2024
10 Assorted Core & Upper-Division Undergraduate Course on Offer
We make every effort not to alter the program as described on this webpage. If changes occur, we notify accepted students immediately via email.
Act Now to Take Advantage of a Generous Support Gift of at Least $800
| STUDENT SUCCESS: A generous support gift of at least $800 is available after a student has paid the Deposit and the First Payment Balance • The gift reduces the Program Cost from $4,995 to $4,195: an exceptional value! |
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| Certain conditions apply |
Standard Application Deadline: March 29, 2024
We make every effort not to alter the program as described on this webpage. If changes occur, we notify accepted students immediately via email.
| I’d never studied abroad, but I’m convinced that it doesn’t get any better than Georgia Southern Wexford. It was an unforgettable trip. I’ll miss everyone.” — Will Hastings (philosophy and religious studies double major; 2023 participant) |
| Students’ Top-Three FAQs Answered |
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| Do I need a passport? Yes: International travel requires a passport. If you don’t have a passport — or you need to renew an expired or expiring one — start the process now! |
| Must I buy an airline ticket? No: We buy your ticket (unless you choose otherwise). By contrast with many study abroad offerings, the Program Cost for Wexmester Two Summer 2024 includes transatlantic air travel. |
| How do I register for the courses I select? You don’t! Once you’re accepted into the Wexmester Two Summer 2024 program, the program registers you for your chosen courses and sends you an email when the process is complete. |
This Webpage: Section by Section
| Click an Item’s Name to Navigate to Its Contents |
Skip Directly to the Courses-in-Detail List
Skip Directly to Inputting Data (Stage One and Stage Two)
Brief Overview
LIVE YOUR PASSION: Claim the International Advantage
Giving you the international edge that employers and graduate schools seek, Study Abroad supercharges your resume. It can be the critical differentiator in an application portfolio or during a job interview. (In the 2020 QS Global Employer Survey, 25% of the 10,000+ responding companies identified transnational experience as a recruitment priority.) To empower their students with this competitive advantage, leading universities have established overseas campuses.
Always focused on student success, Georgia Southern has chosen Ireland for its European base. Join us during Minimester Two (“Wexmester Two”) of 2024 for a fun, career-boosting, and life-enhancing experience in the Emerald Isle.
| Wexmester Two Snapshot |
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| Welcome to Georgia Southern’s European Campus in Wexford Town, Ireland. Informally, the university uses the name Wexmester Two for the high-value program it delivers on the Wexford Campus during Minimester Two of Summer 2024 (June 17 through July 19). |
| Choose two courses (up to six credit hours) from the nine detailed in the Menu of Courses section of this webpage, which is dedicated exclusively to Wexmester Two. Optional: Select, in addition, the one-credit-hour CORE 2000 course. University System of Georgia regulations allow you to attempt a maximum of seven credit hours in a minimester abroad. |
| With the exception of the Juneteenth holiday (on Wednesday, June 19), the courses are delivered online between Monday, June 17 (the first day of class), and Thursday, May 20, 2024. Friday, June 21, is a free day to facilitate packing and preparation for getting to the airport. On Saturday, June 22, our group checks in at the Atlanta airport (Hartsfield-Jackson) to begin the transatlantic journey. We’re on the ground in Ireland between Sunday, June 23, and Friday, July 19, 2024. |
| Our time in Ireland opens with a treat: three overnights on the fabled west coast, known as the Wild Atlantic Way. On Sunday, June 23, through Tuesday, June 25, we stay at the University of Galway: specifically, in its Goldcrest Village student apartments. We check out and head to Wexford Town on the morning of Wednesday, June 26, and we remain there (residing at the high-quality Talbot Suites apartments) for the remainder of our time in Ireland. Details about our travel logistics appear in a dedicated section of this webpage. |
| The Program Cost of $4,995 is the best value for any equivalent study-in-Europe program in the University System of Georgia. The amount includes peak-season transatlantic airfare, in addition to in-country accommodations, transportation, and more (explained below). Please be aware that most study abroad programs quote a cost to the student that does not include airfare. |
Where We Live & Learn
LIVE YOUR PASSION: Acquire In-Demand Global Personal and Professional Skills
Employers, graduate schools, and advanced professional-training programs seek candidates who can demonstrate transnational competencies.
| Ireland: Your Smart, Strategic Choice |
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| Are you an enthusiastic, curious, and focused student with a thirst for adventure, a love for inter-professional learning, and a desire to build a stand-out resume? Georgia Southern University believes in “Ready,” so it has invested in a stunning European campus where you can achieve the above goals while making new friends in a truly beautiful part of the world. Captivating music, dance, and literature reflect the loveliness, travails, and allure of the Emerald Isle. |
| Ireland boasts gorgeous green landscapes, awesome ancient monuments, entrancing castles and Big Houses (i.e., country mansions), a vibrant culture, and some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. However, the nation — the only English-speaking member of the European Union — also shines as a globalized economy, specializing in information technology, biopharmaceuticals, medtech, industrial engineering, financial services, and media. Over 1,700 multinationals call Ireland home. |
| Pretty much everywhere, employers, graduate schools, and advanced professional-training programs understand the value of Brand Ireland, so they’ll respond positively to seeing Study in Ireland on your resume. The quality of Ireland’s educational system and the talent, efficiency, flexibility, and innovativeness of its workforce have inspired leading US companies — Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Pfizer, AbbVie, and more — to choose the island nation as their headquarters for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) economic super-region. |
| Getting Going in Ireland: A Special Treat |
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| In 2024, to kick off our time abroad, we’re introducing a new element: three overnights in the magnificent West of Ireland (“The West”), where Atlantic breakers crash into a rugged coastline. This special treat exposes Georgia Southern students to the Cliffs of Moher, the Connemara region, and other natural landscapes that appear on many world travelers’ bucket lists. Upon landing at Dublin Airport on the morning of Sunday, June 23, 2024, we transfer to The West. |
| We know that you’ll enjoy this method of acclimatizing to Ireland as you bond with your professors and peers amid awesome scenery. To explore The West, we reside in Goldcrest Village Apartments on the campus of the University of Galway in Galway City. Our check-in occurs on the afternoon of Sunday, June 23, and our check-out on the morning of Wednesday, June 26, 2024. At that point, we travel to Georgia Southern University’s European Campus in Wexford Town. |
| In addition to guided coach tours to regional beauty spots, you’ll have an opportunity, while in The West, to immerse yourself in the vibrant cultural life of Galway City, renowned for its traditional-music pubs. Both in the city and its hinterland (Counties Galway and Clare), you’ll hear a fair number of people speaking Gaeilge, Ireland’s ancient tongue. In addition, your instructors will share with you the importance of County Galway’s Aran Islands to the Irish Cultural Revival, which spanned the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. |
| Our Learning HQ |
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| During most of our four weeks in Ireland, we’re based at Georgia Southern’s European Campus in Wexford Town, the principal urban center in County Wexford, Ireland. The campus’s beautifully appointed, WiFi-equipped classroom facility — the Leaning Center (pictured below) — occupies the core of an impressive building from 1812, and it’s just steps away from Wexford Town’s Viking-era historic district. In November 2019 — just before Covid hit — Ireland’s Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) officially opened the Learning Center, which had been established on the basis of a $1 million dollar philanthropic investment, made specifically to benefit Georgia Southern students. |
| The Vikings founded Wexford Town in 800 CE, calling it Veisafjordr, Norse for “inlet of the mudflats.” In Gaeilge, the Irish language, its name is Loch Garman: “the lake of Garman,” a figure from traditional lore. Beginning in the sixteenth century, Ireland’s 32 traditional counties began to emerge, and “County Wexford” was selected to designate the 914-square-mile region that radiates inland from Wexford Town. A Latin term, Menapia, also gets applied to the greater Wexford region. In the Christian tradition, County Wexford is known as the Diocese of Ferns. |
| Sport Your Colors! |
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| When you’re packing, bring lots of Georgia Southern and Eagle Nation gear. People in County Wexford are proud of their association with our great university, and they love welcoming us, whether the venue be a café, a pub, a store, a live-music performance, or a sporting event. By wearing our logos, we make such opportunities possible. |
| In Ireland, sports reinforce county identity. Wexford is a “sports mad” county, and it’s particularly invested in the ancient Irish stick-and-ball game known as camogie (women’s version) and hurling (men’s version), celebrated as the fastest-paced team game on earth. In addition to Georgia Southern gear, pack some purple and gold items. Those colors represent Wexford. |
| Superior Accommodations |
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| Our residence in Wexford Town is Talbot Suites, a complex of high-quality, secure-entry apartments about a 12-minute walk from the Learning Center. No more than four people occupy a given apartment, but by far the most common number is three. University System of Georgia regulations state that: (i) only individuals of the same biological gender may share an apartment; and (ii) only program participants may be present in the apartments (i.e., no outside guests are allowed). The program directors are open to roommate requests, and in April 2024 they circulate a form by which to gather such requests. |
| A typical, three-person apartment has two bedrooms, the first containing one bed and the second containing two beds. Each bedroom has its own full bathroom. The bedrooms are allotted on a lottery basis, unless: (i) a student has documented special needs that necessitate a one-bed bedroom; or (ii) two friends request to share a two-bed bedroom. If they so choose, the students occupying a given apartment can rotate between bedrooms over their weeks in Ireland. |
| Please note that Ireland has welcomed large numbers of Ukrainians displaced from their homes, communities, schools, and jobs by Russia’s unprovoked war against their nation. While no refugees reside at Talbot Suites, the influx of displaced persons has caused a one-third reduction in available beds across Ireland. We at Eagle Nation know that using a two-bed bedroom is a small burden given the heartbreaking challenges that our Ukrainian friends continue to face. |
| Each apartment includes a fully equipped kitchen, allowing you to cook for yourself: a great way to save money! In addition, each one features a clothes washer and dryer, a hairdryer, a small safe, a TV in every room, free WiFi, and other amenities. Bed linens and towels are refreshed weekly, a complementary service. While residing at Talbot Suites, you also have free access to the gym and swimming pool at the next-door Talbot Hotel. (Pool users must wear a swimming cap.) |
| Situated on Wexford’s attractive waterfront — the quay (pronounced “key”) — and just steps away from the town’s pedestrianized main street (full of cafés, pubs, restaurants, and boutiques), Talbot Suites receives glowing reviews from Georgia Southern students. Open from 8:00 am through 10:00 pm daily, a major grocery store is a few blocks away. Bring your own canvas or strong-plastic bags. For environmental reasons, most Irish retailers don’t provide so-called T-shirt plastic bags. |
| On out-of-town EFEX (Educational Field Trip) days, our charter-coach picks up and drops off very near Talbot Suites. In other words: Door-to-door service! On regular instructional days, most students walk to the Georgia Southern Learning Center from Talbot Suites, either along Wexford Town’s quay or its main street. Often, when moving between the two venues, students factor in time for a coffee and pastry in a main-street café or for some award-winning ice cream from the Scúp Gelato pop-up store on the quay! In health-conscious Ireland walking is the standard means of enjoying towns and cities; however, one of Wexford Town’s public bus routes stops near Talbot Suites and, soon thereafter, near the Learning Center. More details about housing are available on a dedicated webpage. |
| At Home in Wexford |
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| In Ireland, we get out and about, often using a WiFi-equipped charter-coach (at no cost to the students). County Wexford occupies the southeast corner of the Emerald Isle, 100 miles from Dublin, which is easily accessible by train and bus. Typically, a bus departs for the capital city every half hour. |
| Known as the “Sunny Southeast,” County Wexford boasts some of Europe’s most stunning beaches. A short, inexpensive public-bus ride from campus, the seven-mile-long Curracloe Beach offers an ancient oceanside forest, seven miles of white-sand shoreline, and blue-flag (i.e., ultra-clean) waters for swimming and sea-kayaking. The American movie director, Stephen Spielberg, chose Curracloe to shoot the opening, beach-landing scene of his World War II epic, Saving Private Ryan (1998). |
| Other highlights of County Wexford include Hook Tower, the world’s oldest continuously operational lighthouse (pictured immediately below), and a plethora of medieval castles, abbeys, and churches. |
| Wexford and America |
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| America’s War of Independence inspired Ireland’s 1798 Rebellion, whose most intense action occurred in County Wexford. The county was the birthplace of Commodore John Barry, founder of the United States Navy. For his part, John F. Kennedy, our 35th President, considered it his ancestral home and made several visits. |
| Between the eras of Barry and Kennedy, Frederick Douglass, one of America’s greatest abolitionists, delivered two anti-slavery speeches in Wexford Town. According to an eye-witness, Douglass’s declaration, “I am your brother,” elicited “such a universal shout of approbation” from an audience in the town’s Assembly Room “that the old walls shook.” Douglass loved Ireland, reflecting that his time there defined him “not as a color but as a man.” He counted as a primary role model Daniel O’Connell, Ireland’s leading statesperson of the first half of the nineteenth century. |
| Informing Georgia Southern’s selection of Wexford as its European base is an extraordinary fact. Between 1848 and 1855, when Savannah’s Irish-born population doubled, over 56% of direct arrivals originated in County Wexford. The county was the only place in Ireland with regular non-stop services to Savannah. During the winter sailing season (October through March), vessels plied the route, departing on the 40-day voyage from the shallow-water ocean port of Wexford Town in the east of the county and the deep-water river port of New Ross in the west. As a result of this historical connection, Savannah can claim to be the most Wexford city in the United States. |
Menu of Courses
LIVE YOUR PASSION: Learn beyond Borders
Benefitting from the expertise of Irish partners in education, business, the arts, and other domains, we deliver exceptional learning opportunities, many of them outside the classroom.
| High-Impact EFEXes |
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| Both in and beyond Wexford, your learning experience is distinguished by high-value Educational Field Experiences (EFEXes). We explore locations of historical, cultural, and/or environmental significance, always prioritizing our courses’ themes and goals. Course-specific examples from past programs include but are not limited to: a high-tech research-and-manufacturing facility for advanced medical devices; Ireland’s national parliament; museums of various kinds; a Viking VR (virtual reality) experience; a hospital; a five-star leisure resort; an athletic-training center of excellence; Europe’s third-largest sports stadium — the list goes on! |
| Everyone gets to experience certain “must see” attractions, such as the Dunbrody Emigration Center, which features a full-scale reproduction of the barque (three-mast sailing vessel) Dunbrody, whose maiden commercial voyage, over 40 days in late 1845, was to Savannah, Georgia! While we honor the past, we very much look to the future: your future. To advance students’ professional development, we regularly interface with expert practitioners, researchers, social and business leaders, and policy-makers. |
| Since the summer of 2023, Georgia Southern has benefitted from a formal research agreement with Ireland’s South East Technological University, an institution known for its research productivity and its incubation of cutting-edge start-ups, especially in telecommunications and manufacturing engineering. You’ll enjoy exposure to aspects of the Georgia Southern-SETU partnership, which centers around sustainability, with a particular emphasis on coastal communities, logistics and supply chain, NZEB (nearly zero-energy building), and social justice. |
| Broaden your horizons and enhance your career prospects by seizing this best-value opportunity to study in Ireland, the world’s third-safest country and, by far, one of its friendliest. |
| Below, please find key data about the courses on offer during Wexmester Two, Summer 2024 . Should you have questions, feel empowered to contact the instructor and/or the Wexford Campus office: irish@georgiasouthern.edu. |
| Select One Morning Course and One Afternoon Course |
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| While we make every effort not to alter the Menu of Courses, please note that changes may occur. |
| Unless otherwise stated, you receive the course content as follows: online delivery on June 17, 18, and 20, 2024 (i.e., before we fly to Ireland); in-person delivery, with some online work, during our four-week stay in Ireland. |
| This section of the webpage first features tables that summarize the course offerings. Then it provides more details about each course, including the instructor’s name and email address and how the course can count towards fulfilling graduation requirements. For example: The Environmental Biology course is identified as a “Choice in Core Area D1.” For its part, the Religion and Irish Identity course is noted as countable for any of several purposes: “Elective • Religious Studies Major (B.A.) or Minor • Political Science Major (B.A.) or Minor; International Studies Major (B.A.) or Minor; Irish Studies Minor.” |
| On another page within this website, you can view all Wexford-based Summer 2024 courses on a special, interactive table that allows you to read course descriptions. The same data are also available in the official Summer 2024 catalog, downloadable and printable as a PDF. |
| Undergraduate students: In addition to the courses in the table, you can select a one-credit-hour Core 2000 course, delivered mainly asynchronously online but with some in-person sessions. The instructor is Dr. Finbarr Curtis. |
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES: QUICK LOOK
Select one morning course and one afternoon course
You can take between six and seven credit hours
Skip to detailed look
| Undergraduate Morning Courses Each courses yields three credit hours | Undergraduate Afternoon Courses Each courses yields three credit hours |
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| POLS 4030-WOM or INTS 4090-WOM Women & Irish Politics | POLS 1150 World Politics: Ireland in the International System (Core Area B) |
| PSYC 4099 Immersion in Ireland: Castles, Cultures & Cuisines Note: This is a Summer Long Term course. The first day is May 13, and the last day is July 18. Except for our time in Ireland (June 23 thru July 19), the content is delivered asynchronously online. | PSYC 4432 Sensation & Perception Note: This is a Summer Long Term course. The first day is May 13, and the last day is July 18. Except for our time in Ireland (June 23 thru July 19), the content is delivered asynchronously online. |
| RELS 3030 or PHIL 3030 or ENGL 3090-BEH Brendan Behan: Author, Thinker | RELS 3416 or POLS 4030-REL or INTS 4090-REL Religion and Irish Identity |
| BIOL 1230 Environmental Biology | SUST 3500 Sustainability Research Methods |
| Instead of one of the morning/afternoon courses, you can select a philosophy course, taught mainly asynchronously online but with some in-person lunch and evening sessions. |
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| PHIL 2030: Introduction to Ethics |
| In addition to taking two three-credit-hour courses, you can select the one-credit-hour CORE 2000 course, which is mandatory in the Core. Delivery is primarily online, although a few in-person sessions occur. |
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| CORE 2000: Core Capstone: Making Connections (Mandatory in the Core) |
COURSES IN DETAIL
Undergraduate Morning Courses
| Undergraduates: Select One Morning Course |
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| Women and Irish Poltics Dr. Kate Perry • kperry@georgiasouthern.edu POLS 4030-WOM or INTS 4090-WOM • 3 Credit Hours Elective • Political Science Major (B.A.) or Minor • International Studies Major (B.A.) or Minor • Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor • Irish Studies Minor EFEX Community: Transatlantic Pathfinders |
| This course studies the relationship, past and present, of Irish women to both the practice of political life and the building of political theory. Using a comparative, cross-national approach, we examine how women have shaped political institutions, behavior, and socialization in Ireland. To gain insights into increases in the representation of women and concerns that motivate female voters, we interact with county-level politicians in the Wexford region and national-level politicians who participate in the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) in Dublin. |
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| Immersion in Ireland: Castles, Cultures, and Cuisines Dr. Jonathan Roberts • jeroberts@georgiasouthern.edu PSYC 4099 • 3 Credit Hours Elective • Psychology Major (B.S.) or Minor • Irish Studies Minor * Significant Asynchronous Online Content EFEX Community: Transatlantic Pathfinders |
| Note: This is a Summer Long Term course. The first day is May 13, and the last day is July 18, 2024. Except for our time in Ireland (June 23 thru July 19), the content is delivered asynchronously online. |
| Rooted in Cross-Cultural Psychology, this course provides a unique, immersive experience in Irish culture. Prior to travel, students engage in self-guided online modules that survey a broad range of topics in cultural psychology. Emphasis is placed on psychological research that links culture to mental processes and human behavior. In Wexford, Ireland, students analyze cultural differences and apply their learning to such topics as social organization; customs and traditions; arts and literature; history; education; the physical surroundings; language; food; and entertainment. The course offers a blend of prescribed learning experiences (e.g., museums, historical tours, guest speakers) and opportunities based on one’s personal interests (e.g., religious institutions, pubs, sporting events). |
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| Brendan Behan: Author, Thinker Dr. Finbarr Curtis • fcurtis@georgiasouthern.edu RELS 3030 or PHIL 3030 or ENGL 3090-BEH • 3 Credit Hours Elective • Religious Studies Major (B.A.) or Minor • Philosophy Major (B.A.) or Minor • English Major (B.A.) or Minor • Irish Studies Minor EFEX Community: Transatlantic Pathfinders |
| Identifying overlapping religious, philosophical, and political themes in his life and work, our course focuses on Irish writer Brendan Behan (1923-1964), whose maternal uncle composed Ireland’s national anthem. Born and educated in Dublin, Behan apprenticed as a house painter. Espousing physical-force Irish nationalism, he was, when only 16, arrested and placed in borstal detention in England for possessing explosive devices. Later, he served over four years in Irish jails. Writings that Behan attempted when incarcerated prompted him to become a professional literary author, using both the Irish and English languages. We discuss critical essays about Behan and his legacy; and we explore some of his major texts, including After the Wake, The Hostage, and the autobiographical Borstal Boy. Behan’s funeral was among the largest ever seen in Dublin. |
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| Environmental Biology Dr. Lissa Leege • leege@georgiasouthern.edu Environmental Biology • 3 Credit Hours Choice in Core Area D-1 EFEX Community: Transatlantic Pathfinders |
| Experience Environmental Biology in the Emerald Isle, where the fields are green and sustainability is a high priority. By means of classroom instruction and educational field experiences (EFEXes), we address such topics as population growth, climate change, and the energy supply — as well as biodiversity, agriculture, water, and waste. We examine natural resources and global environmental issues with an emphasis on Irish issues and solutions. Field experiences will take us to the coast to gain perspective on conservation and biodiversity, to local agribusinesses to experience Irish agricultural practices, and to a local wind farm to learn about renewable energy. |
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Undergraduate Afternoon Courses
| Undergraduates: Select One Afternoon Course |
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| World Poltics: Ireland in the International System Dr. Kate Perry • kperry@georgiasouthern.edu POLS 1150 • 3 Credit Hours Choice in Core Area B EFEX Community: Transatlantic Pathfinders |
| With examples from Ireland taking center stage, this course investigates international political systems. We compare various polities, focusing on governmental structures, policies, and traditions. Paying special attention to the Ireland Southeast region, the greater Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland, we address nationalism, democratization, modernization, and the future of the nation-state. We also take account of such world-historical matters as the end of the Cold War; the twenty-first-century rise of China and India; and the potential of developing nations. |
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| Sensation and Perception Dr. Jonathan Roberts • jeroberts@georgiasouthern.edu PSYC 4432 • 3 Credit Hours Elective • Psychology Major (B.S.) or Minor • Irish Studies Minor * Significant Asynchronous Online Content EFEX Community: Transatlantic Pathfinders |
| Note: This is a Summer Long Term course. The first day is May 13, and the last day is July 18, 2024. Except for our time in Ireland (June 23 thru July 19), the content is delivered asynchronously online. |
| Rooted in cognitive neuroscience and the biological side of psychology, this course examines fundamental concepts, methodologies, and research findings in the study of human sensory and perceptual functioning. Among other concerns, we examine how perception results from the ways in which humans process into meaningful patterns a variety of sensory stimuli present in the environment. Much of the course is devoted to the visual system, including the physiology of the eye itself, as well as brain mechanisms that are involved for humans to perceive objects and people. The senses of audition (hearing), olfaction (smell), gustation (taste), and somatosensation (touch) are also covered. |
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| Religion and Irish Identity Dr. Finbarr Curtis • fcurtis@georgiasouthern.edu RELS 3416 or POLS 4030-REL or INTS 4090-REL • 3 Credit Hours Elective • Religious Studies Major (B.A.) or Minor • Political Science Major (B.A.) or Minor • International Studies Major (B.A.) or Minor • Irish Studies Minor * Note: The History Department permits students majoring in history to count the RELS 3416 version of this course towards the major EFEX Community: Transatlantic Pathfinders |
| This course encourages students to think creatively about the relationship between religion and Irish identity, both within the nation-state of Ireland and the worldwide Irish diaspora. We consider the role that religion has played in the history of sectarian conflicts in Ireland. In addition, we examine efforts, such as the Society of the United Irishmen, to forge unity among religious groups. Another area of inquiry is how parish churches and religious orders provided social networks that allowed Irish immigrants to form new communities in the United States and other foreign locales. |
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| Sustainability Research Methods Dr. Lissa Leege • leege@georgiasouthern.edu Environmental Biology • 3 Credit Hours Elective • Sustainability Science Major (B.S. Requirement) and Minor • Environmental Sustainability Minor • Irish Studies Minor EFEX Community: Transatlantic Pathfinders |
| With respect to the environment, Ireland has an ambitious sustainability agenda. This course explores practices and policies of sustainability around the globe, with particular focus on Ireland and the US through the lens of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Students learn to conduct sustainability research using the scientific process. In addition, they gain experience reading the scientific literature and presenting research findings orally and in writing. This course includes educational field experiences (EFEXes) to see sustainability in action in several different topic areas, including agriculture, waste, water, energy and sustainable cities. Interaction with local officials to discuss and observe the sustainability solutions in place in Ireland offers students an opportunity to evaluate the success of public policy and private programs that reduce environmental impact. |
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ALTERNATIVE 3-CREDIT-HOUR COURSE
MAINLY ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE
May be taken in place of either a morning or an afternoon in-person course
| We also offer a mainly asynchronous online option: Introduction to Ethics. It yields 3 credit hours. If you select this course, you must also select one of the other 3-credit-hour Wexmester Two courses, whether a morning or an afternoon course. In Introduction to Ethics, students engage with the majority of content on their own. However, there are two mandatory in-person elements: first, participation in EXEXes (educational field experiences); second, some Wexford-based instructional sessions, which may take place at lunchtime and/or in the evening. |
| Dr. Daniel (“Dan”) Larkin • dlarkin@georgiasouthern.edu PHIL 2030 • 3 Credit Hours * Mainly Asynchronous Online Content Choice in Core Area C EFEX Community: Transatlantic Pathfinders |
| In the simplest terms, this course focuses on the question, “What does it mean to live a good life?” While on its face a fairly straightforward inquiry, the course material demonstrates that it is not so easily answered. To guide our investigation, we examine the ethical theories of six great thinkers: Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Mill, Kant, and Nietzsche. Each offers a different answer to the question of how one ought to live one’s life. A key goal for the course is providing you with tools to analyze the various arguments. Thus, you can determine which views you find most convincing. |
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Optional Additional (Third) Undergraduate CoursE
1 CREDIT HOUR
| Core Capstone: Making Connections Dr. Finbarr Curtis • fcurtis@georgiasouthern.edu CORE 2000 • 1 Credit Hour * Mainly Asynchronous Online Content Mandatory in the Core |
| This course empowers students to make connections between their core curriculum, their career goals, and their external activities — and, in addition, to relate those connections to an understanding of one’s place in the world. With the benefit of a lived experience at Georgia Southern University’s Wexford, Ireland, campus, we examine how the enhancement of a student’s global perspective contributes to the development of academic and professional goals. |
Travel Logistics
LIVE YOUR PASSION: Secure Your Passport
If you don’t yet have a passport, start the application process immediately! If you have a passport that has expired — or that will expire before September 19, 2024 (two months after our scheduled return date) — renew it. Start the renewal process immediately.
| Flight Information |
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| Most study abroad offerings don’t include the transatlantic flight in the Program Cost, but we do, making Wexmester Two from Georgia Southern an exceptional value. |
| Our outbound route is Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airport (ATL) to Dublin airport (DUB). We anticipate securing the group flights in early January 2014. As soon as that task has been completed, we will post the itinerary here. |
| You will receive your flight confirmation (including seat assignments) via email. You don’t need a physical ticket to fly. Instead, ticketing will be associated with your passport. At the check-in desk, the agent will scan your passport and print your boarding passes. You may check one piece of luggage (up to 50 pounds in weight) through to your final destination. You’re also entitled to one piece of carry-on luggage (e.g., a backpack or a small suitcase, not exceeding 22″ high x 14″ wide x 9″ deep, inclusive of handle and wheels). |
| As a clothes washer and a clothes dryer feature in every apartment in Talbot Suites, you can pack fairly lightly. We recommend selecting clothes that you can layer, as needed, plus a light rain jacket and comfortable but sturdy walking shoes. June and July daytime temperatures in Ireland average between the mid-50s and high-60s degrees Fahrenheit, a welcome break from the heat and humidity characteristic of summer in Georgia. |
| At the check-in desk at the Atlanta airport, the agent will route your main suitcase to Dublin, meaning that you’ll reunite with it at baggage claim in Dublin airport. If you have medicines or other essential items, pack them in your carry-on bag. Don’t pack them in checked luggage. Although it happens rarely, checked luggage can get delayed. You don’t want to be without necessary medicines. |
| On the return day, the program transports the entire group to Dublin airport (DUB). After check-in, we proceed through regular airport security and then through United States Pre-Clearance. The US Department of Homeland Security operates customs-and-immigration processing at Dublin airport, meaning that you don’t have to deal with that matter upon landing in the US. |
| If you wish to fly independently of the group, you may purchase your own ticket. In that case, we will reduce the Program Cost by $1,200. In order to effect this arrangement, you must receive permission from the program directors. As soon as possible, initiate a conversation by emailing irish@georgiasouthern.edu. Use the subject line, “Wexford Campus: Independent Flight Inquiry.” Some conditions apply, the primary one being that you must be physically present at Dublin airport before 11:59 am (local time) on Sunday, June 23, 2024. |
| Absolutely Critical: You Need a Valid Passport |
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| No exceptions: You need a valid passport to fly to and enter Ireland. The same applies to flying back to and reentering the United States. If you don’t have — or you need to renew — a passport, apply immediately. If you’re a US citizen, be sure to use the official Department of State website (links below), not some third-part website. Currently, US citizens don’t require a visa to visit and/or study in Ireland, just a passport whose expiration date occurs after the date of return to the US. |
| Holders of foreign passports: If you’re not a US citizen, it’s almost certain that you can still travel to Ireland with us. As soon as possible, let’s start a conversation: Email irish@georgiasouthern.edu, using the subject line, “Wexford Campus: Non-US Passport Inquiry.” |
Two-Stage Application
LIVE YOUR PASSION: Build a Global Network
When studying in Wexford, professors and students work as a team to identify problems, gather data, craft strategies, and enact solutions — just as in real-world professional situations.
| “The Wexford Campus made me a better thinker and learner. The Irish professionals we worked with were so generous with their time and knowledge.” — Emma Lawson (public health major; 2023 participant) |
| Start Your Adventure: Apply Now |
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| We encourage you to apply today. Spaces are limited, and we consider applications in order of submission. Admission to the program is on a rolling basis, and we may have to institute a wait list. Both during and after the application process, we’re happy to answer questions you may have . You can email the Wexford Campus office (irish@georgiasouthern.edu) and/or you can email any professor in whose course you’re interested. |
| The application is simple, but it configures as two stages. Stage One requires you to complete a super-secure Georgia Southern form, supplying such data as: your full name (as it appears/will appear on your passport); your country of citizenship; your official Georgia Southern email address and Eagle ID number; and more. Once you’ve finished and submitted the Stage One form, an automatically generated receipt-confirmation email will appear in your inbox. Later, you’ll receive an email from Dr. Dan Larkin (dlarkin@georgiasouthern.edu), a member of Georgia Southern’s Team Wexford. Typically, Dr. Larkin’s message will confirm your provisional acceptance into the Wexmester One Summer 2024 program. |
| At any time, you can embark on Stage Two of the application. Located at the bottom of this webpage, it requires you to use your Georgia Southern login credentials to enter a service called the Global Portal, managed by our university’s Office of Global Engagement. |
| By means of the Global Portal — which uses encryption technology for your security — we ask that you: (i) pay the $4,995 Program Cost, either in full or by installments; (ii) read and electronically sign a few travel waivers; and (ii) complete some program-orientation exercises. These matters are mandated by the University System of Georgia. As you can visit the Global Portal on an ongoing basis, you can take care of the various tasks as your time allows. Important: You move from provisional acceptance to full, formal acceptance into the program only when you’ve made the $500 deposit payment. |
| The Program Cost is separate from Georgia Southern University’s tuition and fees. Usually, however, just the technology fee applies to study-abroad courses. Most types of financial aid (e.g., the HOPE scholarship; the Pell grant) may be used to meet your Georgia Southern tuition charges. If you have questions, reach out to the helpful professionals in the university’s Financial Aid Office by emailing finaid@georgiasouthern.edu or calling 912-478-5413. |
| Program Cost Payment Schedule |
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| STUDENT SUCCESS • While the Program Cost is $4,995, the generous gift of $800 reduces that amount to $4,195: an exceptional value! |
| Access the Global Portal to pay the Program Cost by credit card, according to the following schedule. If you need to pay via another means, email irish@georgiasouthern.edu, using the subject line, “Wexford Campus: Non-Credit Card Payment Inquiry.” |
| $500 ——— Non-refundable Deposit Payment due no later than 11:59 pm Eastern on Friday, March 29, 2024 • As we allot places in the order that we receive applications, the earlier you pay the deposit, the better |
| $2,030 ——— Second Balance Payment due no later than 11:59 pm Eastern on Friday, April 15, 2024 • • Of the Second Balance payment, $600 is fully refundable prior to 11:59 pm Eastern on Friday, April 19, 2024 |
| $1,625 ——— Third (Final) Balance Payment due no later than 11:59 pm Eastern on Friday, April 29, 2024 • Of the Second Balance payment, $1,000 is fully refundable prior to 11:50 pm Eastern on Friday, May 3, 2024 $40 – International Health Insurance Payment – due no later than 11:59 pm Eastern on Friday, April 29, 2024 |
| What the Program Cost Includes and Excludes |
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| The Program Cost Includes … |
| — Roundtrip transatlantic air travel (Atlanta-Dublin outbound; Dublin-Atlanta return) with one piece of checked luggage (up to 50 lbs.) each way • Note: You may purchase your airline ticket independently, in which case we reduce the Program Cost by $1,200; however, the program directors must pre-approve this option in every case. Contact irish@georgiasouthern.edu, using the subject line, “Wexford Campus: Independent Flight Inquiry.” — Lodging (with secure-access entry) during our time in Ireland, as follows: (i) University of Galway, Galway City, on the nights of Sunday, May 19, through Tuesday, May 21 (checking out the next morning); (ii) Talbot Suites, Wexford Town, on the nights of Wednesday, May 22, through Thursday, June 13 (checking out the next morning) — Access to a hotel gym and swimming pool while residing at Talbot Suites in Wexford Town — Welcome and farewell group meals — All official program-related travel within Ireland/Europe, including transportation from the airport on arrival day and to the airport on departure day — Fees and other expenses associated with guest lecturers, speakers, and performers — Fees and other non-food/drink expenses associated with EFEXes (educational field experiences), including but not limited to admission to museums, parks, and other venues — Some Georgia Southern University Wexford merchandise — The limited international travel-insurance package required by the University System of Georgia — The broad international health-insurance package required by the University System of Georgia |
| The Program Cost Excludes … |
| — Georgia Southern tuition and the university’s technology fee • Note: You can apply the HOPE scholarship, the PELL grant, and many other forms of financial aid to your tuition. — Academic books and supplies • Note: Your instructors are committed to minimizing these expenses, and many courses require no books or other supplies. — Food and drink • Note: As lodging in Wexford is in apartments with fully equipped kitchens, you can self-cater using grocery-store purchases (a major cost-saving over dining in restaurants). — Incidental and personal expenses — Personal travel within or outside Ireland that is in addition to the official travel that the program provides • Note: While Fridays are technically program days (for study and other work), we strive to keep them free of scheduled activities; thus, students who so choose should be able to plan three-day travel weekends, always complying with the travel-with-a-buddy requirement. |
| Our Program Cost is significantly lower than that of any comparable program in the University System of Georgia. |
| As soon as possible, please complete and submit the form that constitutes Stage One of the application. Information on the form answers some common questions that students, parents, and guardians ask. |
Application: Stage One
| To complete Stage One of the application, engage the button below and carefully fill out the form it contains. Double check the spelling of your first, middle, and last names and the accuracy of your date-of-birth information (content we need to purchase airline tickets). Most people find the form a useful document; it shares facts and background material with you, even as it gathers necessary data from you. Having submitted the form, you’ll receive an email to confirm that it’s in our system. |
Application: Stage Two
| To complete Stage Two of the application, use the “Global Portal Login” button below. As you have to progress from screen to screen (around a half-dozen steps), the Global Portal can seem confusing at first. However, you’ll soon get the hang of it! If you need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact either or both of the following senior staff members at the university’s Office of Global Engagement: Ms. Kristin Karam, Director (kkaram@georgiasouthern.edu); Ms. Tina Parker, Administrator (tparker@georgiasouthern.edu). Once you’ve accessed the Global Portal, your pressing task is to pay the program deposit. |
| Via Stage One of the application process, we can confirm your provisional acceptance into the Ireland trip. However, before your full, formal acceptance can occur, University System of Georgia regulations require that we receive your non-refundable deposit ($500). The receipt deadline is 11:59 pm (Eastern US) on Friday, March 1, 2024. The deposit payment also triggers the course-registration process. The Office of Global Engagement will register you in the courses you’ve selected; you don’t have to handle that step yourself. You’ll receive an email when the process is complete, and the successful registration will appear in your WINGS account. |
| Step-by-Step Guide to Handling Stage Two of the Application via the Global Portal |
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| Click the link immediately below. It will open the Global Portal’s homepage. |
| What to Do on the Global Portal’s Homepage |
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| Near the top-left section of the Global Portal’s homepage, click the Search for Programs button. |
| On the Next Page … |
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| Type the word Wexford immediately after the spyglass symbol (below the Search prompt). A series of Wexford Campus programs will appear. |
| On the Next Page … |
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| Identify the rectangular icon for the Wexmester Two (or Minimester Two) program offered during Summer 2024 on the Wexford Campus. Click the icon. The icon may look slightly different than the one pictured here. |
| On the Next Page … |
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| You’ll see a screen with a world map as the background and a “User Login” dialogue box. Select the phrase, Log in with Campus ID. |
| On the Next Page … |
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| Enter your Georgia Southern credentials (i.e. Username and Password). |
| On the Next Page … |
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| Several program-specific tasks and opportunities will appear (e.g., “Pay Your $500 Deposit”; “Sign the Mandatory Covid Waver”). Choose the item you’d like to accomplish., prioritizing the deposit-payment, which is due no later than 11:59 pm Eastern on Friday, March 1, 2024. |
| If you need help, send an email to the following two officials at the university’s Office of Global Engagement: Ms. Kristin Karam, Director (kkaram@georgiasouthern.edu); and Ms. Tina Parker, Administrator (tparker@georgiasouthern.edu). |
Last updated: 3/19/2024