Summer SHort Term
Session I: May 7th – 21st, 2027
Session II: May 22nd – June 5th, 2027
2027 Applications open: October 15th, 2026
2027 Applications close: December 20th, 2026
Term overview
Celebrate the End of the Academic Year with a Summer in Dingle!
Reward yourself for a successful year with an unforgettable summer program in Dingle, where learning meets adventure. We offer two back-to-back short-term sessions starting in May, each lasting two weeks and packed with opportunities for discovery.
Choose from a wide selection of 3-credit courses while soaking up the long daylight hours and mild early summer weather. In between classes, dive into thrilling outdoor activities like surfing, horseback riding, hiking, kayaking, and scenic boat tours along Dingle’s breathtaking coastline.
A summer in Dingle isn’t just a program – it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The course listing for summer 2027 will be launched in October.
What’s Included
Your program fee is designed to make studying abroad simple, covering the essentials plus built-in cultural experiences.
Program fee includes:
- Housing
- Meal Plan
- Airport pick-up and transfer
- Comprehensive orientation
- Student support
- A selection of cultural & outdoor activities
- International medical insurance
- Optional activities offered at a special rate
Included Activities:
- Horseback riding
- Guided Slea Head tour
- Hold a Baby lamb
- Irish Set Dancing
- Eask Tower Hike
Optional Activities:
- Surfing
- Kayaking
- Stand-up paddleboarding
- Falconry
- Sea Safari
- Dingle Distillery Tour
- Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium
- And more…
sESSION i Courses 2027
DESCRIPTION
This course investigates the interrelationship between coastal environments and the organisms living in these environments, as well as the related societal implications. Field trips will survey the different aquatic environments of the Dingle Peninsula and provide a close-up study of the region’s varied flora and fauna.
FACULTY
LaTina, Ph.D.
Ashley Stoehr, Ph.D.
DESCRIPTION
This course explores the foundations of ethical theory, moral reasoning, and professional integrity as they apply to criminal justice practitioners—including law enforcement officers, court personnel, correctional officers, and true crime media hosts. Students will evaluate and apply ethical principles to real-world decision-making across policing, courts, and corrections, while also examining the moral responsibilities of those who report on crime.
Offered in Dingle, Ireland, this course provides a distinctive opportunity to compare U.S. and Irish approaches to criminal justice and crime reporting. Students will engage with professionals in the field to gain insight into Ireland’s more victim-centered practices and media ethics, challenging assumptions about what constitutes fairness and justice in criminal justice systems worldwide.
FACULTY
Analisa Gagnon, Ph.D.
DESCRIPTION
This course, based in the Gaeltacht region of West Kerry, compares the education system in Ireland with that of the United States. Topics addressed include curriculum and instruction, funding and governance, teacher preparation, multiculturalism, language policy, and contemporary school reform. Student will be introduced to the students and teachers of Dingle, Ireland and experience the Irish education system up-close and personal. You will observe classrooms in action, learn from Irish teachers and administrators, and meet teacher candidates and their professors.
Open to all students in FCE teacher preparation programs, the course counts in lieu of Education in the United States, Multicultural Education, or an MAT elective. ED 402 for undergraduate credit or ED 502 for graduate credit.
FACULTY
DESCRIPTION
During this course, students will have the opportunity to fully explore the importance of Gaelic sports to both the regional and national identity. This exploration will begin with the roots of Gaelic sports and culminate with a contemporary discussion of Irish sports in today’s environment. Students will integrate their exercise science (EX) background to survey the Gaelic sports from a physiological, biomechanical, psychological, and coaching framework, drawing comparisons to American-based sports.
Student groups will research, develop, and implement a comprehensive athlete assessment with the local Gaelic Athletic Association club. Guest speakers and participation in Irish Sports will supplement traditional lectures.
FACULTY
DESCRIPTION
This course will provide students with hands-on experience in the financial and strategic decision-making of small businesses and startups. Based in Dingle, the course will take advantage of the various small businesses in the town, and explore the history of these companies start-up phase. The course will also integrate representatives from companies and investors in the region, and provide comparisons of small business funding and support between the US and EU / Ireland.
FACULTY
DESCRIPTION
This course serves as the introduction to the operations function of business. All organizations-for profit or not-for-profit, manufacturing, processing, or services-have operations as their central function. Despite their diversity, these organizations share common objectives and problems; in most cases, the same principles can be applied to help manage the operations.
Major topics include determining operations strategy and objectives, planning the operations process, controlling operations, and managing its quality. The course introduces concepts to help understand how operations are organized and how operations decisions affect virtually every aspect of the firm.
FACULTY
DESCRIPTION
Who are we, and where do we come from? This course addresses that question both by understanding the genetics that underlie genetic ancestry tests and the genealogy of the students’ family trees and the historical context of their personal family’s ancestors. In addition to exploring their own personal family genealogy and genetic history, the class, in groups, will research the family genealogy of a member of the Dingle community and compare the history impacting their family trees. Students will have access to numerous genealogical databases as well as the results of AncestryDNA tests for themselves and the local community members.
Students will learn about and help build local Dingle genealogy resources with trips to nearby historical societies and cemeteries. They will also interview selected individuals from the local Dingle community using this information and the genetic information from AncestryDNA results to help create a “Book of Life” for these community members. In doing so, students learn a more personal history about Dingle and the people who live there.
FACULTY
Mark Jareb, Ph.D.
DESCRIPTION
This interdisciplinary course closely examines this influence of Irish folklore, literature, and musical tradition in the Western musical canon through a collaborative study of the literary and performing arts. Questions students will deliberate include: What Irish literature has inspired composers the most, and how were these literary examples set musically? What musical characteristics define an Irish influence, e.g. orchestration, mood, tonality? How are traditional Irish melodies performed in their native language and setting, and how does this contrast with the direction they have taken abroad? How have composers from around the world perceived Irish culture, and are these stereotypes justified or worth debunking?
Students will be able to discover answers to these questions through reading, listening, and their own performances and interpretation of music.
FACULTY
Christopher Grundy, Ph.D.
DESCRIPTION
This immersive course offers students a unique opportunity to study nursing leadership and health policy in the rich cultural and historical setting of Ireland. Through classroom learning, guest lectures from Irish health leaders, and experiential field visits, students will explore how nurses shape health systems, influence policy, and lead change in diverse healthcare environments.
Using a comparative lens, students will examine U.S. and Irish healthcare systems, nursing roles, and policy frameworks, with an emphasis on the social, cultural, and political factors that impact health outcomes. Topics include leadership theory, advocacy strategies, ethics in policy-making, and the global nursing voice in advancing health equity.
FACULTY
Susan K. Meyers, PhD, RNC, CNE, CPNP-PC
Jennifer Mondillo, PhD, MSN, MBA, AGNP-BC
DESCRIPTION
This course focuses on the nursing profession and leadership principles, which are integral to the provision of health care for individuals, families, communities, and global health. Students are given the opportunity to explore complex issues and trends in nursing related to the provision of cost-effective, safe, quality patient care, nurses as a profession, and global health.
The development of understanding and awareness of their need to become involved in developing health care policies and changes in health care systems will be fostered by an analysis of current issues such as cross-cultural communication, the nursing shortage, inefficient health care systems, and international issues. Discussions and assignments will include implementation strategies and skills for a successful transition into the workplace environment.
For the course being offered in Dingle, Ireland, the course uses comparative perspectives focusing on American and Irish contexts while exploring these complex topics.
Open to SHU students only
FACULTY
Heather Ferrillo, Ph.D., MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE.
DESCRIPTION
Engaging with Irish preschoolers, visiting the aquarium and creating enrichment activities for the animals, participating in a Celtic Cub Scavenger Hunt, immersing yourself in meditation in an Irish forest during Shinrin-Yoku and being exposed to Irish music and language through guest speakers and excursions.
These are just some of the experiences you will have in this course which offers an applied approach to understanding neuroscience, the intersection between psychology and biology. Students will examine key concepts in neuroscience including neuroplasticity, language acquisition, learning, stress, and environmental enrichment in applied settings.
In addition, it introduces students to fundamental claims of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition; enable students to understand that Tradition as characterized by open, rigorous intellectual inquiry in the context of a faith tradition; engage students and faculty in seminar discussion; and enable students to see the value of this Tradition in the contemporary world help develop students’ reading, writing, and speaking skills.
FACULTY
Rachel Bowman, Ph.D.
Dawn Melzer, Ph.D.
DESCRIPTION
This course will introduce students to principles and practices in counseling clients with communication disorders and their families. The course will address behavioral, humanistic, and existential models of counseling; considerations when addressing spouses, parents, and other family members, issues and specific counseling techniques related to cultural diversity, and the scope and role of counseling in the practice of Speech-Language Pathology.
FACULTY
Caitlin Zimyeski, Ed.D., CCC-SLP
Kate Anderson, MSc, CCC-SLP
DESCRIPTION
This course will serve as an introduction to the fascinating world of sports business and international marketing. Students will work on an innovative group marketing plan for a professional sports team from the Dingle and County Kerry region of Ireland.
The stark contrast between Irish and American sports leagues will be identified and discussed. A strong focus will be placed upon both of the following: 1) marketing “of” various sports and sport products, and 2) marketing “through” sport – the latter of which will involve the use of sport as the vehicle to market non-sport products and services.
The course includes site visits to related businesses, and key sports figures in Ireland will be brought into the class as guest speakers to supplement the course material.
FACULTY
sESSION ii Courses 2027
DESCRIPTION
FACULTY
DESCRIPTION
Beer is one of the oldest human inventions, and one of the most social. From the product of Ninkasi, the ancient Sumerian patron goddess of brewing, to your local convenience store shelf, beer has been tied to religious, cultural, and community practices. Beer is more than an intoxicant; it is a product that represents civilization and socialization.
In this course, instead of looking at beer as science, we will consider beer as a part of public culture. This course is designed to provide a cultural studies approach to beer. Specifically, using Dingle, Ireland as a site for exploration, this course examines how communication influences and is influenced by the production, consumption, representation, and distribution of beer, and how communication intersects with issues of identity in beer choices and processes. We will study multiple theoretical, conceptual, and methodological approaches to understanding this intersection of communication and an important artifact of public culture.
We will ask and come to provisional answers to questions such as: What is the role of beer in crafting Irish local and national identities? How did microbrewing become a marker of class? How does beer reflect or embody our cultural norms? When did the local pub become associated with community? How did beer, soccer/football, and masculinity come together? And many more.
FACULTY
Lamis Jarvinen, Ph.D.
DESCRIPTION
This course steps right into Ireland’s vibrant history of ritual and social dance, including traditions of crossroads dancing, where rural communities gathered at roadsides, and young people met to find partners — in dance and in life.
We will immerse into Irish traditions of dance like set dancing, céili dancing, and sean nós, and visit indoor and outdoor gatherings. We will talk to artists and organizers who are reviving dance events in creative ways around Ireland. We will compare these traditions and innovations with other instances of ritual and social dance around the globe, including in India, Japan, Brazil, North America, and the Caribbean.
Along the way, we will ask ourselves: How does dance intersect with the spaces and landscapes it inhabits? How does dance build community, create identity — and even resist oppression? Why has dance been so essential to Irish culture, and cultures all over the world.
Why is it often “in the crosshairs?”
FACULTY
DESCRIPTION
This course aims to familiarize students with Irish poetry through the lens of the slightly magical as represented through thematic elements such as liminal spaces, holy wells, cats, mysterious strangers, bodies, and nature. Throughout this creative writing course, we will learn about Irish poetry as we learn about our surroundings in Dingle. During each class day, we will focus in on one theme of Irish poetry through select passages of Lucy McDiarmid’s book, Slightly Magical Irish Poetry and the Long 1990s. We will read and discuss representative poems and explore a relevant site in Dingle to make our learning experiential.
As a class, we will use these lessons and experiences as inspiration in our daily creative writing assignments and reflections. By the end of this course, students will gain a better understanding of Irish poetry, will immerse themselves in Dingle’s history and culture, will create poetry of their own, and will learn how to give and receive feedback on creative works.
FACULTY
DESCRIPTION
Why are some people in some countries so much healthier than others? This course will explore the factors that explain the unequal distribution of health and disease in the world. The course will begin with an introduction to the language of global health: the burden of disease, epidemiology, cost effectiveness, and health systems. It will then analyze the rationale for and modes of intervention to improve global health by exploring a number of high profile topics, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic, access to pharmaceuticals, human resources for health, and maternal and child health. The course will incorporate knowledge and views from multiple academic disciplines (public health, economics, politics, management, sociology) and does not require any background knowledge.
FACULTY
DESCRIPTION
Held in the picturesque setting of Dingle, Ireland, this course will delve into systems of commerce that are designed to address today’s ethical, social, political, and economic challenges. Dingle is known for its natural beauty, and protecting this environment is essential for maintaining the resources that attract one million visitors a year.
Students will visit several local businesses and hear from industry experts as they explore innovative business models prioritising sustainability. Through applying business frameworks like the triple bottom line and stakeholder analysis, students will be tasked with designing creative solutions that companies can implement to enhance their sustainable practices.
FACULTY
DESCRIPTION
This course provides students with a thorough overview of traditional Irish music, song, and dance from their earliest references right up to today’s influence on the world music stage. Aural, as well as some basic traditional musicianship skills, will be developed over the course. Students will experience firsthand the Irish music scene locally.
Attendance at sessions and “céilís” will enable them to savor Traditional music in its natural social setting. The course will study the history and development of the tradition, while also ensuring that the students gain a deeper understanding of this tradition by learning some practical skills.
FACULTY
Niamh Varian Barry, MA
DESCRIPTION
This course introduces the student to basic concepts, theories, and methods of exploring the health, wellness, and cultural diversity of individuals. Common factors that promote the health and wellness of individuals across the lifespan are explored. Cultural diversity expands this discussion to include the meaning and impact of culture on health and wellness through the exploration of cultural phenomena such as perception toward time, communication, social organization, and healing traditions.
Values clarification related to one’s own culture as a part of the process of developing cultural awareness and competence is discussed. Disparities related to access to care and economic barriers are discussed, including vulnerable populations.
FACULTY
Angela Salio, MSN, RNC-OB
DESCRIPTION
Self, Mind, and Nature approaches the landscape of the Dingle peninsula as a place to explore theoretical and personal concepts of selfhood and consciousness, and understand how these are embedded in, and affected by, nature. The main aim of the course is to gain an understanding of the mind as it shaped by our environment. Through fieldwork and guest speakers we will gain first-hand experience of related topics such as language, ecology, literature, and mythology. This course will be of particular interest to those pursuing studies in the fields of philosophy, psychology, healthcare, and anthropology.
FACULTY
DESCRIPTION
The creative and expressive arts offer individuals a way to explore personal experiences through various artistic forms (e.g., dance/movement, visual arts, writing, drama and music). This course will focus on studying these different creative modalities from an Irish perspective. While in Dingle, students will learn foundational knowledge about the history, theory, and practical applications of the creative arts. In addition, course excursions will be used to help students tap into their creativity by exploring museums, Irish towns, listening to Irish music, participating in an Irish dance class and interacting with local guest speakers. Upon returning to the United States, students will reflect on how their experiences in Ireland influenced their personal growth and creative expression.
FACULTY
Lisa Smith, Psy.D.
DESCRIPTION
Experience the Dingle Peninsula as both physical landscape and living scripture through an intensive, field-based study of Irish pilgrimage traditions, contemporary poetry, and place-rooted theology. Blending seminar discussion with embodied learning, students walk portions of ancient routes, visit early monastic sites and oratories, listen to local historians and artists, and practice attentive “reading” of land and seascapes. Along the way, we explore poems, songs, travel writing, and theological essays that translate Dingle’s textures into language, ritual, and ethical imagination.
The course cultivates habits of seeing and saying: close reading, ethnographic observation, and contemplative practice. Students learn methods from literary analysis, theology, and comparative religion to interpret how pilgrimage forms communities of meaning; how ecological contexts shape ritual, devotion, and ethics; and how place-based art can repair fractured imaginations. Short workshops introduce elements of Gaeilge, oral tradition, and eco-spirituality, while studio sessions support a creative portfolio grounded in field experience and informed by respectful engagement with local communities. Attention to hospitality, safety, accessibility, and environmental stewardship is integral to our practice, as is consideration of decolonial perspectives and the responsibilities of visitors. By term’s end, students will be able to read a landscape as they would a poem: tracing motifs and metaphors, naming sources and stewards, and discerning how place shapes identity, belonging, and hope. In Dingle, the ordinary paths, wells, cliffs, and cottages become a text through which durable questions of meaning can be asked anew.
FACULTY
Cyrus P. Olsen III, D.Phil.
DESCRIPTION
Dingle, Ireland as a Living Lab: Innovation and Sustainable Communities. How do communities innovate while preserving their culture, environment, and quality of life? Using Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula as a living laboratory, this transdisciplinary course explores how innovation can address complex challenges related to economic development, sustainability, tourism, climate resilience, cultural preservation, transportation, housing, and community well-being.
Students will examine how local businesses, entrepreneurs, community organizations, government agencies, cultural institutions, and regional initiatives are shaping the future of one of Ireland’s most distinctive regions. Through site visits, stakeholder engagement, field-based learning, and reflective inquiry, students will learn and apply the principles of inventing and innovating: applying design thinking, systems thinking, and community-centered problem solving while creating tangible proof-of-concept solutions.
The course includes engagement with regional innovation initiatives, including organizations such as Dingle Hub and interactions with local leaders, business owners, farmers, tourism professionals, environmental advocates, and community members.
Working in transdisciplinary teams, students will identify the community problem, research, develop, prototype, and present their proof-of-concept solutions.
This course is open to students from all majors and requires no prior background in business, entrepreneurship, or innovation.
FACULTY
Lamis Jarvinen, Ph.D.
Fall
Semester
Read More
Spring
Semester
Read More
Winter
Short term
Read More
Summer
Short term
Read More
How to Apply
Tuition & Fees
