Date: Feb 16, 2009

Hofstra University Launches New Irish Studies Program

Celebration on February 20, 2009, from 5 to 10 p.m.

 Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY - Hofstra University will celebrate the launch of its Irish Studies Program with a reception on February 20, 2009, from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Hofstra University Club, David S. Mack Hall, North Campus.  
 
The reception will feature remarks by Alan Farrelly, Irish Vice Consul in New York; comments by Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi and Suffolk County Legistlator Kate M. Browning; poetry readings; live music; an Irish step dance performance by Hofstra students; and a raffle.
 
The Irish Studies Program offers a minor with courses on Ireland’s past and present. By studying the cultures, diaspora, economy, history, politics and social relations of Ireland, students develop an awareness of ways that the Irish have both shaped and been shaped by other societies, including the United States. Irish Studies also provides a better understanding of several broader topics, including prominent aspects of Western dance, film, literature, music, philosophy and theater; migration, globalization, regional integration and economic development; and colonialism, nationalism, armed conflict and peace processes. The program also has developed a film series, lecture series, and community partnerships with Irish organizations based in Queens and on Long Island.
 
The coordinators of the program are Gregory Maney, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, and Maureen Murphy, Ph.D., professor of curriculum and teaching.
 
Dr. Maney’s undergraduate education at both Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin focused on Irish politics and history. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 2001. Funded in part by the United States Institute of Peace and the Irish American Cultural Institute, his dissertation focused upon transnational dimensions of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland. Much of his current research explores the dynamics of ethno-nationalist contention and strategies for sustaining the peace process in Northern Ireland. At Hofstra, he teaches "Ireland Inside/Out," a critical introduction to the ideas and institutions that shape contemporary Ireland, and "Ethnicity and Minority Group Relations," in which he uses the Northern Ireland case to encourage students to empathize with other minority groups, to recognize common sources of conflict, and to identify promising conflict resolution strategies. He teaches both these courses at National University of Ireland-Galway as part of Hofstra University's Summer in Ireland Program. Dr. Maney is also an active member of the Irish American Society of Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens County.   
 
Dr. Murphy is a distinguished scholar and well-known authority in the areas of Irish folklore, Irish literature, Irish history, curriculum and instruction and multicultural education. She has also successfully combined these areas in her efforts as director of the Great Irish Famine curriculum, a program funded through a grant from the New York State Education Department. The curriculum received the 2002 Social Studies Program of Excellence Award from the National Council for Social Studies. She is one of six senior editors of the Dictionary of Irish Biography published in six volumes in 2008 by Cambridge University Press. She is past president of the American Conference for Irish Studies and the past chair of the International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures. She is also the historian of the Irish Hunger Memorial in Battery Park City.
 
For more information on Hofstra’s Irish Studies Program please contact Dr. Maney at (516) 463-6182 or Dr. Murphy at (516) 463-6775.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from more than 145 undergraduate and more than 160 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services;  and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. With a student-faculty ratio of 14-to-1, our professors teach small classes averaging 22 students that emphasize interaction, critical thinking and analysis. Hofstra offers a faculty whose highest priority is teaching excellence. The University also provides excellent facilities with state-of-the-art technology, extensive library resources and internship programs that match students’ interests and abilities with appropriate companies and organizations.  The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.

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