REGISTER THIS WEEK! AVAILABLE IRISH STUDIES COURSES FOR WINTER 2024

The Irish night is shaped by cultural, political, and economic forces. Drawing on the emerging field of ‘night studies’, this course considers the contemporary development of ‘night space’ in Ireland. This includes the night-time economy (for example, policies on closing times, gig-economies, transportation, and extended closures of cultural spaces during the Covid-19 pandemic) as well as ‘night culture’ (for example, the development of major nocturnal events, including Ireland’s ‘Culture Night’, as well as night-time street art galleries and music festivals). We’ll examine how systems of power operate within the Irish night, asking how access – and at times lack of access – to night spaces shape geographic processes, including gentrification, migration, gender (in)equity, and employment. The course will draw on a range of multi-media materials and diverse case studies, as well as virtual and in-person visits from night studies scholars and community activists. As part of the course, students will attend Montréal en Lumière, to examine how nocturnal culture is presented, experienced, and shaped in different urban environments.

Some interactive aspects of this course:

• Involvement in Montreal’s Nuit Blanche city-wide event
• Guest talks from Irish key speakers, including the activist group ‘Give us the night’, organizers of Culture Night Dublin and a Night Major from Ireland
• Visit and talk in an Irish pub
• A haunted walk in Montreal