Recipient Profile
E-mail: mdoyle19@nd.edu
Language: Irish
Location of Study: An Cheathrú Rua, Ireland
Program of Study: NUIG Irish Language Summer School
Sponsors: Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures, the College of Arts and Letters, and Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies.
Blog URL: http://sites.nd.edu/sla2019/author/mdoyle19/
Pre-departure
A brief personal bio:
I am a sophomore from Tuscaloosa, Alabama majoring in the Program of Liberal Studies and minoring in Sustainability. I am currently in my third semester of Irish at Notre Dame, and in addition to my time in Ireland this summer I will be traveling back to Galway Co. next spring to study abroad at NUIG in Galway. I also play women’s rugby at Notre Dame and am hoping to play for NUIG during my semester abroad.
Why this summer language abroad opportunity is important to me:
The program I am attending because of this grant will provide an intensive language experience that will improve my performance in language classes at Notre Dame as well as prepare me to hopefully study Irish at NUIG. As someone who has never been to Ireland, or even left the United States, I think this program is a great opportunity for me to gain a deeper understanding of the context of the language I am studying. I will be studying Irish in the same county for both this program and my study abroad semester, so I am looking forward to the continuity this provides to my language education as well as the opportunity to really understand another region of the world.
What I hope to achieve as a result of this summer study abroad experience:
I am hoping to reach a higher level of Irish language proficiency, especially in speaking. I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to engage in casual Irish language conversation not mandated by class time or during an oral exam, so I am looking forward to the opportunity to speak Irish in a more relaxed setting. Host families in the program are required to speak Irish to students when in the homes, so I think that will be a good opportunity to practice everyday Irish. I also hope to become more familiar with the Galway Gaeltacht, specifically how its designation as a Gaeltacht influences Irish in the region.
My specific learning goals for language and intercultural learning this summer:
1. At the end of my program, I will feel confident engaging in conversation with fellow Irish speakers to the degree of one class above my current level, in order to better participate in Irish language table conversations.
2. At the end of the program, I will have a thorough understanding of how the designation of Gaeltacht affects the development of the Irish language, specifically in the Galway Gaeltacht.
3. At the end of the program, I will be able to read and write at a level of proficiency two classes above my current coursework at Notre Dame.