Faculty of Arts
About
The Faculty of Arts provides a wide ranging set of programmes and modules which are intellectually rigorous, deeply engaging and highly stimulating, within the context of the College's specific vision and ethos. It is our aim to provide our students with a first class education which is widely focused such that we produce graduates who are not only highly skilled and ultra-competent in their specific academic disciplines, but also highly literate, socially conscious and intellectually curious, with a very broad general knowledge base.
Message from the Dean of Arts, Prof. William Leahy
As Dean of the Faculty of Arts, I welcome you and invite you to explore this section of the website, where you will find information on our undergraduate and postgraduate courses, our vision and philosophy of education, and our distinctive approach to Liberal Arts.
Our faculty contributes to the Liberal Arts, BSc in Psychology, Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Education in Education & Psychology degrees at the undergraduate level, and delivers several taught postgraduate programmes as well as supervising students in research degrees at MA and PhD level. The faculty covers a wide range of disciplines and are especially strong in the humanities, languages and social sciences. We strongly support inter-disciplinarity in all our programmes.
There are currently 13 departments within the arts faculty: Drama & Theatre Studies, English Language & Literature, French Studies, Gaeilge, Geography, German Studies, History, Mathematics and Computer Studies (including Business Studies), Media and Communication Studies, Music, Philosophy, Psychology and Theology and Religious Studies.
The Faculty of Arts enjoys a strong academic reputation in Ireland and further afield. The staff are highly competent and well published, with a particular dedication to teaching as a core value.
Broadening Horizons
Our student body is international, drawn not only from Ireland but from countries including the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Spain, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Mali, South Africa, Australia and the USA. Our students mix with international students on Erasmus and non-EU exchange programmes, experiencing different cultures as well as curricula. We have a vibrant and diverse student community which has a very active social calendar.
Of particular note is the off-campus year, which students can spend in a variety of settings: some in foreign partner universities, others in placements linked to their career paths, and others in volunteer settings. Our students have spent off-campus semesters across Europe, the US, Australia and Asia to date. That list continues to expand.
With our graduates spread across the globe and working in a variety of different settings, our Liberal Arts undergraduate degree is a fundamental education for life, learning pursued for its own sake.
A BA built with over 30 years' experience
Mary Immaculate College was founded in 1898 for the professional education of primary school teachers but over the years, courses of study were altered to suit the changing times. In academic areas, specialisation was introduced with the advent of elective subjects. In addition to education studies, students were given scope to specialise in areas of particular interest to them from a range of Liberal Arts subjects offered by a number of departments.
In 1974, MIC became a recognised college of the National University of Ireland offering a three-year Bachelor of Education degree. The Arts departments continued to provide a range of academic subjects for the B Ed degree. In November 1991, the Minister for Education announced a new linkage between MIC and the University of Limerick.
The BA in Liberal Arts was introduced to MIC in 1992 following the establishment of this link with the University of Limerick. The Faculty of Arts was established in 2007 and has grown to include 13 departments within the faculty. The BA is a four-year degree with three years on campus at MIC and one year on work placement and/or study abroad. The degree is flexible and comprehensive, offering numerous double-honours combinations.
Faculty of Arts Office
The Faculty of Arts Office is responsible for the administration of the Faculty of Arts and provides support to students and staff within the faculty. The office directly supports the work undertaken by the Dean of Arts.
The office provides administrative support to the 13 academic departments in the faculty and the following programmes: BA in Liberal Arts, BA Contemporary Arts and Theatre Studies, BSc in Psychology, Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Education in Education and Psychology. The office also provides support to the following areas: Skills for Study and Work, Irish Studies, Gender Studies, and the Foundation Certificate Programme.
The Arts Office is located in Room RG1, situated on the ground floor of the Residential Block(just off the Foundation Building) and is open from 10am-1pm and 2-4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Faculty of Arts Public Lecture Series 2024
As part of the MIC125 anniversary celebrations, the Faculty of Arts held a series of public lectures every Thursday in February - showcasing some of the excellent academics who form part of the Faculty and the various subjects which fascinate them;
Dr John McDonagh
The Terrible Gift of my Name - Brendan Kennelly, Oliver Cromwell and the Art of Writing Back
Dr Catherine Swift
The Black Book of Limerick
Prof. Paul Aplin
Seeing is Believing: Climate Change Down a Very Long Lens
Dr Rosemary Day
Listen and Learn - Ireland and the Radio
Dr Daniel Vasquez
The Ethics of Arguing Both Sides of a Question
