Expand+Enrolment & General Information
Students are encouraged to enrol as early as possible. If you enrol late, the class may be full or may have been cancelled due to low numbers.

You can enrol in person (at the Access and Lifelong Learning Centre i...

Hide-Enrolment & General Information
Students are encouraged to enrol as early as possible. If you enrol late, the class may be full or may have been cancelled due to low numbers.

You can enrol in person (at the Access and Lifelong Learning Centre in the James Joyce Library Building), Monday - Friday 9.00am - 1.00pm and 2.00pm - 5.00pm.

Enrol by credit or debit car over the phone (01) 716 7123 or online www.ucd.ie/all/study

Cancellations
Lifelong Learning courses are offered subject to sufficient numbers. Where there are insufficient registrations, the course will be withdrawn.

Expand+Introduction
Our Lifelong Learning courses cover a range of topics from Art History through to History, Literature, Philosophy and Writing. The courses are open to all and provide a chance to explore a subject without concerns about assessment. Thes...

Hide-Introduction
Our Lifelong Learning courses cover a range of topics from Art History through to History, Literature, Philosophy and Writing. The courses are open to all and provide a chance to explore a subject without concerns about assessment. These courses are part of a long tradition in University College Dublin (UCD), and follow the legacy of the university’s founder Cardinal John Henry Newman, who wished to make higher level education accessible to a broad sweep of Irish people.

Today, UCD remains committed to widening participation in higher education, in all its forms, whether to accredited formal learning programmes or informal open learning provision. We believe the rich intellectual resources of the university should be available to all. Our commitment is reaffirmed when we hear the important role learning plays in enhancing people’s lives, whether through providing intellectual stimulus and new friendships, or as an opportunity to sample a topic before further study.

The programme is developed in collaboration with tutors, UCD schools and the broader UCD community. Student feedback informs the type of courses we offer and the style of teaching promoted. Student evaluations have indicated that learning is enhanced through discussion, group work and participative approaches, and by getting out and about to learn on the move. Many of our courses now include field trips or gallery visits, which bring course material to life and provide a social learning opportunity. Further course details are available online at www.ucd.ie/all/study.

We hope you find a course that suits your interests!

Your Tutors
UCD Access and Lifelong Learning is privileged to work with a highly expert and committed group of tutors who are recruited not just on the basis of their subject expertise, but also for their demonstrated interest in adult learning. You can read about your tutor’s qualifications and areas of expertise online where we have included a short tutor biography alongside the course information.

Reading & Booklists
Booklists are available online alongside course descriptions. For the majority of courses, the booklist contains suggested reading for those interested in investigating the subject further. Your tutor can guide you as to which reading might be most suitable.

Booklists for literature students are more critical as classes are based on particular set texts. We recommend that initially you acquire just the first text listed as the list will be discussed with your tutor in class.

Expand+This course offers an introduction to the diverse religious beliefs and practices of ancient Greece and Rome. What did people of these ancient societies believe in? What were their gods like? How did their belief inform their daily lives and experien...

Hide-This course offers an introduction to the diverse religious beliefs and practices of ancient Greece and Rome. What did people of these ancient societies believe in? What were their gods like? How did their belief inform their daily lives and experiences? From mainstream and official civic religion to secretive and exclusive “mystery” cults, this course will explore the various and often perplexing aspects of religious belief, superstition, and practice in the ancient Mediterranean. Our investigation will incorporate the rich body of evidence offered by texts, funerary monuments, votive gifts, statues, depictions of religious events and personnel, and important sacred sites. This module offers an exploration of the main ideas and motivations behind belief and practice in ancient society, and examine how these ideas manifested themselves in sacred spaces, rituals, festivals, oracles and divination, and in daily life. We will think about objects related to religious activity, including altars and vessels, cult images, votive figurines, anatomical representations, and curse tablets. Our exploration will also encompass sacred sites and buildings, from oracles such as that at the spectacular site of Delphi in Greece to the cavernous and eerie Mithraea that are found throughout the Roman Empire. Ancient texts will offer first-hand insight into the ideas and mythology behind religious belief and practice, illuminating the various ways in which ancient Greeks and Romans honoured, bargained with, and appeased their gods in the political, civic, and domestic spheres. The use of various types of evidence will ensure that students can enjoy a visual appreciation of ancient religion in addition to reading some ancient writing (translated into English). UCD Access & Lifelong Learning Centre Programme 2017-2018