Genealogy Courses
Adult Education students awarded Certificates in Genealogy, UCD February 2005
Since 1989 the undersigned has been conducting classes in Genealogy/Family History as part of the Adult Education Programme of University College Dublin (UCD), the longest running courses of their kind in the country. Students who require a basic introduction to the subject may enrol in a new 'open learning' course which does not involve assignments, Introduction to Genealogy/Family History, which runs at night from late September to early December on the Belfield campus. Students will be guided in the use of genealogical records in repositories and online, including census, birth, marriage and death and valuation records, church registers, wills and memorial inscriptions, and will be encouraged to compile a portfolio of notes and copy documents relating to their ancestors.
Students who wish to start at an introductory level but with an option to move on to more advanced studies may enrol in the Certificate in Genealogy/Family course. This course is composed of six modules held over three years and involves submission of written assignments in order to achieve credits, although some may opt to attend the course as 'audit' students who do not submit assignments. Module 1 runs from September to December in Blackrock (day) and Belfield (night) campuses, while Module 2 runs from January to April again in Blackrock and Belfield. Modules 3-6 are held in Belfield only and are night classes.
While being practically based and designed to assist participants to trace their own ancestry, the Certificate course also lays stress on principles and standards in genealogy, and the importance of a broader academic or scholarly approach to the subject. Topics dealt with in Module 1 include principles of genealogy, placenames, forenames and surnames, record repositories, location and use of census, civil, valuation, church and other records, computers and the Internet, and preparation of documented pedigrees. Module 2 deals with more advanced sources, including wills, deeds, memorial inscriptions, estate papers, pre-1700 sources, and introduces heraldry and other disciplines allied to genealogy. Topics covered in Modules 3 include heraldry, pre-1850 sources, palaeography and genetics, while Module 4 features Gaelic genealogies, Anglo-Norman genealogies, local history, the Irish Diaspora and settlers in Ireland. Topics dealt with in Modules 5 include advanced research methods, memorial inscription transcriptions and studies of the pedigrees of the Gardiner and Guinness families, while Module 6 deals with records of Ulster's Office, Irish Chiefs, Presidents of the USA of Irish descent, examination of the careers of some leading Irish genealogists and heraldists, publishing, and genealogy as a profession and in education. A National University of Ireland Certificate, graded at Level 7 of the National Framework of Qualifications scale, will be awarded to credit students who complete all the modules and submit written work to the required standard.
For information on enrolment, fees, etc, apply to Adult Education Centre, Library Building, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4, telephone (01) 716 7123, or visit the website at http://www.ucd.ie/adulted/ (which contains a link to a downloadable brochure detailing the full range of Adult Education courses). While a majority of those taking the courses are Irish, visitors from abroad and travelling students are always welcome. General queries on the genealogical courses can be e-mailed (remove SPAMOUT from address) to the undersigned. The following are links to some articles which give a flavour of the classes at various levels:
A Primer in Irish Genealogy (a downloadable course textbook and an introduction to the subject for those interested)
Eamon de Valera's Father Vivion Juan de Valera
American Presidents with Irish Ancestors
The Records of Ulster's Office 1552-1943
Sean
Murphy MA
August 2011