Ireland's Culture and Society

Learn how Ireland’s culture, history, and criminal justice system have shaped current laws and policies.

• Experience Irish culture and history by visiting Waterford, Kilkenny, Dublin, Killarney, and surrounding towns and cities.
• Learn about Irish social issues and criminal justice while comparing Irish and U.S. perspectives.
• Explore how Ireland and Irish people are portrayed in popular culture while challenging stereotypes and examining social issues such as crime, poverty, and social order.
• Participate in cultural excursions, seminars, and discussions with local experts.
  
  Open to all majors, no course pre-requisites.

Before traveling to Ireland, you will take an online course during RIT’s short summer session I. The first four weeks of the course will provide context on Irish culture, history, and criminal justice systems, preparing you to explore these topics through firsthand experiences. During the final two weeks of the course, you will travel to Ireland to connect what you have learned in class with the people, places, and institutions you encounter.

Ireland provides a unique setting for exploring the connections between culture, history, and criminal justice. While staying at South East Technological University (SETU) in Ireland, you’ll learn from local perspectives and experience Irish culture firsthand. Cultural excursions to Waterford, Kilkenny, Dublin, Killarney, and nearby towns will introduce you to Ireland’s history and culture, while seminars, guided visits, discussions, and other activities will help you explore crime, poverty, social order, and the Irish criminal justice system. You will stay in university dorms at SETU and have opportunities to experience everyday life in Ireland.

Criminal Justice majors will automatically receive a $500 scholarship for this program.

Term: Summer
Travel Dates: June 10-24, 2027
Credits: 3

Course Details:

• CRIM 489 - Major Issues in Criminal Justice: Forces of Social Order

Students will be enrolled in the class during RIT's Short Summer Session I (online) and then travel to Ireland during the final two weeks of the course.

The course may count towards an immersion or minor in Criminal Justice, a minor in Legal Studies, as a GE elective or free elective.

No pre-requisites. Open to all undergraduate majors, all year levels, 2.5 cumulative GPA or above.

Application Deadline: February 14th, 2027

Program Cost & Financial Aid

Program Cost: Student budget worksheet - Ireland's Culture and Society, Summer 2026 OUTDATED. An updated budget worksheet for the 2027 program will be available soon.

Financial Aid:
Financial aid may cover some program costs. As you review the budget worksheet, please remember that it does not include your RIT financial aid or scholarships, which may cover some of the program costs. The purpose of the budget worksheet is to show all the costs associated with your study abroad program, which will help your RIT Financial Aid Assistant Director determine how your aid and scholarships may be applied. 

To understand how your financial aid and scholarships may apply to your program costs:

• Make an appointment with your financial aid assistant director (call Financial Aid at 585-475-2186) and mention that you are calling for a study abroad appointment
• Upload a copy of your budget worksheet(s) via the Financial Aid upload portal at https://join.rit.edu/register/FA_upload (at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled meeting, so they have time to prepare) 
  • Please rename the file name of your budget worksheet before uploading it to the Financial Aid portal based on the instructions provided in the portal (adding your name and student ID)

To find out the name of your financial aid assistant director for your degree program visit: https://www.rit.edu/admissions/aid/contact#counseling-team

We recommend you meet with Financial Aid before the application deadline so you understand how your aid will apply. The RIT financial aid office is located in Bausch and Lomb Center (Bldg. 77), 2nd floor, 2125.

Scholarships:

• RIT Education Abroad Travel Grants ($500-$1,000)
  All students with pending applications in the RIT Study Abroad Compass for this program will be automatically considered for an RIT Education Abroad Travel Grant. You will be informed of your scholarship status shortly after the application deadline. Scholarships are awarded based on financial need, as determined by financial aid and your FAFSA on file.

• Additional Scholarships
  RIT scholarships and national scholarships for study abroad are good options to explore for scholarship funding. Make sure you are checking scholarship eligibility requirements and take note of scholarship deadlines. 

To Apply

1) Start an application in the Compass (RIT's study abroad application system)
Once you login to the Compass you will need to complete some profile/registration questions, then use the “Search Programs” and filter by "Provider > RIT", "Destination > Ireland"

2) Watch this video, which goes over all important application steps for RIT Faculty-Led Programs

Contact

Nicholas Robertson
Associate Professor, Department of Criminal Justice
College of Liberal Arts
onrgcj@rit.edu

Tony Smith
Associate Professor, Department of Criminal Justice
Program Director, Criminal Justice MS
College of Liberal Arts
trsgcj@rit.edu