Information for Incoming Erasmus and Visiting Students

The Department warmly welcomes visiting and exchange students who may be attending Trinity College for just one semester (or a full academic year). Such students may take modules on offer in the second, third and fourth years. Further details on our exciting new modules – including Migration, European Societies and Race, Ethnicity and Identity – is available by clicking here.

General Information

The Department of Sociology warmly welcomes Erasmus and international visiting students from all around the globe. You may attend modules at Trinity College for just one semester or the entire academic year (Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity Term). In 2011-12, Sociology has a record number of visiting students, many of whom from the United States.

Trinity College, currently 65th in the Times Higher Education Supplement Global University Rankings, is a cosmopolitan and exciting place to study and meet new friends. We have around 15,500 students including 2,300 from over 90 different countries. Located in the heart of Dublin, the Department of Sociology has its very own Starbucks Coffee branch on the ground floor at College Green. We currently have 8 permanent full-time staff members and a number of part-time lecturers and temporary appointments.

Our four core research and teaching areas are: migration, conflict and social movements, employment and work in Europe and digital lives, social networks and popular culture. Faculty members promote a theory- and method-pluralistic position. Click here to read testimonials of former visiting students.

On arrival, I shall discuss a learning programme with you and advise you at what level you can enrol in our modules. Please note that fourth-year modules are typically not available to Erasmus students, but open to visiting students. We expect one-year Erasmus students to follow both halves of any (second- and third-) year module. Detailed information about our modules is available by clicking here. More information how to apply to come to Trinity as a visiting student is available from the International Office webpage.

You are expected to fulfil the same module requirements as Trinity students. Our policy is that you need to take part in annual examinations of all modules you are registered for. The annual examination period (four weeks) is between late April and late May. This means that you will need to be in residence until at least late May! Michaelmas Term (one-semester) only students must remain in residence until the last day of teaching. For further information about the 2010-11 academic year structure, please click here.

All Incoming Erasmus students need to fill in an application form that can be downloaded by clicking here following nomination through their home university first. The further admission process is outlined on the International Office website along with an address where to post your completed application forms to. Visiting EU students outside our Erasmus exchange programme need to click here for further information and the relevant application form. Visiting non-EU students find their application form and further details by clicking here.

All students should note that while enhancing linguistic skills is part of the experience of studying abroad, we expect students to be fully proficient in English. Prospective Erasmus students are especially reminded that sitting a series of examinations without adequate linguistic competences is virtually impossible and might result in fail grades.

If you have any questions about our Erasmus and Visiting Student programme please do not hesitate to contact me on daniel.faas@tcd.ie but make sure you have studied this website and all the links carefully first. I will be pleased to answer your queries about module choices and contents and sign your module registration forms and learning agreements. Please note that I have a weekly dedicated office hour for Erasmus and Visiting Students only.

Dr. Daniel Faas, Erasmus and Visiting Student Coordinator
Office hours: Wednesdays 14:00-15:30, Room 2.02, 3 College Green