معرفی
Tara MacLeod is an Associate Teaching Professor of Irish Language and Literature at the University of Notre Dame, serving as Director of Undergraduate Studies and Language Coordinator. A native Irish speaker from Ceantar na nOileán in the Connemara Gaeltacht, she teaches Irish-language courses and contemporary Gaeltacht culture studies while leading immersive travel programs to Ireland.
Her educational background includes:
- Bachelor of Social Science in Social Administration and Library and Information Studies (University College Dublin, 1991)
- Masters in Social Work (University College Cork, 1997)
- Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge (National University of Ireland, Galway, 2001)
- Masters of Science in Education, Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Indiana University South Bend, 2023)
Professor MacLeod specializes in innovative Irish language pedagogy, focusing on second language acquisition through cultural immersion and technology integration. Her work emphasizes developing students' linguistic skills alongside authentic understanding of Gaeltacht traditions, material culture, and contemporary Irish society, particularly through experiential learning in Connemara and the Aran Islands.
Her teaching excellence has been recognized with dual Notre Dame Joyce Awards:
- Notre Dame Joyce Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2011)
- Notre Dame Joyce Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2017)
She actively contributes to national academic service as External Examiner for Modern Irish at the Five Colleges Consortium, MLA Celtic Languages & Literature Discussion Group Committee member, External Assessor for the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme, and manuscript reviewer for Routledge and Taylor & Francis. Her professional engagements include keynote addresses at UCLA's Celtic Studies Colloquium and presentations on language pedagogy at CALICO and the American Conference for Irish Studies.
