New research unit for SpIRE/WIT
Waterford Institute of Technology in conjunction with SpIRE (the Spirituality Institute for Research and Education) has recently set up a spirituality research unit in WIT, run by Dr Bernadette Flanagan, according to Dr Michael O’Sullivan SJ, Director of SpIRE.
In this wide-ranging interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications. Michael talks about the research unit and discusses the varied work of SpIRE /WIT including amongst other things an MA in Applied Spirituality which is offered annually to a class of 18 students. The MA predates SpIRE’s partnership with WIT and Michael talks about its genesis twenty years ago as an outreach to lay people interested in exploring academically the whole area of spirituality in everyday living.
The MA is now a successful component of SpIRE and Michael outlines the reason for its success and the nature of the course and the people who come from all over the world to do it.
He also talks about how students and staff and negotiated the challenges of Covid-19 over the past two academic years and says the pandemic did nothing to dent the enthusiasm of those joining in the activities of SpIRE, many of which went online.
The MA course starting in the autumn is full, according to Michael who is this year retiring from his role as Director of the MA in Applied Spirituality. Dr Noelia Molina, a member of the SpIRE/WIT staff will take over that position.
