For 200 years immigrant groups have decided to make Rhode Island their home. Two of the largest groups are the Irish and Italians who started arriving in the nineteenth century. What conditions in their countries inspired them to leave? How did they get to the US and to Rhode Island? We will explore their Rhode Island experiences. Where did they settle? What discrimination did they face? Where did they work? How did they sustain cultural identities through churches, schools, social clubs, food, and music? We will also look at some “success stories” from Irish and Italian immigrant families.

Format: The first two sessions will feature presentations by the course coordinators. Another session will be a panel discussion with local 3rd and 4th generation Irish and Italian community members. In remaining sessions, each participant will be invited to lead 45-50 minutes of class on a topic chosen from the syllabus.

Resources/Expenses: The course coordinators will guide participants to resources. Included in the course registration fee is a $10 charge for reading materials. No other expenses are anticipated.

Coordinators: Joe Petteruti previously coordinated Take a Deep Dive into the Titanic. His maternal Irish grandmother survived the Titanic’s sinking, and Joe published a book about her called A Night She’d Remember. He has recently written a second book about his Italian paternal grandfather. This will be Bob McMahon’s first course as a coordinator. He has done considerable research on the Irish Famine and Irish emigration. He has also written a memoir about his great-great-grandmother’s emigration in 1853 from County Armagh in Ireland to the US, which included a 57-day journey across the Atlantic.