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  6. HI355J: RUNES AND THEIR RECEPTION

HI355J: RUNES AND THEIR RECEPTION (2014-2015)

Last modified: 28 Jun 2018 10:27


Course Overview

Runes were the main writing system of England, Scandinavia and the Germanic world before the introduction of Christianity. They are valuable sources for a world that we otherwise only know throuh foreign or Christian eyes. This course traces the use of runes from the first century CE, looking at their role in society, magic and belief. We will also look at the use of runes after conversion to Christianity, including their role in the various nationalist and antiquarian movements of the 16th to the 20th centuries.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 3
Term Second Term Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus None. Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Tarrin Wills

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

None.

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

For over a millenium, runes were used as an alphabet by various groups in the Germanic world, culminating in thousands of stone monuments in Sweden, and similar numbers of portable inscriptions in urban settlements. The first part of this course explores the ways in which runes were used in early Scandinavia, on both portable items and monuments, and during the Migration Age, Viking Age and post-conversion Middle Ages. The second part of the course looks at the way in which they were reused and reinterpreted, from 13th-century Denmark and Iceland through to the 20th and 21st centuries. This includes the debates regarding runes in the 17th and 18th centuries in Scandinavia, the use of runes in Nazism, and the recent reemergence of runic divination and other uses.

Further Information & Notes

This module is available to students on all non-History degree programmes as a Discipline Breadth course for the enhanced study requirement. However, the admission of students with a non-History degree intention will be at the discretion of the School of Divinity, History, and Philosophy.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%); one 4000-word essay (50%), one 1000-word Book review (20%), Presentation including powerpoint and 1000-word report (20%), Seminar participation (10%) Resit: A new essay of 3500 words (100%)

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Feedback

Written and verbal, using private meetings and marking forms.

Course Learning Outcomes

None.
 

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