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  5. Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Studies
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Undergraduate Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Studies 2015-2016

CE1033: BARBARIANS, ROMANS, GODS AND WARRIORS

15 credits

Level 1

First Term

This course gives you an exciting introduction to the Celtic and Germanic worlds. In lectures and small-group tutorials, we will explore the peoples who inhabited western and central Europe in Antiquity. We will discuss their cultures and their interactions with Greece and Rome. The course also covers the fates of these cultures in the post-Roman world. Change over time will provide a major driver of the course: for instance, empire and its effect; the history and impact of the "barbarian"; the successive impacts of Roman religion and of Christianity, and how they were represented in mediaeval "heroic" literature.
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CE1036: MODERN IRISH LANGUAGE FOR BEGINNERS 1

15 credits

Level 1

First Term

This course gives students an introduction to the modern Irish language. It covers basic conversation skills, and the structures of the language, through the use of songs, videos and speaking practice in class. It is open to those with little or no knowledge of the language.
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CE1534: ARTHUR AND FINN, BEOWULF AND ALFRED THE GREAT: HISTORY, LAW AND LITERATURE IN THE EARLY MEDIEVAL NORTH

15 credits

Level 1

Second Term

This course explores the changing cultures of the early mediaeval North, especially the cultural history and literatures of Britain and Ireland between the Anglo-Saxon settlement of south Britain and the Norman invasions half a millennium later. These islands were a cultural and ethnic melting-pot between Celtic and Germanic peoples, as seen through a rich body of texts: heroic poems, historical narratives, law-texts, family trees, letters and outlaw-legends. In lectures and small-group tutorials, we explore the diverse forms of social organisation which emerged, and we examine how these peoples interacted with each other: from sex to violence and everything in between.

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CE1536: MODERN IRISH LANGUAGE FOR BEGINNERS 2

15 credits

Level 1

Second Term

This course is a continuation of the first-semester course in the modern Irish language. It will encourage conversations in Irish on more advanced topics, through the use of current news programmes and features, songs, literature, and speaking practice in class on fun topics of the students' choice.
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CE2034: ARTHUR IN MEDIAEVAL CELTIC AND SCANDINAVIAN LITERATURE

15 credits

Level 2

First Term

The course provides a survey of literature on Arthur in the Middle Ages, focusing on early Welsh and Gaelic sources, related Scandinavian literature and French, Welsh and English romances. It includes discussion of broader themes and questions posed by the literature, e.g. whether Arthur could have been a real person, how the Arthurian legend evolved over time and in different areas of Europe, and why the character has been elevated to iconic status.
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CE2563: LOVE, LOSS AND REVIVAL: GAELIC IRELAND, 1700 TO THE PRESENT

15 credits

Level 2

Second Term

This course provides an introduction to Gaelic Ireland from the eighteenth century to the present. We will discuss the aims and achievements of all genres of literature written in modern Irish: for instance, political vision-poems, laments, short stories and autobiographies. The course will also cover in detail the major twentieth-century poets and their diverse motivations, e.g. self-discovery, urban/rural tension and commentary on political and social aspects of their own day. The connections between Irish literature and historical events, the changing status of the Irish language, and Ireland's relationship with the rest of Europe, will form important elements of the course.
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CE3074: BRITTONIC LANGUAGE IA

30 credits

Level 3

First Term

This course consists of an exposition of the grammar of a Brittonic language accompanied by appropriate translation-exercise and grammatical interpretation of selected passages.
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CE3088: TALES OF VENGEANCE AND ENCHANTMENT: THE HEROIC AGE IN IRISH AND ICELANDIC SAGA LITERATURE A

30 credits

Level 3

First Term

This course explores and compares the legendary saga-narratives written in medieval Ireland and Iceland which dramatize the great deeds and even greater misdeeds of Celtic and Scandinavian ‘heroes’. Characters studied range from the frenzied Ulster warrior Cu Chulainn to the tragic and troll-like Icelander Grettir the Strong and the mythic dragon-slayer Sigurdr the Volsung, made famous by Wagner but much wilder in the original. Stories studied will include cattle-raids, bloodfeuds, Otherworld quests and fights with zombies. By the end of the course, students will know how to go berserk in an informed and critically aware manner.

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CE3099: INDEPENDENT STUDY IN CELTIC & ANGLO-SAXON STUDIES A

15 credits

Level 3

First Term

This course will provide the opportunity for students to pursue in-depth exploration of a specific topic in Celtic and/or Anglo-Saxon Studies. It gives students an opportunity for intensive engagement in a specific area within the research field of an individual staff member, and can be arranged as preparatory work towards a dissertation. The content of this course may vary, but the course focuses on enhancing the student's knowledge and research skills in the specified topic. Students interested in taking the course should discuss their specific interest in advance, where possible, with the Programme Co-ordinator and a possible supervisor.
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CE3574: BRITTONIC LANGUAGE IIA

30 credits

Level 3

Second Term

The course consists of an exposition of the grammar of a Brittonic language accompanied by reading, translation exercise and grammatical interpretation of selected passages of text.
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CE3595: CELTIC AND ANGLO-SAXON KINGSHIP AND THE EXERCISE OF AUTHORITY IN THE EARLIER MIDDLE AGES

30 credits

Level 3

Second Term

Kingship and the Middle Ages seem to go together. In some cultures mediaeval kingship grew powerful, the public embodiment of a people  and the creator of government and (therefore) state.  But this was not so everywhere and at all times. The Germanic-speaking peoples, fearful of leaderly power, were very reluctant to embrace kingship.  The Celtic-speaking peoples inherited a long-lived ideology of kingship but never embraced monarchy. We examine the development of kingship as social institution, taking the Celts as a whole and using the Anglo-Saxons as representative of a larger Germanic history.

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CE3599: INDEPENDENT STUDY IN CELTIC & ANGLO-SAXON STUDIES A

15 credits

Level 3

Second Term

This course will provide the opportunity for students to pursue in-depth exploration of a specific topic in Celtic and/or Anglo-Saxon Studies. It gives students an opportunity for intensive engagement in a specific area within the research field of an individual staff member, and can be arranged as preparatory work towards a dissertation. The content of this course may vary, but the course focuses on enhancing the student's knowledge and research skills in the specified topic. Students interested in taking the course should discuss their specific interest in advance, where possible, with the Programme Co-ordinator and a possible supervisor..
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CE4074: BRITTONIC LANGUAGE IB

30 credits

Level 4

First Term

This course consists of an exposition of the grammar of a Brittonic language accompanied by appropriate translation exercises and grammatical interpretation of selected passages of text.
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CE4088: TALES OF VENGEANCE AND ENCHANTMENT: THE HEROIC AGE IN IRISH AND ICELANDIC SAGA LITERATURE B

30 credits

Level 4

First Term

This course explores and compares the legendary saga-narratives written in medieval Ireland and Iceland which dramatize the great deeds and even greater misdeeds of Celtic and Scandinavian ‘heroes’. Characters studied range from the frenzied Ulster warrior Cu Chulainn to the tragic and troll-like Icelander Grettir the Strong and the mythic dragon-slayer Sigurdr the Volsung, made famous by Wagner but much wilder in the original. Stories studied will include cattle-raids, bloodfeuds, Otherworld quests and fights with zombies. By the end of the course, students will know how to go berserk in an informed and critically aware manner.

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CE4099: INDEPENDENT STUDY IN CELTIC & ANGLO-SAXON STUDIES B

15 credits

Level 4

First Term

This course will provide the opportunity for students to pursue in-depth exploration of a specific topic in Celtic and/or Anglo-Saxon Studies. It gives students an opportunity for intensive engagement in a specific area within the research field of an individual staff member, and can be arranged as preparatory work towards a dissertation. The content of this course may vary, but the course focuses on enhancing the student's knowledge and research skills in the specified topic. Students interested in taking the course should discuss their specific interest in advance, where possible, with the Programme Co-ordinator and a possible supervisor.
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CE4511: DISSERTATION IN CELTIC

30 credits

Level 4

Second Term

The Dissertation in Celtic Studies is for Senior Honours students registered in the Celtic Studies degree programme. It will consist of approximately 3 one-hour tutorials, to provide students with guidance on selecting a suitable academic topic and developing a methodology for tackling this topic.
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CE4513: DISSERTATION IN CELTIC CIVILISATION

30 credits

Level 4

Second Term

The Dissertation in Celtic Civilisation is for Senior Honours students registered in the Celtic Civilisation degree programme. It will consist of approximately 3 one-hour tutorials, to provide students with guidance on selecting a suitable academic topic and developing a methodology for tackling this topic.
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CE4574: BRITTONIC LANGUAGE IIB

30 credits

Level 4

Second Term

The course consists of an exposition of the grammar of a Brittonic language accompanied by reading, translation exercises and grammatical interpretation of selected passages of text.
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CE4595: CELTIC AND ANGLO-SAXON KINGSHIP AND THE EXERCISE OF AUTHORITY IN THE EARLIER MIDDLE AGES

30 credits

Level 4

Second Term

Kingship and the Middle Ages seem to go together. In some cultures mediaeval kingship grew powerful, the public embodiment of a people and the creator of government and (therefore) state. But this was not so everywhere and at all times. The Germanic-speaking peoples, fearful of leaderly power, were very reluctant to embrace kingship. The Celtic-speaking peoples inherited a long-lived ideology of kingship but never embraced monarchy. We examine the development of kingship as social institution, taking the Celts as a whole and using the Anglo-Saxons as representative of a larger Germanic history.
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CE4598: DISSERTATION IN CELTIC & ANGLO-SAXON STUDIES

30 credits

Level 4

Second Term

The Dissertation in Celtic & Anglo-Saxon Studies is for Senior Honours students registered in the Celtic & Anglo-Saxon Studies degree programme. It will consist of approximately 3 one-hour tutorials, to provide students with guidance on selecting a suitable academic topic and developing a methodology for tackling this topic.
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CE4599: INDEPENDENT STUDY IN CELTIC & ANGLO-SAXON STUDIES B

15 credits

Level 4

Second Term

This course will provide the opportunity for students to pursue in-depth exploration of a specific topic in Celtic and/or Anglo-Saxon Studies. It gives students an opportunity for intensive engagement in a specific area within the research field of an individual staff member, and can be arranged as preparatory work towards a dissertation. The content of this course may vary, but the course focuses on enhancing the student's knowledge and research skills in the specified topic. Students interested in taking the course should discuss their specific interest in advance, where possible, with the Programme Co-ordinator and a possible supervisor.
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