Undergraduate Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Studies 2016-2017

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.

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.

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.

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.

The course explores the rich poetic legacy of Britain and Ireland in the early medieval period, and traces the further development of Welsh, Gaelic and Lowland Scots poetry up until the sixteenth century. From the light-drenched nature poetry of the Gaels through the eloquent anguish of Anglo-Saxon meditative verse to the high jinks of the great Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, the stress is on the energy and variety of the art produced by the diverse linguistic communities of the territories that became Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

The course provides a basic introduction to Old Gaelic, and is an exciting option for students who are interested in exploring the history of modern Scottish Gaelic, and/or curious about Celtic grammatical structures. We will read some basic texts in the original language. Any previous language study will be an advantage. Old Gaelic is the earliest form of a Celtic language which we can reconstruct with some certainty. It holds the key to the earliest vernacular literature north of the Alps, and is the earliest attested form of both Irish and Scottish Gaelic.

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.

The course consists of continued study of the Old Gaelic language, and is an exciting option for students who are interested in exploring further the history of modern Scottish Gaelic, and/or curious about Celtic grammatical structures. We will read more complex texts in the original language. Any previous language study will be an advantage. Old Gaelic is the earliest form of a Celtic language which we can reconstruct with some certainty. It holds the key to the earliest vernacular literature north of the Alps, and is the earliest attested form of both Irish and Scottish Gaelic.

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.

This course provides an in-depth introduction to Insular script and Insular book-production. The student will, from the start, work with examples of the script and learn to read, describe, date, and localise its various forms. The history of the Insular book is an essential component of any understanding of mediaeval Celtic and Anglo-Saxon cultures.

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..

The course explores the rich poetic legacy of Britain and Ireland in the early medieval period, and traces the further development of Welsh, Gaelic and Lowland Scots poetry up until the sixteenth century. From the light-drenched nature poetry of the Gaels through the eloquent anguish of Anglo-Saxon meditative verse to the high jinks of the great Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, the stress is on the energy and variety of the art produced by the diverse linguistic communities of the territories that became Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

This course will provide an introduction to the language of the Anglo-Saxons. It will focus on grammatical study of the language, and translating basic Anglo-Saxon passages into modern English. It will be based on a new version of the Old English course designed by Dr Duncan Macrae-Gibson, an eminent Anglo-Saxonist and inspirational lecturer at Aberdeen. This 21st-century version of the course (published by Aberdeen University Press)  will include traditional and online elements. The course will give students the opportunity to begin learning the language in which 'Beowulf' and many other fascinating poems and prose texts were composed.

The course provides a basic introduction to Old Gaelic, and is an exciting option for students who are interested in exploring the history of modern Scottish Gaelic, and/or curious about Celtic grammatical structures. We will read some basic texts in the original language. Any previous language study will be an advantage. Old Gaelic is the earliest form of a Celtic language which we can reconstruct with some certainty. It holds the key to the earliest vernacular literature north of the Alps, and is the earliest attested form of both Irish and Scottish Gaelic.

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.

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.

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.

The course consists of continued study of the Old Gaelic language, and is an exciting option for students who are interested in exploring further the history of modern Scottish Gaelic, and/or curious about Celtic grammatical structures. We will read more complex texts in the original language. Any previous language study will be an advantage. Old Gaelic is the earliest form of a Celtic language which we can reconstruct with some certainty. It holds the key to the earliest vernacular literature north of the Alps, and is the earliest attested form of both Irish and Scottish Gaelic.

This course provides an in-depth introduction to Insular script and Insular book-production. The student will, from the start, work with examples of the script and learn to read, describe, date, and localise its various forms. The history of the Insular book is an essential component of any understanding of mediaeval Celtic and Anglo-Saxon cultures.

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.

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.