CELTIC

CELTIC

See also Gaelic

Level 1

CE 1031 - ROMANS, CELTS, DRUIDS AND WARRIORS
Credit Points
15
Course Coordinator
TBC

Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

Overview

This course will provide an inter-disciplinary study of the Celtic-speaking peoples from prehistory to the early Middle Ages. We will explore the origins and spread of Celtic language and culture, the subsequent marginalisation of the Celts in Roman literature; pre-historic archaeology; pagan beliefs; conversion to Christianity; the role of women; heroic literature; the cult of warriors; and finally, popular representations of the Celts in modern literature and thought.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and continuous assessment - one essay (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Feedback

The above assessments are given CAS marks and written feedback is relayed to students using the School of Language and Literature essay cover sheets. Students have an opportunity to discuss feedback with their tutor through planned meetings or during their tutor's office hours.

CE 1532 - CELTIC SCOTLAND
Credit Points
15
Course Coordinator
TBC

Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

Overview

This course will provide an overview of Celtic Scotland in the early and central Middle Ages (AD 400-c1200). The history and culture of early inhabitants of Scotland, the Picts, Gaels, and Britons, will be explored through a range of topics. These include political and social identity, kingship, religion, art, archaeology and foreign relations. A key theme within the course will be the emergence and development of the Scottish nation over the centuries.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and continuous assessment - one essay (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Feedback

The above assessments are given CAS marks and written feedback is relayed to students using the School of Language and Literature essay cover sheets. Students have an opportunity to discuss feedback with their tutor through planned meetings or during their tutor's office hours.

Level 2

CE 2030 - VIKINGS IN SCOTLAND, 795-1266
Credit Points
15
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

Overview

Topics include the nature of Viking-settlement, Gaelic-Scandinavian interaction, the impact of Vikings on the formation of the kingdom of Alba, and the external links of North Britain in the Viking Age. A weekly lecture will provide an overview of the history, culture and literature of the Vikings in Scotland; in the weekly tutorial students will discuss individual themes and sources in more detail.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%); essay of 2,000-2,500 words, including references but excluding bibliography (30%); tutorial participation (10%).

1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Discussion of students' progress in writing and participation skills will be provided in individual meetings.

Feedback

Written feedback will be provided via comments on assessments. Discussion of students' progress in writing and participation skills will be provided in individual meetings.

CE 2031 - ARTHUR IN MEDIEVAL WELSH AND GAELIC LITERATURE
Credit Points
15
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

Overview

The course provides a survey of literature on Arthur in the Middle Ages, focusing on Welsh and Gaelic sources and Continental romance; it includes discussion of broader themes and questions posed by the literature, eg. whether Athur was a real person and why legends about him have elevated him to iconic status, even to the present day.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%); essay of 2,000-2,500 words, including references but excluding bibliography (30%); tutorial participation (10%).

1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Discussion of students' progress in writing and participation skills will be provided in individual meetings.

Feedback

Written feedback will be provided via comments on assessments. Discussion of students' progress in writing and participation skills will be provided in individual meetings.

CE 2531 - GAELIC IRELAND, 1700 TO THE PRESENT
Credit Points
15
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

None, although some knowledge of Irish might be an advantage.

Notes

This course will not be available in session 2012/13.

Overview

Detailed discussion of topics including the history of Gaelic Ireland from the eighteenth century onwards; and the aims and achievements of all genres of literature in modern Irish, eg. vision-poems and prose diaries. The course will also cover the major twentieth-century poets and their motivations, eg. self-discovery, urban/rural tension and commentary on political and social aspects of their own day.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%); essay of 2,000-2,500 words, including references but excluding bibliography (30%); tutorial participation (10%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Discussion of students' progress in writing and participation skills will be provided in individual meetings.

Feedback

Written feedback will be provided via comments on assessments. Discussion of students' progress in writing and participation skills will be provided in individual meetings.

CE 2562 - CLASSICAL VIEWS ON THE CELTS
Credit Points
15
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2012/13.

Overview

The course provides a survey of Greek and Roman perceptions of Celtic peoples. It also includes discussion of broader themes and questions posed by the sources, eg. invention of the barbarian and the role of iconography.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%); essay of 2,000-2,500 words, including references but excluding bibliography (30%); tutorial participation (10%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Discussion of students' progress in writing and participation skills will be provided in individual meetings.

Feedback

Written feedback will be provided via comments on assessments. Discussion of students' progress in writing and participation skills will be provided in individual meetings.

Level 3

CE 3063 - INTRODUCTION TO OLD GAELIC 1A
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 and 4 or by permission of the Head of School.

Cannot be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with its counterpart in the other half of the Honours curriculum.

Co-requisites

A basic knowledge of Gaelic, Welsh, Latin, Historical Linguistics, or at least one other language.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2012/13.

Overview

The course provides a basic introduction to Old Irish - the earliest form of a Celtic language which we can reconstruct with some certainty. Old Irish holds the key to the earliest vernacular literature north of the Alps. It is also of prime importance to comparative Celtic Philology, as it is the earliest attested form of both Irish and Scottish Gaelic. The course consists of an exposition of Old Irish grammar accompanied by appropriate translation exercises and grammatical interpretation of selected passages in Old Irish.

Level 4: The course provides a basic introduction to Old Irish - the earliest form of a Celtic language which we can reconstruct with some certainty. Old Irish holds the key to the earliest vernacular literature north of the Alps. It is also of prime importance to comparative Celtic Philology, as it is the earliest attested form of both Irish and Scottish Gaelic. The course consists of an exposition of Old Irish grammar accompanied by appropriate translation exercises and grammatical interpretation of selected passages in Old Irish. The course will also take some account of the similarities and differences between Old Irish and the other Insular Celtic languages.

Structure

Three hours of classes per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment; Language Exercises (40%); 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Feedback

Feedback is given in writing on students' work. Informal feedback is provided verbally each week in response to students' translations etc.

CE 3074 - BRITTONIC LANGUAGE 1A
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

Knowledge of a Celtic language or another language or historical linguistics or by permission of the Head of School.

Notes

The course may not be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with its counterpart in the other Honours year.

This course will not be available in session 2012/13.

Overview

The course consists of an exposition of the grammar of a Brittonic language accompanied by appropriate translation-exercise and grammatical interpretation of selected passages.

Structure

Three hours of classes per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment: Translation Exercises (40%) which have to be done every week; 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Feedback

Feedback is provided verbally based on students' regular translations. Written feedback is provided on students' submitted work.

CE 3088 / CE 3588 - TALES OF VENGEANCE AND ENCHANTMENT: THE HEROIC AGE IN IRISH AND ICELANDIC SAGA LITERATURE
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr R O'Connor

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or 4 or by permission of the Head of School.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2012/13.

This course may not be taken as part of a graduating curriculum alongside Level 4.

Overview

Mediaeval Irish and Icelandic sagas represent the largest and most varied, and certainly the most entertaining, body of vernacular prose narrative in existence in early mediaeval Europe. Although not widely known beyond their countries of origin, they contain some of the North's most distinctive and impressive contributions to world literature. Drawing on common oral and literary traditions from the North Atlantic cultural zone, these tales dramatize the legendary past by populating it with larger-than-life heroes whose deeds and misdeeds were felt to define the meaning of that past for mediaeval audiences. These two bodies of northern literature are usually studied in isolation, but this course will place them side by side. It will explore narratives ranging from heroic tales of cattle-raids and bloodfeuds to stories about the living dead and quests to the otherworlds of the Western and Arctic oceans. The tales will be analysed (in translation) from literary and historical perspectives. The course falls into two halves. It will first explore the kinds of stories these sagas tell and similarities and differences between their 'narrative worlds'. It will then turn to the questions of how, when and why this literature was produced, and how we can best appreciate it, especially in regard to what kinds of 'heroes' its protagonists are.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture followed by 1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%), in-course assessment essay of 2,000 words (30%) and seminar participation (10%).
Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Students are formatively assessed on their seminar performance according to criteria clearly explained at the beginning of the course.

Feedback

Students are given feedback weekly in the form of written corrections to submitted work and advice delivered verbally in class, both to individuals and to the whole class.

CE 3089 - RELIGION AND THE CELTS TO AD 1200A
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

The course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with its counterpart in the other Honours year.

Overview

The course will begin with a study of the pre-Christian religion of the Celts; how it was described by classical authors, and how this squares with the archaeological evidence. We will also be exploring portrayals of the pagan past in Celtic medieval literature, including portrayals of druids and reference to mythological characters. The course will then move forwards chronologically to an evaluation of the processes of Christian conversion and to an analysis of the ideological and institutional changes it involved. Evidence for the continuity of pagan practices will be explored. We will look at the struggle to define and practice spiritual purity, definitions of and attitudes to heresy, artistic and literary achievements of the Church, and the development of saints' cults. The course will end with an analysis of the reforms of the twelfth century, evaluating the response of Celtic-speaking peoples to the ecclesiastically inspired drive for uniformity in social and religious practices throughout Western Christendom.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture, 1 one-hour tutorial and 1 one-hour seminar, per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (60%), one essay 2,000 words (30%) and seminar assessment mark (10%).

Resit: 1 two-hour examination (100%).

Feedback

Students are given feedback weekly in the form of written corrections to submitted work and advice delivered verbally in class, both to individuals and to the whole class.

CE 3090 / CE 3590 - CELTIC MYTH IN THE MODERN WORLD: FROM OSSIAN TO THE NEW AGE
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr R O'Connor

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2012/13.

Overview

This course examines how and why stories and images of a mythical Celtic past came to haunt the modern Western imagination, focusing in particular on Anglophone Britain and Ireland since c. 1760. The Celtic cultures in which these stories were originally produced suffered disastrous political setbacks in the early modern period; but these stories soon attracted much learned and popular interest outside the Celtic-speaking world. Here, sometimes transformed beyond recognition, they have served new purposes: literary, social, religious, political, and musical. We will trace these metamorphoses by examining the forms and functions of Celtic legendary narrative in (for example) Romantic literature, art and music; Scottish and Irish national revival movements; twentieth-century Anglophone literature; and the New Age movement. Alongside these transformations of myth and legend, the course will critically examine the evolving concept of 'the Celt' in cultural and racial discourse from the Enlightenment to the present day, and how it colours our perceptions of Celtic-speaking cultures past and present.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 two-hour seminar per week. In the lectures, the tutor will provide essential background information; in the seminar, students will engage in informal presentations and group discussion of primary and secondary sources. Some lecture sessions may be replaced by seminars where a topic last for more than one week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%), in-course assessment essay of 2000 words (30%) and seminar participation (10%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Formative Assessment

Students are assessed formatively on their seminar performance according to criteria clearly explained at the start of the course.

Feedback

Students are given feedback weekly in the form of written corrections to submitted work and advice delivered verbally in class, both to individuals and to the whole class.

CE 3563 - INTRODUCTION TO OLD GAELIC 11A
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

Successful completion of Introduction to Old Gaelic IA or IB.

Notes

The course may not be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with its counterpart in the other Honours year.

This course will be available in session 2012/13.

Overview

The course consists of an exposition of Old Irish grammar accompanied by the translation and grammatical interpretation of selected passages in Old Irish.

Structure

Three hours of classes per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment: Language Exercises (40%) and 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

See Gaelic Handbook for detailed explanation.

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Feedback

Feedback is provided to students in response to their regular translation tasks in class. Written feedback is given for their continuous assessment and examination.

CE 3574 - BRITTONIC LANGUAGE 11A
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

Successful completion of Brittonic Language IA or IB.

Notes

The course cannot be included as part of a graduating curriculum with its counterpart in the other Honours year.

This course will not be available in session 2012/13.

Overview

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.

Structure

Three hours of classes per week.

Assessment

1st attempt: Continuous assessment: translation Exercises (40%) which have to be done every week and 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Feedback

Feedback is provided verbally based on students' regular translations. Written feedback is provided on students' submitted work.

CE 3586 - MAGIC AND THE SUPERNATURAL IN MEDIEVAL CELTIC SOCIETY A
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

Available only students in Programme Year 3 or 4.

Notes

This course cannot be included in a graduating curriculum with its counterpart in the other Honours year.

This course will not be available in session 2012/13.

Overview

The course will begin by exploring the tensions between church doctrines and popular beliefs in medieval society. The significance of magic and the supernatural for different ranks of society will be examined from kings through to vagrants. The links between magic, verbal arts, crafts and science will be explored, as will the medieval understanding of boundaries between the natural and supernatural. This course will shed light aspects of medieval culture which have receive little attention in conventional textbooks, but which provide an important insight into the mental landscape of Celtic-speaking people during the Middle Ages.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture, 1 one-hour tutorial and 1 one-hour seminar, per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (60%) and 1 essay 2,000-2,500 words (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour examination (100%).

Feedback

Students are given feedback in the form of written corrections to submitted work and advice delivered verbally in class, both to individuals and to the whole class.

Level 4

CE 4063 - INTRODUCTION TO OLD GAELIC IB
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or by permission of the Head of School. Cannot be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with CE 3063: Introduction to Old Gaelic I A.

Co-requisites

A basic knowledge of Gaelic, Welsh, Latin or Historical Linguistics.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2012/13 and in alternate sessions thereafter.

Overview

The course provides a basic introduction to Old Irish - the earliest form of a Celtic language which we can reconstruct with some certainty. Old Irish holds the key to the earliest vernacular literature north of the Alps. It is also of prime importance to comparative Celtic Philology, as it is the earliest attested form of both Irish and Scottish Gaelic. The course consists of an exposition of Old Irish grammar accompanied by appropriate translation exercises and grammatical interpretation of selected passages in Old Irish. The course will also take some account of the similarities and differences between Old Irish and the other Insular Celtic languages.

Structure

Three hours of classes per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment: Languages Exercises (40%), and 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

CE 4074 - BRITTONIC LANGUAGE IB
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or by permission of the Head of School. Cannot be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with CE 3074 Brittonic Language IA.

Notes

This course will not be available in session 2012/13.

Overview

The 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.

Structure

Three hours of classes per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment: Translation Exercises (40%) which have to be done every week, and 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

CE 4086 - TALES OF VENGEANCE AND ENCHANTMENT: MEDIEVAL IRISH SAGAS B
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr R O'Connor

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4. Cannot be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with CE 3086: Tales of Vengeance and Enchantment: Medieval Irish Sagas A.

Overview

The course will study the narrative prose literature which was written in mediaeval Ireland between c.700 and 1200, and which drew on oral and literary traditions from the wider Gaelic-speaking world and beyond. It will explore narratives ranging from 'heroic' tales of cattle-raids and elopements to stories about Otherworld beings and voyages into the western ocean. The tales will be analysed (in translation) from literary and historical perspectives. The course falls into two halves. Weeks 1-5 will explore the kinds of stories these sagas tell and outline key themes in their 'narrative world'. Weeks 6-12 turn to the questions of how, when and why this literature was produced, and how we can best appreciate it. Topics covered will include kingship, heroism, women, the Otherworld, Christianity and paganism, orality and literacy, genre, foreign influence and scribal culture.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture followed by 1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: two-hour examination (60%), assessed 2,500 word essay (30%), and seminar participation (10%).

CE 4087 / CE 4587 - CELTIC MYTH IN THE MODERN WORLD: FROM OSSIAN TO THE NEW AGE (B)
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr R O'Connor

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or by permission of the Head of School. Cannot be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with CE 3575 'Celtic Myth in the Modern World: From Ossian to the New Age (A)'.

Notes

This course will be available in 2012/13 and in alternate sessions thereafter.

Overview

This course examines how and why stories and images of a mythical Celtic past came to haunt the modern Western imagination, focusing in particular on Anglophone Britain and Ireland since c. 1760. The Celtic cultures in which these stories were originally produced suffered disastrous political setbacks in the early modern period; but these stories soon attracted much learned and popular interest outside the Celtic-speaking world. Here, sometimes transformed beyond recognition, they have served new purposes: literary, social, religious, political and musical. We will trace these metamorphoses by examining the forms and functions of Celtic legendary narrative in (for example) Romantic literature, art and music; Scottish and Irish national revival movements; twentieth century Anglophone literature; and the New Age movement. Alongside these transformations of myth and legend, the course will critically examine the evolving concept of 'the Celt' in cultural and racial discourse from the Englightenment to the present day, and how it colours our perceptions of Celtic-speaking cultures past and present.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (60%), one 2,000 word essay (30%), and seminar participation (10%).

Resit: 1 one-hour lecture followed by 1 two-hour seminar per week.

CE 4088 / CE 4588 - TALES OF VENGEANCE AND ENCHANTMENT: THE HEROIC AGE IN IRISH AND ICELAND SAGA LITERATURE
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr R O'Connor

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or 4 or by permission of the Head of School.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2012/13.

This course may not be taken as part of a graduating curriculum alongside Level 3.

Overview

Mediaeval Irish and Icelandic sagas represent the largest and most varied, and certainly the most entertaining, body of vernacular prose narrative in existence in early mediaeval Europe. Although not widely known beyond their countries of origin, they contain some of the North's most distinctive and impressive contributions to world literature. Drawing on common oral and literary traditions from the North Atlantic cultural zone, these tales dramatize the legendary past by populating it with larger-than-life heroes whose deeds and misdeeds were felt to define the meaning of that past for mediaeval audiences. These two bodies of northern literature are usually studied in isolation, but this course will place them side by side. It will explore narratives ranging from heroic tales of cattle-raids and bloodfeuds to stories about the living dead and quests to the otherworlds of the Western and Arctic oceans. The tales will be analysed (in translation) from literary and historical perspectives. The course falls into two halves. It will first explore the kinds of stories these sagas tell and similarities and differences between their 'narrative worlds'. It will then turn to the questions of how, when and why this literature was produced, and how we can best appreciate it, especially in regard to what kinds of 'heroes' its protagonists are.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture followed by 1 two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%), in-course assessment essay of 2,000 words (30%) and seminar participation (10%).

Formative Assessment

Students are formatively assessed on their seminar performance according to criteria clearly explained at the beginning of the course.

Feedback

Students are given feedback weekly in the form of written corrections to submitted work and advice delivered verbally in class, both to individuals and to the whole class.

CE 4089 - RELIGION AND THE CELTS TO AD 1200B
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
TBC

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or above or by permission of the Head of School.

Notes

This course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with CE 3089: Religion and the Celts to AD 1200A. This course will be available in 2012/13 and in alternate sessions thereafter.

Overview

The course will begin with a study of the pre-Christian religion of the Celts; how it was described by classical authors, and how this squares with the archaeological evidence. We will also explore portrayals of the pagan past in Celtic medieval literature including druids mythological characters. The course will then move forward chronologically to an evaluation of the processes of Christian conversion and to an analysis of the ideological and institutional changes it involved. Evidence for the continuity of pagan practices will be explored. We will look at the struggle to define and practise spiritual purity, definitions of and attitudes to heresy, artistic and literary achievements of the Church, and the development of saints' cults. The course will end with an analysis of the reforms of the twelfth century, evaluating the response of Celtic-speaking peoples to the ecclesiastically-inspired drive for uniformity in social and religious practices throughout Western Christendom.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture, 1 one-hour tutorial, and 1 one-hour seminar, per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (60%), one 2,000 word essay (30%), and seminar assessment mark (10%).

CE 4090 / CE 4590 - CELTIC MYTH IN THE MODERN WORLD: FROM OSSIAN TO THE NEW AGE
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr R O'Connor

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2012/13.

Overview

This course examines how and why stories and images of a mythical Celtic past came to haunt the modern Western imagination, focusing in particular on Anglophone Britain and Ireland since c. 1760. The Celtic cultures in which these stories were originally produced suffered disastrous political setbacks in the early modern period; but these stories soon attracted much learned and popular interest outside the Celtic-speaking world. Here, sometimes transformed beyond recognition, they have served new purposes: literary, social, religious, political, and musical. We will trace these metamorphoses by examining the forms and functions of Celtic legendary narrative in (for example) Romantic literature, art and music; Scottish and Irish national revival movements; twentieth-century Anglophone literature; and the New Age movement. Alongside these transformations of myth and legend, the course will critically examine the evolving concept of 'the Celt' in cultural and racial discourse from the Enlightenment to the present day, and how it colours our perceptions of Celtic-speaking cultures past and present.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture and 1 two-hour seminar per week. In the lectures, the tutor will provide essential background information; in the seminar, students will engage in informal presentations and group discussion of primary and secondary sources. Some lecture sessions may be replaced by seminars where a topic last for more than one week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%), in-course assessment essay of 2000 words (30%) and seminar participation (10%).

Formative Assessment

Students are assessed formatively on their seminar performance according to criteria clearly explained at the start of the course.

Feedback

Students are given feedback weekly in the form of written corrections to submitted work and advice delivered verbally in class, both to individuals and to the whole class.

CE 4511 - DISSERTATION IN CELTIC
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr M Watson

Pre-requisites

Available only to Senior Honours Celtic Studies or Celtic Civilisation Students.

Overview

Approximately 3 one-hour tutorials which will provide students with guidance on selecting a suitable academic topic and developing a methodology for tackling this topic.

Structure

Approximately 3 one-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Dissertation 10000-11000 words (100%)

Resit: None

Formative Assessment

Formative assesment takes place in the discussions with the supervior of the dissertation

Feedback

Written feedback is provided after the dissertation is submitted.

CE 4513 - DISSERTATION IN CELTIC CIVILISATION
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr M Watson

Pre-requisites

Available only to Senior Honours Celtic Civilisation Students.

Overview

3 one-hour tutorials which will provide students with guidance on selecting a suitable academic topic and developing a methodology for tackling this topic.

Structure

3 one-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 10,000 word dissertation (100%).

CE 4563 - INTRODUCTION TO OLD GAELIC IIB
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or by permission of the Head of School. Cannot be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with CE 3563: Introduction to Old Gaelic IIA.

Successful completion of CE 4063 Old Gaelic IIA.

Notes

This course will be available in session 2012/13 and in alternate sessions thereafter.

Overview

The course consists of an exposition of Old Irish grammar accompanied by the translation and grammatical interpretation of selected passages in Old Irish. The course will also take some account of the similarities and differences between Old Irish and the other Insular Celtic languages.

Structure

Three hours of classes per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment: Language exercises (40%), and 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

CE 4574 - BRITTONIC LANGUAGE IIB
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
Dr A O'Leary

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or by permission of the Head of School. Cannot be taken as part of a graduating curriculum with CE 3574: Brittonic Language IIA.

Co-requisites

Successful completion of Brittonic Language IB.

Notes

This course will not be available in session 2012/13.

Overview

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.

Structure

Three hours of classes per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: In-course assessment: Translation Exercises (40%) which have to be done every week, and 1 two-hour written examination (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

CE 4589 - MAGIC AND THE SUPERNATURAL IN MEDIEVAL CELTIC SOCIETY B
Credit Points
30
Course Coordinator
TBC

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 or by permission of the Head of School.

Co-requisites

This course may not be included as part of a graduating curriculum with CE 3589: Magic and the Supernatural A.

Notes

This course will not be available in session 2012/13.

Overview

This course will shed light aspects of medieval culture which have receive little attention in conventional textbooks, but which provide an important insight into the mental landscape of Celtic-speaking people during the Middle Ages.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture, 1 one-hour tutorial, and 1 one-hour seminar, per week.

Assessment

1st attempt: 1 two-hour examination (60%) and 1 essay (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour examination (100%).