| Module Identifier |
EN36330 |
| Module Title |
HEROES+DRAGON SLAYERS:LITERATURE AT END OF FIRST MILLENNIUM |
| Academic Year |
2006/2007 |
| Co-ordinator |
Professor Diane Watt |
| Semester |
Semester 2 |
| Course delivery |
Seminars / Tutorials | 20 Hours. Seminar. 10 x 2 hr seminar workshops |
| Assessment |
| Assessment Type | Assessment Length/Details | Proportion |
|---|
| Semester Assessment | Translation portfolio comprising a short original translation (c 60 lines) and commentary (c 2500 words) | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Continuous Assessment: 1 essay (3000 words) | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Resubmit any failed elements and/or make good any missing elements. Where this involves re-submission of work, a new topic must be selected. | 100% |
|
Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students should typically be able to:
1. demonstrate a detailed knowledge of selected Old English texts (in translation);
2. situate these texts within the literary genres of Old English;
3. relate the texts studied to aspects of their social and historical contexts;
4. demonstrate a basic knowledge of Old English orthography, pronunciation, vocabulary and syntax;
5. outline some of the problems encountered when translating Old English into modern English, and evaluate the effectiveness of different strategies for dealing with these problems.
Brief description
In this module students will read a range of texts from what is the earliest period of English literature. It begins by looking at Archbishop Wulfstan's famous 'Sermon of the Wolf', which describes the apocalyptic anxieties generated by Danish attacks. This provides a starting point for a broader discussion of pagan culture in, and the impact of Christianity on, Anglo-Saxon England. In seminars we will discuss texts in translation which will be ordered thematically and will cover topics such as heroic values, the experience of women, and the interaction of paganism and Christianity. In translation classes we will study Old English at elementary level.
N.B.: Only pre-selected passages will be translated from longer texts. On completion of the module students will be expected to have a good understanding and appreciation, not only of the texts covered, but also of Anglo-Saxon history and society. In addition, students should have a basic grounding in the Old English language.
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6