Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay 1 2000 Words | 40% |
| Semester Assessment | Essay 2 3000 Words | 60% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 2 3000 Words | 60% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Essay 1 2000 Words | 40% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Understand the history of the concept of Celtic literature and some of the ideological issues connected with it.
Be able to discuss, with concrete examples from more than one Celtic language, some of the specific common features of medieval Celtic literatures.
To grasp the complexities of the relationship between these literatures and other world literatures.
Brief description
This module studies literatures in the Celtic languages, particularly Irish and Welsh, focusing on the medieval period. It considers the ideological background to the development of the concept of Celtic literature, as well as issues of contact between the literatures in the Middle Ages, and the implications of the differences between them for the concept of Celticity. Specific issues addressed include: the question of archaic survivals in medieval texts from Wales and Ireland; how to distinguish cognate developments from later borrowings; some widespread motifs in Celtic literatures.
Content
• Ernest Renan, Matthew Arnold, Romanticism and the ‘invention’ of Celtic literature (two sessions)
• Solar deities and culture heroes: the Indo-European context
• Nativists, anti-nativists, and post-anti-nativists
• The Bard: Celtica, Indo-Europa, and beyond (two sessions)
• Common developments in Welsh and Irish poetry
• Prosimetrum and other ‘archaisms’ reconsidered
• Inter-Celtic borrowings I: methodological issues
• Inter-Celtic borrowings II: case studies from the Four Branches of the Mabinogi (two sessions)
• Breton folklore and early Welsh poetry
• The Wild Man in Celtic literatures (two sessions)
• The Raid on the Otherworld in Celtic literatures
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | Not relevant |
| Communication | Written: clear articulation of ideas and analysis in written assignments. Verbal: class contribution, presentation and interaction. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | By independent research; tutor feedback on written work and oral contribution in class; interaction of peers during seminar; developing time/work management skills; reflecting upon presentational skills and other written work. |
| Information Technology | For research purposes (assignments and presentations); word-processing. Using electronic research and bibliographic resources; accessing Blackboard for course materials. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Not relevant |
| Problem solving | By critical engagement (verbal and written) with intellectual concepts. |
| Research skills | Through independent research for written assessment, presentation and oral contribution in class. Using electronic research and bibliographical resources |
| Subject Specific Skills | Getting to grips with concepts relating to Celtic literature |
| Team work | Not relevant |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6