Semester 1 Modules

The module is divided into two sections. Both sections must be taken to complete the module.

SG111 (A) Early and Medieval History of the Celts
This section of SG111 will provide an introduction to some of the more important aspects of the archaeology of the Celtic world, dealing briefly with such topics as the discovery of the archaeology of the Celts in the nineteenth century and the material culture (weapons, personal ornaments and art) that came to be identified with the spread of Celtic-speaking peoples across Europe. Aspects of the Celtic archaeology of Britain and Ireland will also be examined. The module will then survey the linguistic background to the identification of the Celtic languages as a distinct group, locating them within their proper geographical and historical contexts as Celtic languages, and showing their relationship with, and distinctiveness within, the vast family of languages known as Indo-European, which historically includes languages spoken in the territory from the west of Europe to India (since modern times also into the lands of the New World). The lectures will also look at the way the ancient Celts were portrayed by the classical Greek and Roman authors who are our only source of information on the history of ancient Celtic Europe.

SG111 (B) Early and Medieval History of the Celts
This section of SG111 will introduce the student to some of the most significant events, changes and movements in the history of Ireland and Britain from the late centuries BC to the tenth century AD. The topics addressed will include the insular Celtic migrations and settlements of the early medieval period (including the migrations from Britain to Brittany and from Ireland to Scotland, and the Irish settlements in Wales and in Man), the Christianisation of the West (of Ireland, of western Scotland from Ireland, and of northern England from Scotland), and the incursions, settlement and impact of the Vikings.

Learning outcomes:

• Knowledge of the prehistory and ancient and medieval history of the Celts.
• Awareness of the types of source available for the study of the history and prehistory of the Celts.
• Awareness of the relationships and tensions between archaeological, linguistic and historical sources.
  
  

^ Hide answer

This module will examine a selection of early Irish lyric poems and voyage tales from the period c. AD 700-1100. The selected texts illustrate the richness and creativity of medieval Irish literature which constitutes the oldest vernacular literature in western Europe. Emphasis will be placed on the genres of medieval Irish literature, the scribal context, the existence of hermitic or nature poetry, the interaction of history and literature in early Irish tales, and on examining the allegorical significance of these texts. All poems and tales will be read in translation and students will contribute to the online annotation of these texts.

Learning outcomes:
On completion of this module, you should be able to:

• List the primary manuscript sources of early Irish lyric poems and/or narrative tales.
• Summarise the general motifs and features of early Irish literature and classify early Irish tales using their narrative content.
• Examine a selection of poems and tales and consider the structure, themes, motifs, creativity and functions of this literary tradition.
• Prepare an activity to illustrate the content and/or imagery of a selected poem or tale.
• Critique scholarly analysis of early Irish lyric poems/narrative tales, comparing this work with your examination of these texts.

^ Hide answer

The main source of prose stories in medieval Wales is the collection known in modern times as The Mabinogi. These eleven stories from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries cover a wide range of themes, from the very human concerns of friendship, love, honour and betrayal, to grand adventures combating strange beasts, giants and mysterious supernatural forces. Some of the tales are located in the concrete landscape of medieval Wales, where we can trace exact locations of events and routes of journeys. Other tales take place in a vaguer, otherworldly landscape, with no clear location in the real world.

Learning outcomes:

• An understanding of the themes of medieval Welsh stories.
• An understanding of the techniques of the medieval Welsh story-teller.
• An understanding of the social and historical context of medieval Welsh stories.
• An understanding of the application of critical analysis to medieval Welsh texts.
  
  

^ Hide answer

This module provides an introduction to the key social and political institutions of the Middle Ages in the Ireland: kinship, clientship, kingship, and the church. The first three will be discussed both in terms of the evidence they provide for a common Celtic inheritance from the prehistoric period and their medieval actuality, while the church will be considered as a new institution which, more than any other, shaped and changed the organization and outlook of the Celtic regions. The module shows how personal and familial relations were lived in the matrix of kinship. It considers clientship as a cornerstone of the economy, and looks at the roles and obligations of the different grades of lords and clients. It examines kingship as the key political institution, looks at the terminology and ideology of kingship, and provides an introduction to the political geography of medieval Ireland. It considers the role of the church (including the monastery) in the formation of communities, small and large, local, national and international.

Learning outcomes:

• Describe in detail key social and political institutions of medieval Ireland.
• Conceptualise and explain medieval Irish society in terms of a variety of institutions andsocio-political systems.
• Discuss a range of relevant primary and secondary materials, and assess their evidence for ourknowledge of medieval Ireland.
• Communicate their knowledge in written form, including the use of a range of literary andeditorial conventions.
  
  

^ Hide answer

In the period 600 – 1100, Wales experienced a flowering of poetic expression which formed the traditional basis for the continuation of the Welsh love of, and skill in, poetry in the subsequent centuries and down to the present day. The earliest Welsh poetry reflects significant aspects of the culture, history and thought of the time, from the politics of rule to the delicate relationship between humans beings and nature, from the ethics of war to the potential loneliness of old age. This module will explore how the earliest surving Welsh poems represent and express the hopes and fears, the brutality and tenderness, the knowledge and the propaganda, of an early medieval society.

Learning outcomes:

• Detailed knowledge of the themes and structure of medieval Welsh Poetry.
• Appreciation of the beauty and variety of medieval Welsh poetry.
• Ability to deal critically with a medieval poetic tradition quite different from modern poetic expectations and practice.
• Understanding of the value of medieval Welsh poetry as a source of information on the mental and emotional world of the early medieval Welsh.

^ Hide answer

This module will examine some of the cultural consequences of the coming of Christianity to medieval Ireland, especially in the area of reading and writing. Among the topics covered will be the early history of Christianity in Ireland, the earliest writings from the Celtic-speaking world, religious literature in Irish and Latin, the contribution of the Irish to Christianity and learning abroad, and the impact of Christianity and the new learning on Irish vernacular culture.

Learning outcomes:

• Knowledge of religious attitudes in medieval Ireland.
• Knowledge of the literary sources for the religious ideas and practices in medieval Ireland.
• Knowledge of the early history of Christianity in medieval Ireland.
• Knowledge of the ways in which Christianity differed from, influenced and was influenced by, Christianity amongst neighbouring medieval cultures.
• An appreciation of the close connection between the coming of Christianity and the spread of literacy, especially in the case of Ireland which never formed part of the Roman Empire.
  
  

^ Hide answer

This module will concentrate on literary culture and its production in Ireland and Scotland in the transitional period of c.1100-1600. We will review the literary corpus that existed in Ireland before the arrival of the Normans, looking at the structure, genres and typical content of this literature. The twelfth century in Ireland witnessed the changeover from monastic to secular schools, a new professionalization of poetry-making, and the perfecting of syllabic metres which had been in use for some 500 years. We will assess the function of the poet and the nature of his relationship with his patron. Irish-Scottish literary connections at this period are often over-looked and forgotten, but the same standard literary language stretched across the straits of Moyle from north east Ulster to Gaelic-speaking Scotland. Beginning with Muireadhach Albanach Ó Dálaigh (1180-1250) and finishing with one of the last posts of the tradition, Fear Flátha Ó Gnímh (1602-1640), we will examine (in translation), some examples of the exemplary poetry of these Gaelic poets. In addition to the poetry of this period, we will examine a key prosimetric text known as Acallam na Senórach (Tales of the Elders of Ireland) which is one of the greatest extant narratives in the Irish literary tradition. We will explore the background of this text and analyse and interpret the structure, themes and possible functions of this text. It represents perhaps the high point of Gaelic literary culture in the medieval period.

Learning outcomes:
On completion of this module, you should be able to:

• Evaluate some of the key works in the literary traditions of Ireland & Scotland in the period c.1100-1600.
• Summarise issues associated with the production of literary works, such as: manuscript production; the literary formation of its authors; changes in education; forms of patronage; poetic schools; manuscript content; scribal schools.
• Identify the political, historical and continental influences which affected literary production.
• Critique, both orally and in writing, responses to this literature from your peers, and from other scholars.

^ Hide answer