Admission requirements
Completion of Philology 1 and 2 or comparable courses.
Description
This course builds on Philology 1 and Philology 2. It offers a survey of medieval English literature (7th-15th centuries) that provides fascinating insight into the imaginary world of the English Middle Ages, as well as an exploration of some of the new digital horizons of medieval studies. Texts that are read and discussed include Beowulf, The Battle of Maldon, The Dream of the Rood, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and other Middle English Arthurian literature. In the first half of the class, students will be reacquainted with the Old English language and learn more about Anglo-Saxon literature and culture; at the end of this block, there will be an optional visit to the Special Collections of the Leiden University Library, to look at Old English material in the Leiden collections. In the second half of the class, students will draw on and expand their knowledge of medieval English by writing an essay on a medieval English text.
Our work with these texts will be supported through the use of translations and glossaries and enriched through exciting secondary readings. As such, students will acquire a deeper insight into a broad range of aspects of medieval English culture which they have not yet, or only cursorily, studied.
Course objectives
At the end of the course, students will have:
knowledge of the highlights of medieval English literature (prose and poetry) and of the relevant cultural history of medieval England
the ability to provide an overview of the most relevant approaches and research methods in the study of medieval English literature, on the basis of secondary scholarly literature;
the ability to apply a range of methods of interpretation (e.g., source criticism; close reading; cultural contextualization) to medieval English texts of representative genres;
the ability to analyse a medieval English text and identify basic elements, including themes, symbols, metaphors, characters, plot and style;
gained experience working with archival materials, in both physical and digital form;
Successful completion of the course will enable the student to follow a third-year course on Old English or Middle English.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Lectures
Seminars
Assessment method
Assessment
- A 2-hour written mid-term exam, with a short translation, short open questions and essay questions, on the material of Block III (Old English).
- Preparation and participation for Block III, including weekly homework assignments via Brightspace.
- Preparation and participation for Block IV, including weekly homework assignments via Brightspace.
- A longer written assignment, submitted during Block IV.
Attendance is compulsory. Missing more than two tutorials means that students will be excluded from the tutorials. Unauthorized absence also applies to being unprepared, not participating and/or not bringing the relevant course materials to class.
Weighing
- Mid-term exam: 45%
- Preparation and participation Block III: 5%
- Preparation and participation Block IV: 5%
- Written assignment: 45%
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
When the final grade is below 5.5, one or more of the more substantive evaluation elements (elements 1 and 4) will have to be retaken during the resit period. There is no resit for preparation, participation, or the assignments (elements 2 and 3).
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
- Richard North, Joe Allard and Patricia Gillies, eds. (2011). Longman Anthology of Old English, Old Icelandic, and Anglo-Norman Literatures. Routledge.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Registration À la carte education, Contract teaching and Exchange
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of À la carte education (without taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of Contract teaching (with taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal
Remarks
Students are expected to be prepared right from week 1. The work for week 1 is to be found in Brightspace.