Module ENGL1041: THE HEROIC AGE

Department: English Studies

ENGL1041: THE HEROIC AGE

Prerequisites

• A-level English Literature or History (Grade A). A GCSE (at least grade B) in a Classical or Modern Foreign Language.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To introduce students to the literature and culture of the Anglo-Saxon period; although the original works may be Old English, Latin, Old Norse or Old French, all are studied primarily in modern English translations.
• To enable students to gain a basic understanding of the forms of Old English poetry, and a little familiarity with the language.
• To study a selection of examples of some major literary genres of the period, expecially poetic genres such as epic, elegy, and heathen and Christian mythological and religious verse.
• To enable students to place these works in their historical and cultural context.
• To consider the nature and range of 'heroic' literature within the period covered.

Content

• The module introduces students with no previous knowledge of medieval literature to the variety of concepts of the hero in the literature of North-West Europe, especially Britain, between the eighth and eleventh centuries.
• Although the source texts are variously in Latin, Old English, Old Norse and Old French, all are studied in modern English translation, although students are also briefly introduced to the original texts of some shorter Old English poems.
• It will normally include Bede's 'Ecclesiastical History', at least two poems from the 'Poetic Edda', 'Beowulf', and a selection of shorter Old English poems and the 'Chanson de Roland'.

Learning Outcomes

• To analyse selected literary works in prose and verse, taking account of their historical and generic contexts.
• To gain an understanding of varieties of writing and oral composition in the Anglo-Saxon period.

• Students studying this module will develop:
• critical skills in the close reading and analysis of texts
• an ability to demonstrate knowledge of a range of texts, authors, and critical approaches within this literary genre
• an ability to analyse brief passages of Old English verse in the original language but with interlinear translations
• an informed awareness of formal and aesthetic dimensions of literature and an ability to offer cogent analysis of their workings in specific texts relating to this literary genre
• a sensitivity to generic conventions and to the shaping effects on communication of historical circumstances, and to the affective power of language
• an ability to articulate and substantiate an imaginative response to literature
• an ability to articulate knowledge and understanding of concepts and theories relating to this literary genre
• skills of effective communication and argument
• a command of a broad range of vocabulary and an appropriate critical terminology
• an awareness of literature as a medium through which values are affirmed and debated

• Students studying this module will develop:
• a capacity to analyse critically
• an ability to acquire complex information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way involving the use of distinctive interpretative skills derived from the subject
• a competence in the planning and execution of essays
• a capacity for independent thought and judgement, and ability to assess the critical ideas of others
• skills in critical reasoning
• an ability to handle information and argument in a critical manner
• information-technology skills such as word-processing and electronic data access information
• organisation and time-management skills

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures: enable students to gain subject-specific knowledge of cultural, aesthetic and intellectual issues in relation to individual works and authors, an area or period, or a theoretical or language-related topic; encourage students to be aware of the range and variety of approaches to literary study; present ideas and information to encourage, on the part of students, further thought and discussion.
• Tutorials: enable students to explore, in a selective way, through small-group discussion, specific texts and topics (many of which will be addressed by lectures); to focus on selected literary issues and problems; and guide them in developing subject-specific analytical skills and knowledge.
• Formative essays: are written on a text or texts, or a literary topic, and they require the student to demonstrate appropriate subject-specific knowledge and skills, such as the ability to articulate knowledge and understanding of concepts and theories relating to literary study. A considerable element of choice of essay topics encourages development in students of their capacity for independent thought and judgement.
• Essay handbacks: encourage students to reflect critically and independently on their work.
• Independent but directed reading in preparation for lectures and tutorials provides opportunity for students to enrich subject-specific knowledge and enhances their ability to develop appropriate subject-specific skills.
• Examination: tests the student's ability to present subject-specific knowledge, to select appropriate materials, and to construct and manage clear and effective arguments in a timed period; to demonstrate independent thinking, and test that students have achieved stated learning outcomes.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

2 tutorial essays (c.2000 words)

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University