Students who have completed this course will have:
(1) a general understanding of the role of medieval history writing within the Insular cultures in the Early Medieval period;
(2) a deep understanding of the focus of the course (which varies from year to year), especially as it applies to the student’s chosen language;
(3) advanced linguistic knowledge of Medieval Latin, Old Irish or Old English, pertaining to historical texts;
(4) the ability to undertake research pertinent to historical literature using primary sources in the student’s chosen language.
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This course represents a thematic continuation of the previous course on History and Pseudo-history. As such much of the content description remains the same (see below). That said, while the previous course has a stronger focus on anchoring the students' linguistic abilities, here, the focus shifts to using those language abilities to read more advanced texts and to start treating those texts as sources of data for research.
Content (from Early Medieval History and Pseudo-history I):
Judged by modern standards, medieval history writing makes strange and prejudiced reading. Well before the boom that medieval historiography was to enjoy in the British Isles during the twelfth century, early medieval insular history writing was already laying the groundwork for modern historical historiography. Despite its often unabashed political and religious agenda, early medieval history writing provides vital information on the early history, politics and cultures of the British Isles. This course explores how early insular historians conceived of history and the purpose of history writing, the place of Christian religious belief in the interpretation of historical phenomena and the interaction between the historian's personal perception and the way that historical narrative is framed.
Career orientation
Honing of analytical skills
Professionalization of oral and written communication
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