Students who have completed this course will have:
(1) a general understanding of the role of religion 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 religious texts of the early medieval insular world;
(4) the ability to undertake research pertinent to religious literature and culture in the early medieval insular world using primary sources in the student’s chosen language.
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Christianity came to the British Isles from different directions and in various stages of the early Middle Ages. Once the Christian tradition had taken root in insular culture, it developed a strongly missionary character. In this course we study the literary encounters of continental and insular culture through the prism of religion. To this end, we will study sermons, saint’s lives based on Christian apocryphal literature, and poetry. A central question in our work concerns the engagement of these texts and their authors with their audiences. Special attention will be paid to the vocabulary of persuasion applied by the authors and performers so as to shape their audiences according to their aims and convictions.
Sources:
- Latin and Old English sermons
- Old Irish and Latin apocrypha/saint’s lives
- Latin Poetry, Old English hymns
Career orientation
Honing of analytical skills
Professionalization of oral and written communication
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