Course Catalogue

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In this course we examine the social and cultural impact of literacy on the Celtic-speaking peoples of the Middle Ages.

Two classes, one hour each, over ten weeks (provisionally offered Mondays and Thursdays at 11am).

Normal requirements for Honours

■ 25%: from a written essay (topics to be assigned) (c. 2000 words)

■ 20%: from seminar (based on 15% for written summary, 5% for the seminar presentation

■ 5% class preparation and participation

■ 50% : a two-hour degree examination.

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The aims of this module are:

to develop the intellectual and analytical skills acquired during the first two years, whether in Celtic, History or Archaeology
to explore new methodological approaches and techniques of analysis, as applied to a specific subject area
to introduce historical and literary debates and interpretations, as well as new ideas derived from current research
to encourage the development of transferable skills by fostering individual initiatives, personal choice, and group discussion

By the end of this module, the student should be able to:

outline the range and impact of uses of literacy in different Celtic-speaking societies at different periods within the Middle Ages
demonstrate a critical understanding of the impact of the physical form of written artefacts
assess the extent to which the form and preservation of extant Medieval Celtic texts has been shaped by contemporary literacies
critically assess the value of cross-cultural comparison to the study of literacy among the Celtic-speaking peoples
demonstrate an understanding of current theoretical approaches to orality and literacy

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.