Course Catalogue

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This course considers fíanaigecht, the complex Gaelic tradition surrounding the figure of Finn mac Cumaill. The focus will be on the medieval literature composed and/or circulated in Ireland and Scotland, which will be studied in translation.

2 classes a week, each 1 hour long, over 10 weeks.

Normal requirements for entry to Honours, i.e.

1.  The College of Arts requirement for entry into Honours is:

"Before admission to the Junior Honours year, a candidate for the degree with Honours must normally have completed twelve standard courses (240 credits) representing at least three subjects. At least eleven of the standard courses (220 credits) must have been completed with grade D or above. At least four of the twelve standard courses) (80 credits) must be at level 2 or above (and these four courses must represent at least two subjects)."

2.  Celtic and Gaelic's requirements for entry into Honours are:

EITHER

■ normally a B grade in Gaelic 2A or 2B, and a satisfactory performance in Gaelic 1A or 1B or 1C. This will admit you into the Honours degree programme in Gaelic or Celtic Studies.

OR

■ normally a C average in Celtic Civilisation 2A and 2B, of which the grade for at least one of the courses should be a B. Performance in level 1 courses will be taken into account, and you should have satisfactorily completed at least three of the four level 1 & 2 Celtic Civilisation courses. This will admit you into the Honours degree in Celtic Civilisation (Joint only) or Celtic Studies. Please note that Celtic Studies requires you to take at least one language course during your Honours years.

The standard assessments for this course are:

■ an essay worth 25%

■ a seminar paper worth 20% (which breaks down as a written summary of 1500-2000 words worth 15% and 5% for the oral presentation),

■ a mark for class preparation and participation worth 5%

■ two-hour degree examination worth 50%

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:

■ There is no alternative to the essays, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)

■ 1:1 presentation / Q&A with course convenor or recorded presentation as alternative to seminar presentation.

■ Written reflection on class participation as alternative to oral participation.

■ There is no alternative to the exam, but extra time can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.

The aims of this course are:

■ to develop the intellectual and analytical skills acquired during the first and second years, whether in Celtic or elsewhere

■ to introduce a range of past scholarly methodologies, as well as to new ideas derived from current research, as applied to a specific subject area and to invite students to evaluate the merits of the various approaches

■ to encourage the development of transferrable skills by fostering individual initiatives, personal choice and group discussion

■ to foster an understanding of pre-modern Gaelic culture through detailed analysis of an extensive literary corpus approached diachronically

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ give a detailed account of the development of Gaelic literature centred on the figure of Finn mac Cumaill from the earliest extant sources into the early modern period

■ situate, broadly, the pre-modern Gaelic tradition of Finn with relation to more modern reflexes of the tradition, such as vernacular Irish and Scottish folklore counterparts and Ossianic literature

■ discuss critically a wide number of primary texts, accessed in translation, including their literary features, in so far as this can be achieved with reference to translated texts

■ relate their understanding of the themes and debates in scholarship on the Finn Cycle to literary criticism of the wider corpus medieval Gaelic texts