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.

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.

It is the default expectation that all courses will offer opportunities for reassessment or deferred assessment. Where it is not possible to offer this in some assessment components, the grade achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade, and any exceptions for this course are described below.

[No exceptions]

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