This course will study some of the key events and developments affecting Gaelic speakers in the nineteenth century with a particular focus on Gaelic-language sources, a rich corpus of material which is often overlooked by scholarship. In this course, students will consider the strengths and weaknesses of the Gaelic sources available for this period (primarily song and poetry, prose and oral tradition) and the range of perspectives which they offer. Students will reflect on how these sources have been used previously, and how they might be better used in the future, to present a Gaelic-centred focus on the period to both academic and non-academic audiences.

Class will meet twice weekly for ten weeks

None

None

The standard assessments for this course are:

■ Source-based exhibition proposal (or similar public history project of students' choice) (1,500 words) - 40%

■ 8-minute reflective presentation on exhibition proposal - 20%

■ Essay, 1,500 words - 40%

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 written assessments, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions).

■ A recorded presentation as an alternative to the oral presentation.

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]

This course aims to:

■ encourage students to think critically about conventional sources for the history of the Highlands;

■ develop an awareness of the wealth of social and historical evidence available in Gaelic;

■ explore some of the main events and changes in the Highlands through Gaelic poetry, tales and prose writings;

■ consider how the nineteenth-century Highlands might be better reflected in public history

■ study some of the main literary figures of the period and their attempts to influence contemporary events.

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

■ to communicate the significance of Gaelic sources to non-academic audiences

■ to reflect critically on the presentation of literary and historical material to non-academic audiences.