SPRING 2004
ENG 701: SEMINAR IN MEDIEVAL LITERATURE
Special Topic: Old English Language and Literature

• Professor: Fidel Fajardo-Acosta
• Course: ENG 701: Seminar in Medieval Literature (Special Topic: Old English Language and Literature)
• Class Time: Thursdays 6:00-8:30 PM
• Classroom: Humanities Center 301
• Course Dates: Tuesday, January 22-Tuesday, May 7, 2002
• Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 2:30-3:15 and by appointment (notice that posted office hours are subject to cancellation without previous notice, call to be sure)
• Office: Hitchcock Communication Arts Building (CA) Room 304 A
• Office Telephone: (402) 280-2522
• E-mail: fajardo@creighton.edu
• Home Page: http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/fajardo/

This course offers a study of the language and literature of the Anglo-Saxon (Old English) period (A.D. 449-1066). Course work will deal with the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of Old English, as well as reading and translation of Anglo-Saxon prose and poetry. Readings will include texts such as The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, The Wanderer, The Seafarer, The Dream of the Rood, The Battle of Maldon, and Beowulf.

TEXTBOOKS (Available at Creighton Bookstore):

Bruce Mitchell & Fred C. Robinson, A Guide to Old English, 6th ed., (Blackwell Publishers, 2001) ISBN 0631226362

Howell D. Chickering, Jr., ed. Beowulf : A Dual-Language Edition, (Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1977) ISBN: 0385062133

John Richard Clark Hall, Herbert D. Meritt, A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 4th reprint edition, (University of Toronto Press, 1984) ISBN: 0802065481

Kevin Crossley-Holland, The Anglo-Saxon World: An Anthology, (Oxford University Press, 1999) ISBN: 0192835475

Some Web Sites:

• Voice of the Shuttle: Medieval Literature (Old and Middle English)(excellent bibliographical references and other resources): http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2740
  
  
• Cathy Ball, Georgetown University Old English Pages: http://www.georgetown.edu/cball/oe/old_english.html
  
  
• The Englisc List: A Forum for Composition in Old English (featuring a discussion list and some amusing links): http://www.georgetown.edu/cball/englisc/index.html
  
  
• Instant Old English: A few useful and colorful expressions, http://www.georgetown.edu/cball/englisc/instant-oe.html
  
  
• The Skipper's Word List: Modern English to Old English lexicon, http://www.mun.ca/Ansaxdat/vocab/wordlist.html

Other recommended materials available at the Reinert Alumni Library include the following:

• The Cambridge Companion to Old English Literature, edited by Godden and Michael Lapidge (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991)
• A New Critical History of Old English Literature, Stanley B. Greenfield and Daniel G. Calder, (New York : New York University Press, 1986).
• The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, ed. Dorothy Whitelock, David Douglas, and Susie Tucker (London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1965)
• The Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records : A Collective Edition, edited by George Philip Krapp and Elliott Van Dobbie, (New York : Columbia University Press, 1931-1953). Six volumes:
  • Vol. 1: The Junius Manuscript
  • Vol. 2: The Vercelli Book
  • Vol. 3: The Exeter Book
  • Vol. 4: Beowulf and Judith
  • Vol. 5: Paris Psalter and Boethius
  • Vol. 6: Anglo-Saxon Minor Poems

In addition to the Hall & Meritt dictionary that you will purchase for this class, you may also find useful the following dictionaries in the Reference Collection at the Reinert Alumni Library:

• A Short Dictionary of Anglo-Saxon Poetry : In a Normalized Early Orthography, Jess B. Bessinger (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1960), REINERT/ALUM REFERENCE PE279 .B4
• An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Based on the Manuscript Collections of Late Joseph Bosworth, edited and enlarged by T. Northcote Toller (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1898). REINERT/ALUM REFERENCE PE279 .B5 1898
• Supplement to An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary : Based on the Manuscript Collections of Bosworth, by T. Northcote Toller (London ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1973). REINERT/ALUM REFERENCE PE279 .B5 Suppl.

1) Two Exams (50%)

Both exams will feature exercises in translation, textual commentary, and interpretation, as well as questions on Anglo Saxon history, culture, and language.

2) Term Project and Presentation (25%)

Students will design and pursue a project (analytical/research paper, creative writing, web site, etc.) related to any aspect of the course materials. All projects must be presented to the class. Projects may be papers (10-15 pp., including analysis and research, MLA format) dealing with any features of the language, literature, or culture of the Anglo-Saxon period (quotations from Old English texts must be in the original language and accompanied by appropriate translation). Other projects may include creative writing and art work (painting, music, sculpture, film, etc.) clearly inspired by and relevant to the subject matter of the course. ALL PROJECTS MUST INVOLVE AND INCORPORATE A SUBSTANTIAL MEASURE OF RESEARCH OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES. In general, students are encouraged to choose materials and media which are interesting and stimulating and should not feel limited to traditional academic topics or techniques. All projects must demonstrate substantial effort, thought, and understanding/incorporation of the course's ideas and materials, as well as research of outside sources.

3) Participation, Involvement, and Other Performance (25%)

Students will also be graded according to preparation, participation, accomplishment, development, and involvement in the course.

4) Grading Scale, Attendance, and Other Policies

All performance will be graded on a 0-100 point scale where 0-59 = F, 60-69 = D, 70-79 = C, 80-89 = B, and 90-100 = A.

Notice that the course grade may not exceed the percentage of class time attended (thus, a student attending only 75 % of the total class time may not receive a course grade higher than C). Notice also that, at the discretion of the instructor, any student missing more than 30% of the total class time may fail the course.

All students in the class are expected to observe the University's guidelines on student conduct as described in Creighton University's Student Handbook (see "Code of Conduct," and especially the section on "Academic Misconduct" dealing with problems of plagiarism, cheating, etc.). All work submitted under a student's name must be personal and original and must be created during and for the specific purposes of the course. Cheating in exams, engaging in plagiarism, misrepresentations of authorship, omission of credits or other acknowledgments of outside sources (including other students' papers, fraternity/sorority files, internet materials, books, periodical articles, and other printed or published matter), as well as other forms of academic dishonesty will result in failing the given assignment or, at the discretion of the instructor, the entire course. Problems such as repeated lateness arriving to class, inattentiveness, or disruptive behavior will adversely affect the class participation grade. Problematic behavior of this sort can also result, at the discretion of the instructor and with the advice of the Dean, in more severe penalties, including failing the entire course.

Students must make sure to complete the reading by the date indicated. Class work will involve discussion of Anglo-Saxon literature, language, history, and culture, as well as in-class reading and translation of original texts. It is important that students prepare at home by reading the original text, consulting dictionaries, and taking notes. Students will be called on during class to read out loud, translate selected portions of the texts, and answer questions on their grammatical and other features.

Thu Jan 15

• Introduction
  • Chronological Outline of Prehistoric, Celtic, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon England
  • Indo-European and Germanic Languages

Thu Jan 22

• Guide to Old English, Ch. 6, "An Introduction to Anglo-Saxon Studies."
• "Introduction," Crossley-Holland Anthology, pp. x-xii.

Thu Jan 29

• Read: Guide to Old English, Ch. 1 "Preliminary Remarks on the Language," Ch. 2 "Orthography and Pronunciation," Ch. 3 "Inflexions" (Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, Strong Verbs, Weak Verbs, Anomalous Verbs, Adverbs), Ch. 4 "Word Formation."
• Outline of the Anglo-Saxon Language

Thu Feb 5

• Read: "The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" in Crossley-Holland Anthology.
• Translate: Guide to Old English, "Selections from Anglo Saxon Chronicle" (translate as much of the text as possible and be ready to answer questions on the specific grammatical forms and functions of each word).

Thu Feb 12

• Translate: Guide to Old English, "Selections from Anglo Saxon Chronicle"

Thu Feb 19

• Read: "The Elegies" in Crossley-Holland Anthology
• Translate: Guide to Old English, "The Wanderer."

Thu Feb 26

• Translate: Guide to Old English, "The Wanderer."

Thu Mar 04

• EXAM

Thu Mar 11

• SPRING BREAK

Thu Mar 18

• Read: "Christian Poems" in Crossley-Holland Anthology.
• Translate: Guide to Old English, "The Dream of the Rood."

Thu Mar 25

• Read: "Heroic Poems" in Crossley-Holland Anthology.
• Translate: Guide to Old English, "The Battle of Maldon."

Thu Apr 01

• Read: Beowulf, in Chickering dual-language edition (read translation and glance at the facing Anglo-Saxon text).
• Translate: Guide to Old English. Beowulf's Fight with Grendel.

Thu Apr 08

• HOLY THURSDAY. NO CLASS

Thu Apr 15

• Read: Beowulf, in Chickering dual-language edition (read translation and glance at the facing Anglo-Saxon text).
• Translate: Guide to Old English, (Beowulf's Fight with Grendel).

Thu Apr 22

Thu Apr 29

• STUDENT TERM PROJECT PRESENTATIONS. Projects in final form are due on this date.

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