Resources

 

ENGLISH 4004, Research Seminar                                     Prof. J. Schrunk Ericksen

Old English Literature and Language                                    Office: Humanities 104, -6251

Spring 2010                                                                           E-mail: ericksja@morris.umn.edu

TTh 4-5.40 pm, Hum 12                                                      Office hours: T 1-2, and by appt.

 

“Anglo-Saxon is of peculiar value. We have placed it among the modern languages, because it is in fact that which we speak, in the earliest form in which we have knowledge of it. It has been undergoing, with time, those gradual changes which all languages, ancient and modern, have experienced; and even now needs only to be printed in the modern character and orthography to be intelligible, in a considerable degree, to an English reader. . . . It will form the first link in the chain of an historical review of our language through all its successive changes to the present day, will constitute the foundation of that critical instruction in it which ought to be found in a seminary of general learning, and thus reward amply the few weeks of attention which would alone be requisite for its attainment; a language already fraught with all the eminent science of our parent country, the future vehicle of whatever we may ourselves achieve, and destined to occupy so much space on the globe, claims distinguished attention in American education.”

—Report to the Commissioners of the University of Virginia (The Rockfish Gap Report), Thomas Jefferson, 1818

 

Course website: http://www.morris.umn.edu/~ericksja/oe/OEsyllabus10.htm

 

Required books

Marsden, Richard, The Cambridge Old English Reader

Bradley, S. A. J., Anglo-Saxon Poetry [ASP]

Baker, Peter, The Electronic Introduction to Old English (http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/resources/IOE/index.html)

* library reserve articles and essays

Recommended:     Clark-Hall, A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary

                              Campbell, The Anglo-Saxons

 

English 4004 is both a capstone course for the English major—building on what students have learned from Engl 1131 on—and an introduction to the language, literature, and culture of the Anglo-Saxons. Old English, the language of England from roughly 500 to 1100, is the ancestor of Modern English—we still use many Old English words—but English has changed enough in the past 1000 years that Old English must be learned as a slightly familiar foreign language; there is enough similarity to Modern English that a reading knowledge of OE can be learned fairly quickly. Among medieval vernaculars Old English is unusually rich in surviving texts, with about 30,000 surviving lines of verse and about ten times as much prose.

 

Course Goals and Objectives

This course will help you gain the skill and, I hope, the interest to read much of Old English literature in its original language. The first section of the course will be devoted to learning the basic structure of the language; the second section will focus on developing a research essay that engages with the literature and its critics. Most class meetings will include sharing prepared translations and, especially after the midterm, discussion of text and contexts. The intellectual focus will be on inquiry and analysis, with both written and oral projects. Collaborative work in translation, research, and editing will form a significant portion of the course.

 

Course Requirements

This is a small class that relies on everyone’s participation for success. Attendance and preparation (especially translation!) are essential. The course requirements are as follows: active participation in and preparation for class (25%), quizzes testing your ability to parse passages of Old English (25%), annotated bibliography (10%), public oral presentation (10%), essay (30%); the last four must be completed in order to pass the class. If you are not in class, you cannot participate, and for each absence after the first two, your participation grade will drop 1/3 of letter grade unless you arrange with me and complete an alternative to class participation. In general, late work will not be accepted without prior arrangement with the professor.

 

University Policies relevant to this class include those on:

Student Conduct Code, including Scholastic Dishonesty; Teaching and Learning: Student Responsibilities (Twin Cities, Morris, Rochester)

Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences: Twin Cities, Morris, Rochester

Use of Personal Electronic Devices in the Classroom: Twin Cities, Morris, Rochester

Appropriate Student Use of Class Notes and Course Materials: Twin Cities, Morris, Rochester

Sexual Harassment

Equity, Diversity, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Affirmative Action

The University of Minnesota is committed to providing all students equal access to learning opportunities. Disability Services is the campus office that works with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations.  Students registered with Disability Services who have a letter requesting accommodations, are encouraged to contact the instructor early in the semester.  Students who have, or think they may have, a disability (e.g. psychiatric, attentional, learning, vision, hearing, physical, or systemic), are invited to contact Disability Services for a confidential discussion at 320-589-6163 or freyc@morris.umn.edu.  Additional information is available at the DS web site at www.morris.umn.edu/services/dsoaac/dso.

 

SYLLABUS (may be adjusted!)

 

week 1, Historical overview

T 19 January      Timeline, Cædmon’s Hymn (handout)

Th 21 January    Wormald, “Anglo-Saxon Society and Its Literature” (e-reserve), "Widsith," "Fortunes of Men," "Maxims" (ASP 336-350); Sutton Hoo

 

week 2, Pronounciation, Pronouns, and Books

T 26 January      Riddle 26, 47, 60 (ASP, 374, 380, 397-8); Baker, Chapter 1. The Anglo-Saxons and Their Language, and Drout, Ch. 2, “Orthography” at http://acunix.wheatonma.edu/mdrout/GrammarBook2007/ch2.html and Ch. 3, “Pronouncing Old English” at http://acunix.wheatonma.edu/mdrout/GrammarBook2007/ch3.html; bring Marsden, Old English Reader to class

28 January          “Spreading the Word” and “After the Flood” (Marsden 103-109); review grammar basics if necessary in Baker, Ch. 3 (http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/resources/IOE/basicgrammar.html); read Baker, 5.1 and 5.2 on pronouns (http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/resources/IOE/inflpron.html) and print and bring the magic sheet; see also the case definitions in Marsden’s glossary, 517-525; Lindisfarne Gospels video

 

week 3, Pronouns, Nouns, and Education

T 2 February      “In the Schoolroom” (Marsden 4-7); Drout, Ch. 10, “Relative and Demonstrative Pronouns,” at http://acunix.wheatonma.edu/mdrout/GrammarBook2007/ch10.html and Baker, 5.3-5.7 (http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/resources/IOE/inflpron.html)

T 4 February      Marsden’s “Reference Grammar” on nouns, § B through 362; skim the rest of the section on nouns, then read Baker, Ch. 6.1.1, 6.1.2 on nouns (http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/resources/IOE/inflnoun.html); finish “In the Schoolroom”; practice quiz

 

week 4

T 9 February      Marsden’s “Reference Grammar” § D1-5 and “A Personal Miscellany” 2a (Marsden 11-15); pronoun and noun quiz

Th 11 February  Lendinara, “The World of Anglo-Saxon Learning” (e-reserve); Alfred’s preface, ll. 1-42 (Marsden 30-4)

 

week 5, Verbs and Reading

T 16 February    Baker Ch. 7.1. (http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/resources/IOE/inflverb.html) and Marsden’s overview 381-2; finish Alfred’s letter (Marsden 34-6)

Th 18 February  Ælfric’s preface to Genesis, ll. 1-38 (Marsden 122-24); Howe, “The Cultural Construction of Reading” (e-reserve), Baker 7.4.4 (http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/resources/IOE/inflverb.html)

 

week 6, Adjectives

T 23 February    Letter to Brother Edward (handout); verb quiz

Th 25 February  Magennis, “Audience(s), Reception, Literacy” (e-reserve); “The Seafarer,” “The Wife’s Lament” (ASP 329-34, 382-85); Marsden (373-76) and Baker (http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/resources/IOE/infladj.html ) on adjectives (adjective worksheet in class)

 

week 7, Anglo-Saxon accounts of the past

T 2 March          “Cynewulf and Cyneheard,” ll. 1-18 (Marsden 245-48); “The Ruin” in translation (ASP 401-2)

Th 4 March        Finish “Cynewulf and Cyneheard” (Marsden 248-50); “Guthlac A” in translation (ASP 248-68)

 

week 8, And of the present

T 9 March          Translation quiz; “The Battle of Maldon” in translation (ASP 518-28) and in OE, lines 1-70 (Marsden 251-54)

Th 11 March      “The Battle of Maldon” section assignment and ll. 309-25 (Marsden 254-69)

 

week 9                               SPRING BREAK

 

week 10, Cotton Vitellius A.xv

T 23 March        Judith (ASP 495-504) and first part of Beowulf in translation (Marsden 270-72, ASP 407-59)

Th 25 March      Beowulf (ASP 459-94); annotated bibliographies, group 1

 

week 11, Junius 11

T 30 March        Genesis A opening and Genesis B in translation (ASP 9-36); begin “Satan’s Challenge” (Marsden 130+)

Th 1 April           “Satan’s Challenge” (Marsden 130-37); annotated bibliographies, group 2

 

week 12, Exeter Book

T 6 April             Swan, “Authorship and Anonymity” (e-reserve); “The Wanderer,” ll. 1-40 (Marsden 327-31)

Th 8 April           Finish the “The Wanderer” (Marsden 331-34); annotated bibliographies, group 3

 

week 13, Vercelli Book (individual conferences on research this week)

T 13 April.          Translation quiz; “Wulf and Eadwacer” (Marsden 335-38); essay topics due

Th 15 April         Dream of the Rood, ll. 1-77 (Marsden 192-99); ); annotated bibliographies, group 4

 

week 14

T 20 April           Dream of the Rood, ll. 78-155 (Marsden 199-202)

Th 22 April         Beowulf excerpt: Hildeburh, ll. 1-74a* (Marsden, 272-79)

 

week 15, Research Essay

T 27 April           • Essay draft due: peer review and discussion in class

Th 29 April         Translation quiz, Beowulf excerpt: Grendel’s mother, ll. 1-45 (Marsden, 279-82)

 

week 16, Reseach Presentation

T 4 May             Beowulf excerpt: Grendel’s mother, ll. 45-99 (Marsden, 282-85)

Th 6 May           Symposium OR

F 7 May             English Research Symposium (tentative)

 

Tuesday, 11 May              Final essay revisions due

 

University Grading Standards

A - achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements.

B- achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet  course requirements.

C - achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect.

D - achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course requirements.

S - achievement that is satisfactory, which is equivalent to a C- or better (achievement required for an S is at the discretion of the instructor but may be no lower than a C-).

F (or N)    Represents failure (or no credit) and signifies that the work was either (1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or (2) was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student  that the student would be awarded an I.

I(Incomplete)   Assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, due to extraordinary circumstances, e.g., hospitalization, a student is prevented from completing the work of the course on time. This requires a written agreement between instructor and student.

Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty in any portion of the academic work for a course shall be grounds for awarding a grade of F or N for the entire course.

Credits and Workload Expectations: For undergraduate courses, one credit is defined as equivalent to an average of three hours of learning effort per week (over a full semester) necessary for an average student to achieve an average grade in the course.  For example, a student taking a four credit course that meets for three and a half hours a week should expect to spend an additional eight and a half hours a week on coursework outside the classroom.