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Literature, Politics and Society in Dark Age Scotland (U03560)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : HCA-3-U03560

Early Scottish history, like early Insular history generally, is undergoing something of a revolution, thanks in part to innovative approaches by historians to the primary written evidence. Such approaches stress the political and social dimensions of early medieval writing, occasionally radically altering our understanding of events. This course explores these dimensions of writing in northern Britain before AD 800, with special emphasis in alternate years on British or Gaelic writers. Such literate forms as historical narratives, chronicles, hagiography, king-lists, genealogies, and poetry are examined for reflections of social and political realities that are otherwise shadowy for this period of history.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : A survey course in medieval or Scottish history

? Prohibited combinations : U01171 A Cultural History of the Gael 400-800 U03503 A Cultural History of the Gael 400-800 U03657 The Dal Riata: literature, politics and society in Dark Age Scotland U03652 The Old North: literature, politics and society in Dark Age Scotland

Variants

? This course has variants for part year visiting students, as follows

Literature, Politics and Society in Dark Age Scotland (VS1) (Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2))

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Scottish History, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Other subject areas

History, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
21/09/2007	11:00	13:00	Room G.12, 17 Buccleuch Place	Central

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Friday	11:10	13:00	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course it is intended that students will be able to:

- produce a sound and competent essay, in accordance with the common marking scale;
- demonstrate, by way of essay and examination, recognition of the potential and limitations of different genres of written evidence in pursuing the study of early medieval societies;
- demonstrate, by way of essay and examination, insight into the literate culture of Early Historic Scotland, and in particular into the ways in which writers mobilized the past for use in their own present;
- demonstrate the following transferable skills: independent gathering of relevant evidence pertaining to a posed problem; critical consideration of evidence in order to arrive at sound conclusions; evaluating the work of others, including peers; presenting evaluations and conclusions clearly in both written and oral form; independent management of personal timetable, workload and other priorities in order to meet established deadlines.

Assessment Information

Students will submit an individual essay of 3000 words and sit a two-hour Degree Examination. The final mark will be composed of the essay mark, weighted at 33% of the final mark, and the exam mark, weighted at 67% of the final mark.