Postgraduate Course: Viking Studies (Level 11) (ELCS11007)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The aim of this course is to better understand the historical developments referred to collectively as the Viking Age, c 800-1066 AD. The intention is to investigate Scandinavian Iron Age society in an attempt to identify possible reasons for the Viking expansion, to survey the various forms expansion taken by it, and to explore the legacy it left behind. There will be a special focus on raids and settlement in Scotland and the North Atlantic. Emphasis throughout will be on the critical interpretation of the various sources available - historical, archaeological, genetic, onomastic, literary ¿ as well as the ways in which different kinds of sources can be used to supplement one another. |
| Course description |
W1: General Introduction / History: Written Sources & Historiography
Debate - Perceptions, Points of View & Prejudices
W2: Archaeology
Tutorial: Reading the Material Record
W3: Language & Literacy
Place-Names
W4: Iron Age Scandinavia
The Viking Ship
W5: Life & Death
Social Structure & World View
W6: Scotland before the Viking Age
War or Peace in the Western Isles?
W7: The Gall-Ghàidheil
Ritual & Belief
W8: Student Presentations
W9: The Northern Isles
The North Atlantic
W10: North America and The Vinland Sagas
W11: The Scandinavian Influence on English & Scots
The Viking Legacy: Use & Abuse
PG Students also attend the following extra classes:
W2: Viking Horizons
W3: Scandinavian place-names in Russia, and Normandy
W5: Slaves and slavery
W7: Viking religion?
W11: Norse place-names in Scotland
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 27,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
169 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Students are required to deliver a class presentation of c.10 minutes before week 9. Topics are chosen and developed in consultation with course tutors, with formative feedback given afterwards.
Presentation preparation and formative feedback together will form the basis of the 4,000 word essay, which constitutes 100% of the summative mark for this course.
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a deep understanding of the historical developments referred to collectively as 'The Viking Age', and covered by the period c. AD 800-1066, from the reasons for the Viking expansion to the legacy it left behind.
- Execute a critical appraise the various forms taken by the Viking Expansion utilising a sophisticated combination of sources, approaches and methods of interpretation, including historical, archaeological, linguistic, and onomastic, crossing disciplines such as philology and history.
- Produce clear, complex reports, articles and essays, which develop advanced arguments both critically and systematically with the consistent use of relevant emphases, subsidiary points, and examples.
- Demonstrate advanced communication, presentation and interaction skills across a wide range of media and circumstances, both formal and informal, for lay and specialised audiences.
- Consistently exercise autonomy and initiative, taking significant responsibility for the work of others and for a range of resources to bring about new thinking.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
Jointly taught with undergraduate students (ELCS10034) |
| Keywords | Viking,Expansion,Diaspora,Norse,Old Norse,Archaeology,Scandinavia,Medieval,Place-names,History |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Alan Macniven
Tel: (0131 6)50 3279
Email: alan.macniven@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Alan Binnie
Tel: (0131 6)51 1822
Email: Alan.Binnie@ed.ac.uk |
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