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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2019/2020

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures : European Languages & Cultures - Scandinavian Stud

Postgraduate Course: Old Norse (Level 11) (ELCS11011)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Literatures, Languages and Cultures CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course typeDissertation AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryA introduction to the language, literature and culture of medieval Scandinavia, with an emphasis on Iceland. A study in particular of saga and edda, and an examination of the critical approaches that have been taken in this field since c. 1880.
Course description Civilisation topics may include:
- Iceland: Settlement & Society
- Old Norse: Origins, Grammar & Pronunciation
- Old Icelandic Literature
- Hrafnkel's Saga & Heroic Morality
- Snorri Sturluson & Old Icelandic Poetry
- Old Icelandic Historiography
- The Gift Economy
- Old Norse Palaeography

Grammar work will cover:
- Cases and vowel mutation
- Articles, Demonstratives & Personal Pronouns
- Nouns
- Adjectives: Strong, weak and comparative
- Verbs: Strong, weak and irregular; tense, voice, mood and suffixes

Old Norse texts covered may include extracts from:
- Snorra Edda
- Libellus Islandorum
- Žįttr Aušunar vestfirzka
- Eirķks saga rauša
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 172 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 30 %, Coursework 70 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Continuous Assessment (70%), comprising:
Language Exercises (20%)
Essay (50%)
500 word Essay proposal (formative)
8-10 minute presentation (formative)
2,500 word essay (summative)

Exam (30%)
2-hour degree exam (split evenly between language and civilisation)
Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a good understanding of the fundamentals of Old Norse grammar, syntax and vocabulary, along with the themes, issues and wider contexts of the supporting literary corpus.
  2. Parse and translate previously seen Old Norse texts to English; critically appraise developments in Old Norse culture and society utilising a range of sources, approaches and methods of interpretation.
  3. Produce clear, complex reports, articles and essays, which develop arguments both critically and systematically with the use of relevant emphases, subsidiary points, and examples.
  4. Demonstrate finely honed communication, presentation and interaction skills across a wide range of media and circumstances, both formal and informal, for lay and specialised audiences.
  5. Consistently exercise autonomy and initiative, taking significant responsibility for the work of others and for a range of resources to bring about new thinking.
Reading List
A detailed reading list is available in the Course Handbook.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Special Arrangements Seminars jointly taught with undergraduate students [ELCS10004], with 5 additional tutorial hours exculsively for Lvl 11 students.
KeywordsNorse,Old Norse,medieval,Iceland,Snorri,saga,edda,Viking
Contacts
Course organiserDr Alan MacNiven
Tel: (0131 6)50 3279
Email: alan.macniven@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Iain Sutherland
Tel: (0131 6)51 3988
Email: Iain.Sutherland@ed.ac.uk
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