Undergraduate Course: The Heroic Ballads of Gaelic Scotland (CELT10021)
Course Outline
School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
Taught in Gaelic? | Yes |
Summary | Gaelic Scotland shares a genre of entertainment literature with Gaelic Ireland: the heroic ballads. They narrate the exploits and adventures of Fionn mac Cumhaill and his companions, the Fian, and they survived both in manuscripts and in the oral tradition. Through focusing on a selection of texts students will explore both the material itself and its place in the wider Gaelic literary tradition. |
Course description |
The course charts the development of the genre of heroic ballads from the Classical period to the 20th century. A key aspect of the course is the translation and discussion of selected primary texts representative of the genre. In addition, the course examines the characteristics of, and problems associated with, written and oral transmission through the appropriate methodological approaches and techniques of analysis relevant to different aspects of the field of study. The subject's links within the wider field of Gaelic and Irish literature will lead to a more detailed understanding of the wider cultural and literary environment. Although some Irish material will be dealt with, the focus of the course will lie on the Scottish Gaelic tradition. The course is taught through the medium of Gaelic.
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Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites | Please note pre-requisite requirements as stated above. Visiting students will be expected to demonstrate an equivalent level of competency in Scottish Gaelic. |
High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate a sound knowledge of the literary and thematic characteristics of the genre of Gaelic heroic ballads;
- explain the processes of oral and written transmission of the genre;
- perform an in-depth analysis of a range of ballad texts;
- place the ballads into their proper place within the wider field of Gaelic and Irish literature;
- demonstrate competence in transferable skills, e.g. close engagement with texts, critical evaluation of source material, independent reading, coherent and clearly structured writing, oral presentation, group discussion, time management.
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Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Anja Gunderloch
Tel: (0131 6)51 1374
Email: A.Gunderloch@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Vivien MacNish Porter
Tel: (0131 6)50 3528
Email: vivien.macnish-porter@ed.ac.uk |
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