THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures : Scottish Ethnology

Undergraduate Course: Scotland and Orality (SCET08008)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Literatures, Languages and Cultures CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course takes an ethnological approach to the theme of orality in the context of Scotland's rich song and oral narrative traditions. Students will be introduced to key concepts and theories relating to the performance and transmission of oral material, and case studies relating to a selection of songs, ballads, legends and folktales will be presented, with material being drawn from the School of Scottish Studies Archives as well as printed collections. The interaction between orality and print will also be examined in relation to both song and narrative, with examples drawn from themes such as the collections of Robert Burns; songs of love, politics, protest and satire; legends and folktales.
Course description Not entered
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 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  65
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 33, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 158 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Course work: one essay of 3,000 words, week 10 (35%); tutorial-based assignments (15%)
Degree examination: one two-hour paper comprising (50%)
Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Resit Exam Diet (August)2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. demonstrate a sound knowledge of the field of orality within an ethnological context;
  2. demonstrate a solid grasp of the main genres of oral transmission;
  3. demonstrate a familiarity with the implications of the UNESCO concept of Intangible Cultural Heritage;
  4. demonstrate basic fieldwork and archival skills relating to the collecting and organisation of oral material;
  5. apply a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of oral culture.
Reading List
It is likely that the following books will be particularly helpful to you.

NB We stock the first one (A Guid Hairst) and it is recommended that you purchase it.

Katherine Campbell, Will Lamb, Neill Martin and Gary West (eds) "A Guid Hairst": Collecting and Archiving Scottish Tradition, Essays in Honour of Dr Margaret A. Mackay. Maastricht: Shaker Publishing, 2013.*

Mackay, Margaret A. (ed.) Scottish Life and Society: An Introduction to Scottish Ethnology (A Compendium of Scottish Ethnology, vol. 1). Edinburgh: John Donald in association with the European Ethnological Research Centre, 2013.

Beech, John et al. (eds) Scottish Life and Society: Oral Literature and Performance Culture (A Compendium of Scottish Ethnology, vol. 10). Edinburgh: John Donald in association with the European Ethnological Research Centre, 2007.

Chambers, Bob (ed.) The Carrying Stream Flows On. Lewis: Islands Book Trust, 2013.

Edwards, Viv and Thomas J. Sienkewicz Oral Cultures Past and Present: Rappin' and Homer. Oxford: Blackwell, 1990.

Finnegan, Ruth H. Oral Traditions and the Verbal Arts: A Guide to Research Practices. London: Routledge, 1992.

Foley, John Miles How to Read an Oral Poem. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2002.

Georges, Robert A. Folkloristics: An Introduction. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1995.

* Available from Christine Lennie in the Undergraduate Teaching Office, 50 George Square, Room 1.08, price £10.
Additional Information
Course URL http://www.celtscot.ed.ac.uk/
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Special Arrangements A quota of 45 with preference given in the following order. (1) students admitted to a degree programme including Scottish Ethnology or Scottish Studies or for which Scotland and Orality is a prescribed course, and Visiting Students holding a written offer of a place; (2) students enrolling for BA Humanities and Social Sciences intending to nominate Scottish Ethnology or Scottish Studies as their main subject; (3) students making a free choice of course.

NOTE: Personal Tutors/Student Support Officers/Visiting Student Officers wishing to register students on this course as an outside subject must register the student's interest via email to the course administrator scottish.studies@ed.ac.uk by 5pm on the Friday before teaching starts. Successful students will be notified by the course administrator. PLEASE DO NOT REGISTER STUDENTS BEFORE CONFIRMATION FROM THE COURSE ADMINISTRATOR.
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Lori Watson
Tel: (0131 6)50 8415
Email: lori.watson@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Anne Kelly
Tel: (0131 6)50 4167
Email: Annie.Kelly@ed.ac.uk
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