ENGLISH 4004 Prof. J. Schrunk Ericksen
Old English Office: Humanities 104, -6251
Fall 2007 E-mail: ericksja@morris.umn.edu
MW 3.30-5.30 pm, Hum 12 Office hours: Th 9-11, and by appt.
Course website
http://www.morris.umn.edu/~ericksja/oe/home.html
Basic reference website
Textbooks
Baker, Peter, An Introduction to Old English, 2nd ed. (Blackwell) [Baker]
Bradley, S. A. J., Anglo-Saxon Poetry (Everyman) [ASP]
* library reserve articles and essays
Suggested: Clark-Hall, A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (MRTS)
Campbell, The Anglo-Saxons (Penguin)
OÕBrien OÕKeeffe, Reading Old English Texts
Course Description
English 4004 is an introduction to the language, literature, and culture of the Anglo-Saxons. Old English, the language of England from roughly 500 to 1100, is the ancestor of Modern English—we still use many Old English words—but English has changed enough in the past 1000 years that Old English must be learned as a slightly familiar foreign language; there is enough similarity to Modern English that a reading knowledge of OE can be learned fairly quickly. Among medieval vernaculars Old English is unusually rich in surviving texts, with about 30,000 surviving lines of verse and about ten times as much prose. This course will give you the skill and, I hope, the interest to read much of this literature in its original language. The first section of the course will be devoted to learning the basic structure of Old English. We will spend part of each class on translation and, especially after the midterm, part on discussion of text and contexts.
SYLLABUS (may be
changed!)
week 1 W 29 Aug. ÒThe Battle of Finnsburgh,Ó ÒThe Battle of BrunanburghÓ (ASP 507-9, 515-18); Pinker, ÒA History of ViolenceÓ ( TNR handout)
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week 2 W 5 Sept. ÒThe WandererÓ (ASP 320-25), ÒThe Fortunes of MenÓ (ASP 341-43), Beowulf opening (ASP 407-21, to the end fitt V), Ch. 1, ÒThe Anglo-Saxons and Their LanguageÓ (Baker 1-10), and BradleyÕs introduction (ASP xi-xxii)
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week 3 M 10 Sept. Beowulf (ASP 421-61, to the end of fitt XXVI); Gardner, ÒGuilt and the WorldÕs Complexity: The Murder of Ongentheow and the Slaying of the DragonÓ (handout, 14-22); in class: Baker, Ch. 2, ÒPronunciationÓ and on-line exercises
W 12 Sept. Beowulf conclusion (ASP 461-94); Hill, ÒViolence and the Making of WiglafÓ (library reserve, 19-33) ); in class: translate the opening of ÒThe Fall of Adam and EveÓ (Baker 174); watch Beowulf and Grendel before Mon.
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week 4 M17 Sept. Baraz, ÒViolence or Cruelty? An Intercultural PerspectiveÓ (library reserve, 164-89); Judith (ASP 495-504); Christopher, Fee, ÒJudith and the Rhetoric of Heroism in Anglo-Saxon EnglandÓ (401-6, find in the libraryÕs MLA Database by typing ÒJudith Old EnglishÓ into the search function and then going through the list of results; download and print the pdf and bring it to class, but also copy down the bibliographic information for any one other interesting-looking article in the list of results)
W 19 Sept. Ch. 3, ÒBasic GrammarÓ and Ch. 4, ÒCaseÓ; try Old English Aerobics exercise on Elements of the SentenceÓ at http://faculty.virginia.edu/OldEnglish/OEA/elements.html; in class: translate the rest of ÒThe Fall of Adam and EveÓ (Baker 174)
F 21 Sept., before 4.30 pm: short essay due
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week 5 M 24 Sept. Ch. 5, ÒPronounsÓ and exercise; read Genesis B and excerpt of Genesis A (ASP 18-43)
W 26 Sept. Ch. 6, ÒNouns,Ó and Ch. 7-8 ÒQuick StartÓ sections; look at workbook exercises (pdfs) online and translate Minitext B: A Miracle of St. Benedict (available as download for you to write on, and you can use the online glossary) and at least sentences 1-4 of BedeÕs Story of C¾dmon, using either the book's or the online glossary
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week 6 M 1 Oct. Juliana (ASP 301-20); Crachiolo, ÒSeeing the Gendering of Violence: Female and Male Martyrs in the South English LegendaryÓ (147-63, library reserve)
W 3 Oct. Ch. 7, ÒVerbsÓ; do online exercise parts 1 (principle parts) and 2 (strong and weak) (weÕll do parts 3 -5 in class); translate at least sentences 1-6 of Minitext C: WulfstanÕs Translation of the ApostleÕs Creed
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week 7 M 8 Oct. Translation quiz; research orientation, Howe, ÒHistoricist ApproachesÓ (79-100, library reserve)
W 10 Oct. Ch. 8, ÒAdjectivesÓ; translate Minitext D: On Danish Customs (in class: Letter to Brother Edward), Ch. 9, ÒNumerals,Ó and Ch. 16, ÒReading Old English ManuscriptsÓ
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week 8 M 15 Oct. Ch. 10, ÒAdverbs, Conjunctions and Prepositions,Ó Ch. 11 ÒQuick StartÓ only, translate Minitext F: A Vision of Hell and try first 12 sentences of WulfstanÕs ÒSermo LupiÓ
W 17 Oct. ÒResignation,Ó ÒThe Phoenix,Ó ÒJudgment Day II,Ó ÒSoul and Body IIÓ (ASP 386-90, 284- 301, 528-35, 358-62)
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week 9 M 22 Oct. FALL BREAK
W 24 Oct. Translation quiz; Ch. 11, Ch. 12, ÒWord-Order,Ó translate Minitext H: Orosius on the Reign of Caligula
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week 10 M 29 Oct. Translate ÒCynewulf and CyneheardÓ at least through [10] (185-87)
¥ essay topics due
W 31 Oct. Ch. 13, ÒMetre,Ó translate Minitext I: Riddle 80, and Ch. 14, ÒPoetic StyleÓ
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week 11 M 5 Nov. Ch. 15, ÒThe Grammar of Poetry,Ó translate Minitext K: GrendelÕs mere
W 7 Nov. Case study: familial or spousal violence? Translate ÒWulf and EadwacerÓ; joint annotated bibliography entries due
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week 12 M 12 Nov. Research in progress: annotated bibliographies due; translate ÒMaldon,Ó lines 1-24
W 14 Nov. Finish ÒMaldonÓ (divided translation)
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week 13 M 19 Nov. Translate ÒThe WifeÕs LamentÓ; essay reports #1-2
W 21 Nov. Translate ÒThe HusbandÕs MessageÓ; essay reports #3-4
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week 14 M 26 Nov. Translate ÒThe Wanderer,Ó lines 1-69; essay reports #5-6
W 28 Nov. Translate ÒThe Wanderer,Ó lines 70-115; essay reports #7-8
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week 15 M 3 Dec. ¥Essay due: peer review and discussion in class
W 5 Dec. Translate Dream of the Rood, lines 1-76
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week 16 M 10 Dec. Translate Dream of the Rood, lines 77-155T 11 Dec. English Research Symposium (still tentative)
W 12 Dec. Review and revision
Monday, 17 Dec., 11-1 Final examination
University Grading Standards
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A - achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements.
B- achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements.
C - achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect.
D - achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course requirements.
S - achievement that is satisfactory, which is equivalent to a C- or better (achievement required for an S is at the discretion of the instructor but may be no lower than a C-).
F (or N) Represents failure (or no credit) and signifies that the work was either (1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or (2) was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the student would be awarded an I.
I(Incomplete) Assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, due to extraordinary circumstances, e.g., hospitalization, a student is prevented from completing the work of the course on time. This requires a written agreement between instructor and student.
Academic Dishonesty
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Academic dishonesty in any portion of the academic work for a course shall be grounds for awarding a grade of F or N for the entire course.
Credits and Workload Expectations
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For undergraduate courses, one credit is defined as equivalent to an average of three hours of learning effort per week (over a full semester) necessary for an average student to achieve an average grade in the course. For example, a student taking a four credit course that meets for three and a half hours a week should expect to spend an additional eight and a half hours a week on coursework outside the classroom.