Viking and Early Medieval English Studies MA

This module introduces working with early medieval English texts in their original language.

We explore a wide variety of texts, both poetry and prose, literary and non-literary. This includes everything from the lives of virgin saints, to literary heroic reworkings of Bible stories.

Starting with the basics, you will study a different aspect of language each week. After learning the grammar, you will then work with texts through translation, linguistic analysis, and discussing the literary and historical contexts in which they were produced, preserved and reproduced. 

By the end of the module, you will understand Old English grammar and syntax, and will be familiar with texts from a number of genres.

This module is worth 20 credits.

This module offers an introduction to the Old Norse language (no previous knowledge is necessary).

You will read selected texts in prose and verse, with an emphasis on the Old Icelandic sagas which describe Viking Age exploits and settlement from Norway to Newfoundland.

Each week you will study a different aspect of language and grammar through tailored exercises and focussed work on extracts from the set texts. You will also practise translating these extracts and discuss their literary and historical contexts.

By the end of the module, you will have an understanding of Old Norse vocabulary, grammar and syntax and you will be familiar with several key works of Old Icelandic literature.

This module is worth 20 credits.

Discover the research resources and methods needed for interdisciplinary Viking and Early Medieval English Studies.

All teaching takes place through a series of workshops and when possible an intensive extended field-trip, which:

• introduce a variety of approaches to studying the Vikings and early medieval England, including runology and name-studies
• offer a practical insight to public engagement and museums
• provide basic bibliographical training and an introduction to relevant research and presentation skills

The field-trip is an opportunity to:

• discover material and linguistic evidence relevant to the study of the Vikings and early medieval England
• understand the importance of interpreting the evidence within its landscape setting

Please note that the timing and location of the field-trip are to be decided.

You will produce a portfolio of assessed work on your learning. You are also welcome to share your skills and take part in our well-established 'Vikings for Schools' project.

This module is worth 20 credits.

You will complete a 60-credit dissertation. This is a major piece of independent research, and you will be allocated a supervisor who is a specialist in your chosen area.

Your dissertation supervisor will provide advice and guidance to help you select your area of study, and offer close supervision and support as you complete your research. There are also two dissertation workshops available to help you, where we discuss good practice.

Recent dissertation topics include:

• gender and sexuality in Old English and Old Norse texts
• runes and runic inscriptions
• place-names
• religion and belief in Early Medieval England and the Viking world
• the relevance of the subject in the contemporary world

This module is worth 60 credits.

The aim of this module is to provide the opportunity for students to take further, in the form of a project, a topic which has engaged their interest in modules already successfully completed on the MA. The project should be discrete and not merely an expansion of work already undertaken.

The topic might be (inter alia) a linguistic or literary study, but it must be discussed with and agreed by the supervisor, who will advise on the scope and writing up of the project so that it appropriately reflects advanced study.

A list of tutors available to supervise projects, and their areas of expertise, will be made available on the school website.

This module follows on from 'Reading Old English', and offers the opportunity to explore more of the culture of Early Medieval England through an intensive study of surviving texts and their contexts.

The focus is on concepts of health and wellbeing, and we will read a variety of texts which focus on health, including medical texts and hagiography. We will look at the contexts of these works, which includes the manuscripts in which they were preserved, the sources which have influenced them and the practice of medicine and care in the period.

The module is worth 20 credits.

This module introduces a range of Old Norse texts in both poetry and prose, and current critical thinking about Old Norse literature in its cultural and historical contexts.

The module will equip you with a range of practical and theoretical frameworks for your own study which will be tested in the contextual commentary.

Seminars are student-led. You will present and discuss recent critical approaches and test them against your own reading of texts themselves. You will write an essay similarly combining theoretical, historical or cultural reflection with analysis of a text or texts of your choice.

Prior knowledge of Old Norse is not required, though students who have taken 'Reading Old Norse' will be expected to deploy the knowledge gained there.

This module is worth 20 credits.

English place-names are a rich and stimulating resource for the study of the past, offering insight into the landscape, history and languages of medieval England.

You are trained in the methodology of place-name study and the ways in which place-names can inform on a wide variety of topics. In consultation with your tutors, you will devise and complete a research project which fits with your particular interests.

You also have access to the library and archives of the Institute for Name-Studies, which include the holdings of the English Place-Name Society (est. 1924).

This module is worth 20 credits.