2008/09 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

ENGL32190 Beowulf

20 creditsClass Size: 10

School of English

Module manager: Dr Alaric Hall
Email: A.T.P.Hall@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2008/09

Pre-requisite qualifications

Previous experience in foreign languages would be desirable.

Please note: this module is restricted to Level 2 & 3 students.

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

Beowulf is one of the greatest poems in English, and also one of the most distinctive works of early medieval literature. Written as Anglo-Saxons acquired Christianity and literacy, it is a text that on the one hand gives us our most vivid insights into traditional early medieval society, while on the other challenging and reassessing traditional values and heroic ancestors. The module both analyses the poem in depth, from a range of perspectives, and uses it as a point of departure for the study of other Old English literature. Topics which will be considered will include the significance of the monsters of Beowulf; the poem's attitudes to the pagan past, the transition from orality to literacy; the place of women in Beowulf's heroic world; and the nature of heroism itself as explored by the poem. Students will study Old English, reading sections of the poem in the original.

Objectives

- To learn to engage with Old English sources in the original language
- To gain a general appreciation of Old English literature and its characteristics via the poem Beowulf.

Learning outcomes
Students will have developed:
the ability to use written and oral communication effectively;
the capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse;
the ability to manage quantities of complex information in a structured and systematic way;
the capacity for independent thought and judgement;
critical reasoning;
research skills, including the retrieval of information, the organisation of material and the evaluation of its importance;
IT skills;
efficient time management and organisation skills;
the ability to learn independently.

Skills outcomes
Skills for effective communication, oral and written.
Capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse.
Ability to acquire quantities of complex information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way.
Capacity for independent thought and judgement.
Critical reasoning.
Research skills, including information retrieval skills, the organisation of material, and the evaluation of its importance.
IT skills.
Time management and organisational skills.
Independent learning.

Syllabus

Vengeance, treasure, gift-giving, kingship, faith, womanhood, monsters and¿above all¿the nature of heroism are major topics dramatized and interrogated in the Old English epic tragedy Beowulf. One of the greatest works of English literature, the poem is a colourful but also intensely challenging work that raises many questions about human behaviour, the social function of poetry, paganism and Christianity, personal and ethnic identities, and the extent to which supernatural events can be unreal but true. We will explore links between Beowulf and other Old English poems, along with similar tales of monster-slaying in Old Icelandic sagas. We will also think about the popularity of Beowulf in post-medieval Britain: virtually unknown until 1815, the poem came to enjoy widespread fame¿and even a Hollywood remake. Why?
Seminars will focus on the whole of Beowulf, and analogous texts, in translation, and on selected passages in the original language. A language laboratory course will be used in the early weeks of the semester to enable students to acquire a basic knowledge of Old English.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminar	10	1.50	15.00
Private study hours			185.00
Total Contact hours			15.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Reading, preparation for seminars/lab classes and essays/tests.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Seminar contribution; language exercise; essays.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
In-course Assessment	Exercise at the end of the language learning course	10.00
Essay	1,700 words	35.00
Essay	1,700 words	35.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		80.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	1 hr	20.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		20.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 24/04/2008

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