Ancestral Voices: The Earliest English Literature (Online)



Overview

This course aims to dispel the myth that Old English literature is either dreary, difficult, or only about drinking and fighting, and will introduce participants to the range of Old English literature, from stirring tales of heroism, courage, and fellowship, to poignant elegies of love and loss; from passionately devout to earthily humorous.

An accessible introduction to the earliest extant English literature. The aim of this course is not for participants to learn to read or speak Old English; the texts explored will be offered in translation. Optional activities and directions for further exploration, however, enable those who wish to learn some Old English grammar and vocabulary to do so.

Areas covered include: Anglo-Saxon history and culture; an introduction to Old English texts; in-depth exploration of selections from Old English texts in translation; an introduction to and taster of a variety of Old English; Old English script and runes; manuscripts; tools for close critical analysis; the heroic tradition; paganism and Christianity and women in Anglo-Saxon culture.

For information on how the courses work, please click here.

Programme details

1. Ancestral Voices

  • Anglo-Saxons - where did they come from and where did they go?
  • Ango-Saxon histories
  • Archaeology
  • Anglo- Saxon art and artefacts
  • Engilsh speakers at either end of the millennium

2. Hearing voices: introduction to old English texts in translation

  • Old English literature
  • The sound of Old English literature
  • Old English literature in translation
  • Some features of Old English texts

3. Hearing Voices: getting more our of reading Old English texts

  • Analysing literary texts
  • Old English scripts
  • Introduction to manuscripts

4. Pagan voices and Christian voices

  • The pagan past
  • Conversion to Christianity
  • Pagan and Christian symbolism: The Dream of the Rood
  • 'Caedmon's Hymn'

5. Old English voices: a taster of the Old English language

  • History of the English language
  • Old English languages
  • Lessons in Old English
  • Vocabulary
  • Old English origins of Modern English words
  • The pronunciation of Old English

6. Epic and heroic voices

  • The heroic tradition
  • Beowulf
  • The Battle of Brunanburh
  • The Battle of Maldon

7. Beowulf

  • Why read Beowulf?
  • How Beowulf reaches modern readers
  • The style of Beowulf
  • Comparing translations of Beowulf
  • Enjoying and appreciating Beowulf

8. Women's voices

  • Anglo-Saxon women: in the home
  • Anglo-Saxon women: in the church
  • Anglo-Saxon women: in power and politics
  • Anglo-Saxon women: in literature, ‘Wulf and Eadwacer’
  • Anglo-Saxon Women: in literature, ‘The Wife’s Lament’

9. Single and echoing voices

  • Old English elegies of the Exeter Book
  • ‘The Ruin’
  • ‘The Wanderer’
  • 'The Seafarer’

10. Lasting voices: the end and after

  • History of late Anglo-Saxon England
  • The Vikings
  • The Norman invasion
  • Old English riddles
  • Opportunities for further exploration and study


We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.

Digital Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £10 fee. 

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education, you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee. 

 

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £350.00
Take this course for CATS points £10.00

Tutor

Dr Nicolay Yakovlev

Nikolay's doctoral thesis at Oxford was The development of alliterative metre from Old to Middle English - considered a landmark publication on the subject. He has published extensively on Old and Middle English and teaches for the University of Oxford.

Course aims

To enable students to gain an enjoyment and appreciation of Old English texts and an understanding of the contexts of those texts.

Course Objectives

On successful completion of this course, participants will:

  • have knowledge of a range of Old English texts in translation;
  • have gained or developed tools of critical analysis and understanding;
  • have encountered samples of Old English dialects and Old English scripts;
  • have explored archaeological findings relating to the 5th to 11th centuries;
  • have an understanding of the history of settlement of England by peoples from the north and east.

Learning outcomes

Participants will gain knowledge of:

  • the range and variety of the Old English language (introductory)
  • the range and variety of Old English literature
  • the history of the Anglo-Saxon invasions and settlement of England (survey)


Participants will gain understanding of:

  • the relationship between Old and Modern English
  • the diversity of Old English dialects
  • genres, subjects, traditions and conventions of Old English literature (in translation)
  • sources of our knowledge of Anglo-Saxon culture
  • practices and beliefs of the Anglo-Saxon peoples.

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

Application

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education

Level and demands

FHEQ level 4, 10 weeks, approx 10 hours per week, therefore a total of about 100 study hours.

IT requirements

This course is delivered online; to participate you must to be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support