E 313: OLD ENGLISH

SYLLABUS

We meet MWF, 10:10 am– 11:00 am in South College W205. (Campus Map.)

English 313 introduces you to the Old English language and Old English literature. Old English is the earliest stage of English, and the phonology, syntax, and lexicon of Old English provide you with a historical rationale for the oddities and regularities of Modern English. The literature of the British Isles between the years 500 and 1100 offers literary models and conventions that continue to inspire authors to this day. In Old English literature you will find echoes of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, Bernard Cornwell, and many others. Outcomes. You will learn 1) the basics of the Old English language, 2) the canon of Old English literature, and 3) the philological method. Office hours are held by appointment in SC E455.

BOOKS:

Our textbook is:

• Peter Baker, Introduction to Old English (Wiley Blackwell). 3rd edition. ISBN 9780470659847. [2nd edition is OK and much cheaper, but page numbers might be off.] Second edition is free for UMass students through the library.

Recommended Books. You are not required to buy these books. But I highly recommend buying Clark Hall's dictionary.

• J. R. Clark Hall, A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 4th edition (University of Toronto, 1960) Online for free.
• The online Bosworth-Toller dictionary (a link is always to the right, under the calendar).
• Henry Sweet, Sweet's Anglo-Saxon Primer, any edition (Oxford). Free at Google Books; or purchase: ISBN 0198111789;
• Henry Sweet, Sweet's Anglo-Saxon Reader, any edition (Oxford). Here is the edition free through UMass. Purchase: ISBN 0521456126.
• Michael Drout, King Alfred's Grammar.
• Malcolm Godden and Michael Lapidge, The Cambridge Companion to Old English Literature (Cambridge, 1991), free to UMass students; it is an excellent resource comprised of top-notch essays. And a free app to learn OE.

NB. Your priority in this class is to understand the language and read the poetry.

STRUCTURE:

CLASSES.

1. Complete your readings before each class.
2. You will be assigned a portion of a text to translate. Translate your portion before class. During class, you will read and explain your translation.

COURSE.

1. We begin the course with an introduction to the language of Anglo-Saxon England in the ninth century. You must be competent in English grammar (here is a good, short book on English grammar). The first half of each class we will discuss Old English syntax, morphology, phonology, and history.
2. The second half of each class we will translate and discuss Old English literature. All of the required material is also available in pdf through this site here: handouts
3. Finally, we will discuss briefly the culture of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages in order to contextualize Old English lit.

ASSIGNMENTS:

There is a midterm exam (20%), a final paper (30%), and 5 quizzes (40%). Attendance and participation are 10%. We will be translating during class time; your translation counts as your participation. Graduate students are also responsible for a research paper which engages secondary sources.

POLICIES:

Attendance is required. It is not onerous: you have about 32 hours of class time during the semster. A regular work week is 40 hours. 40 hours a week versus 32 hours over 3 months. My complete Attendance policy is here.

Late Assignments are not accepted. Make provisions beforehand and speak with me if you anticipate obstacles.

Please don't browse the internet, use Facebook, play games, or email during class meetings. It is extremely distracting to me and to other students. If you cannot be attentive, then please sit in the back and pretend.

No recording. You cannot record or share my copyrighted lectures, even if you took the notes. Notes from class are for your personal use only.  Distributing notes or in-class recordings without my permission is a violation of faculty copyright protection. This policy also pertains to notes taken by students with accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Conferences. I encourage you to meet with me at least once during the semester, if only to verify that the grades that you recorded correspond to the ones in my gradebook.

Office Hours. Please make an appointment to meet with me at a time convenient to you and I will certainly try to oblige.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:

The University requires you to act and write with the highest degree of integrity. Ignorance of the standards of academic integrity is not sufficient evidence of lack of intent. For more information, consult the website of the Dean of Students.

See below (Note 4) for more information.

NOTES:

NOTE 1: Please make and keep a copy of all your assignments. In case any difficulties arise with respect to misplaced assignments or with respect to discrepancies between your records and my own, I will accept the evidence of your computer system's dating function. For your own peace of mind, I suggest that you lock any document on the day it is due. That will prevent your system from associating your document with a later date.

NOTE 2: The schedule of this course is subject to change. It is not to be construed as a substitute for your attendance or as a catalogue of all the information for which you are responsible. All changes will be announced beforehand. This syllabus and the accompanying schedule constitute a binding contract between a student and professor. If you do not agree with any of the provisions set herein and as of this moment, then you are free to drop this class within the time allotted by the administration.

NOTE 3: All material pertaining to this course is copyrighted material and is subject to international and US laws of copyright. No recording devices, please.

NOTE 4: Since the integrity of the academic enterprise of any institution of higher education requires honesty in scholarship and research, academic honesty is required of all students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Academic dishonesty is prohibited in all programs of the University. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to: cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and facilitating dishonesty. Appropriate sanctions may be imposed on any student who has committed an act of academic dishonesty. Instructors should take reasonable steps to address academic misconduct. Any person who has reason to believe that a student has committed academic dishonesty should bring such information to the attention of the appropriate course instructor as soon as possible. Instances of academic dishonesty not related to a specific course should be brought to the attention of the appropriate department Head or Chair. The procedures outlined below are intended to provide an efficient and orderly process by which action may be taken if it appears that academic dishonesty has occurred and by which students may appeal such actions.

Since students are expected to be familiar with this policy and the commonly accepted standards of academic integrity, ignorance of such standards is not normally sufficient evidence of lack of intent. For more information about what constitutes academic dishonesty, please see the Dean of Students’ website at: http://umass.edu/dean_students/codeofconduct/acadhonesty/

NOTE 5: Disability Statement. [Text from CTFD] The University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to making reasonable, effective and appropriate accommodations to meet the needs of students with disabilities and help create a barrier-free campus. If you are in need of accommodation for a documented disability, register with Disability Services to have an accommodation letter sent to your faculty. It is your responsibility to initiate these services and to communicate with faculty ahead of time to manage accommodations in a timely manner. For more information, consult the Disability Services website at http://www.umass.edu/disability/.

Key:

September

October

November

December

LINKS.

Academic Schedule
Grammar Sheet
Peter Baker's Site
The Magic Sheet!

To search the Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records, click here.

UMass Library
Google Books
Search Anglo-Saxon Poetry
Etymological Dictionary
Germanic Lexicon Project
Bosworth-Toller (partial)
Thesaurus of Old English
Medieval Sourcebook
Norse Saga Net
Siever's Heliand
Bible (Douay-Rheims)
Dumézil, Norse Gods
Klaeber, Beowulf

Manuscripts of St. Gall
Viking Ship Museum

Warning! Jingoistic anti-Roman revisionism, but nevertheless informative:

VIDEO: The Ancient Celts
VIDEO: The Barbarian Tribes