Anglo-Saxon England Hist3583 Dr. Jennifer MacDonald Office: 447 BAC Office Hours: Mondays 12:30-3:30 and Fridays 10:00-11:00 Email: je.macdonald@acadiau.ca Phone: (902) 585-1243 Course Description: A study of the development of England in the early medieval period, from the fall of Rome to the coming of the Normans. Through an examination of the available evidence, both written and archaeological, we will explore topics such as Germanic and Viking invasions, paganism, the flourishing of Christianity, artistic achievement, and kingdom formation. Course Objectives: In this course, you will gain new insights into the early English history. This course will make heavy use of primary sources, both written and archaeological. You will thus improve your ability to work with historical documents and material culture, while thinking about how historians use various types of sources when studying the past. You will work on your communication skills in both written and oral formats. Note: this course counts towards the Material and Visual Culture minor. Marking Scheme Option 1 Assignment Date Due Weight Record your mark Participation Continuously 5 % Essay 1 January 27 15% Essay 2 February 24 15% Essay 3 March 30 15% Midterm February 12 20% Exam See Registrar s Office 30% Marking Scheme Option 2 (You MUST sign up in my office for option 2 by 3:30 on January 18 or you will be doing option 1. There will be no exceptions.) Assignment Date Due Weight Record your mark Participation Continuously 5 % Essay 1 January 27 15% Essay 2 March 30 15% Alternative Format Project Various 15% Midterm February 12 20% Exam See Registrar s Office 30% Page 1 of 8
Textbooks: Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Anglo-Saxon World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Campbell, James, ed. The Anglo-Saxons. London: Penguin. 1982. Note: not all readings are from your textbooks. Readings from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle can be found in various places including: English Historical Documents volume 1 or online at http://omacl.org/anglo/. You may use any version you wish. Chronicle readings are listed by the year to be read. English Historical Documents, volume 1, by Dorothy Whitelock, is available at the library. There is one hardcopy and there is a digital version available at http://www.myilibrary.com?id=9947. Items may be added if necessary for Marking Option 2. Readings and Schedule The reading schedule is a guideline. Topics will be covered in roughly this order, but topics may carry on into the next day(s) depending on this class s particular interests. All adjustments will be discussed in class and it is your responsibility to stay on top of the reading schedule. January 11 Introduction to the Course January 13 Introduction to the Sources Holland: p. x-xii January 15 Post-Roman Britain Campbell: p. 8-19. Holland: The Ruin', p. 46-7, 49, 59-60. January 18 The Migration Period: The Written Record Campbell: p. 20-3, 26-7. Holland: p. 34-5, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, s.a. 449, p. 37 Online Medieval Sourcebook: Gildas, The Ruin of Britain, ch 23-26 - available online at: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/gildas.html January 20 The Migration Period: The Archaeological Record Campbell: p. 24-5, 27-31, 33-44. January 22 Beowulf & the Heroic Image Holland: Heroic Poems, p. 2-4; 'Deor', p. 7-8; 'The Finnesburh Fragment', p. 8; 'Waldere', p. 9-11; Beowulf, p. 70-154. January 25 Kingdom Formation Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Book 2, Chapter 5, esp paragraph 1 http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/bede-book2.asp January 27 Archaeology of Power Campbell: p. 32-3 and figures 64, 69, 70, 77. British Museum: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights.aspx Once on that page search Sutton Hoo and browse through the material BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/stoke/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8352000/8352927.stm Page 2 of 8
January 29 The Conversion of the English Campbell: p. 45-6, 48-9. Holland: p. 156-7, 178-81; King Edwin's Council, p. 156-60; Letter from Pope Gregory, p. 182. February 1 Christianisation of the Kingdoms Campbell: p. 53-69, 95-100. Holland: Laws & Trial by Ordeal, p. 24-9; Land Grant p. 253, 255-6. February 3 Growth of the English Church Campbell: 46-53, 70-93. Holland: 157-8, Cuthbert's Death, p. 163-72; Caedmon's vision, p. 161-3; Letter from Boniface, p. 182-3; Caedmon's Hymn, p. 197. British Library, Pinnacle of Anglo-Saxon Art, http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html February 5 The Age of Bede Campbell: p. 93-100. Holland: 157-8, 178-81; Bede on Himself, p. 173-5; Letter from Cuthbert, p. 184-5; Bede's Death Song, p. 205. Bede, The Reckoning of Time, Ch 32 (A version of this is available through Google books. Try p. 91ff). February 8 Dominance of Mercia Campbell: p. 101-29. Holland: Letter from Charlemagne to Offa, 189-91 February 10 The Growth of Wessex Holland: Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, s.a. 757, p. 35, 37-39. February 12 Midterm February 15-19 Reading Week, no classes, office hours by appointment or chance February 22 Early Viking Attacks Campbell: p. 132-149. Holland: Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, s.a.793, p.35-6, 39; Letter from Alcuin, p. 185-88; 'Passion of St Edmund', p.211-212, 228-233. February 24 King Alfred's Defence and the Creation of the Danelaw Campbell: p. 149-155. Holland: Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, s.a. 871, p. 35-6, 39-40; s.a. 878, p. 40-1; Life of Alfred, p. 208-10, 213-218 (esp chs 37-9); Will of King Alfred, p. 252-3, 262-6. February 26 The Court of King Alfred Campbell: p. 130-1, 155-9, see also figures from that chapter. Holland: Life of Alfred, p. 213-218 (esp chs 22, 23, 76, 88, 91); Preface to St Gregory's 'Pastoral Care', p. 209-10, 218-220; Explorations, Ohthere and Wulfstan, p. 62-8. Page 3 of 8
February 29 Gender Roles Campbell: p. 106-1. Holland: p. 47-9, 252-4; 'Wife's Lament', p. 56-7; 'The Husband's Message', p. 57-8; 'Wulf', p. 59; Estate Memorandum, p. 252-3, 257-61; Marriage Agreement, p. 261-2; Manumission, p. 262. March 2 Lady Æthelflæd, Edward the Elder & the Reconquest of England Campbell: p. 160-4. English Historical Documents, vol. 1: #99 Charter about fortifications at Worcester (S223), p. 540-1 March 4 The children of Edward the Elder: Æthelstan Campbell: 164-5, 166-181. Holland: 'The Battle of Brunanburh', p. 5-6, 19-21; Letter from Radbrod to King Æthelstan, p. 181, 191-2. March 7 The Children of Edward the Elder: Edmund the Elder & Eadred Campbell: p. 166-7 March 9 The Triumph of Edgar the Peaceable Campbell: p. 204-5. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, s.a. 973 March 11 St Dunstan, St Æthelwold, St Oswald & the Benedictine Reform Campbell: p. 181-191. English Historical Documents, vol. 1: #238, An Old English account of King Edgar s establishment of monasteries March 14 The Late Saxon Cultural Achievements Holland, everyone reads: p. 46-9, 194-6, 280-2; 'Dream of the Rood', p. 200-204; 'Fortunes of Men', p. 302-6. *** sign up on Acorn *** Select and read one from each group: Group A: 'Wanderer', p. 50-3; 'Seafarer', p. 53-6; Advent Lyrics, p. 197-200; Group B: 'The Phoenix', p. 283-5; 'The Panther', p. 285-6; 'The Whale', p. 287-9. March 16 Edward the Martyr: the Historiography of a Murdered King Campbell: p. 192-3. Holland: 'The Sermon of the Wolf to the English People', p. 292-3, & the middle of page 296. English Historical Documents, vol. 1: #236 Life of St Oswald, p. 911-917 March 18 Æthelred the Unready Campbell: p. 193-199. Holland: 'The Battle of Maldon', p. 4-6, 11-19. English Historical Document, vol. 1: #126, Will of Ælfric of Canterbury (S1488), p. 589-590; # 127 King Æthelred to St. Frideswide (S909), p. 590-593 March 21 Æthelred the Unready Campbell: p. 193-9, 200-201 Holland: 'The Sermon of the Wolf to the English People', p. 292-9. Page 4 of 8
March 23 Medicine and Education Campbell: p. 201-203, 206-7. Holland: Charms and Remedies, p. 268-77; 'Colloquy', p. 211, 220-7; Riddles, p. 236-50. AncientBiotics, The University of Nottingham: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2015/march/ancientbiotics---a-medieval-remedy-formodern-day-superbugs.aspx March 25 Good Friday, no classes March 28 The Reign of Cnut Campbell: p. 207-213. Holland: Cnut's Letter to the English People, p. 25, 29-31. March 30 The Sons of Cnut Campbell: p. 214-21. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, s.a. 1037 April 1 The Reign of Edward the Confessor Campbell: p. 221-33. April 4 Late Anglo-Saxon Queenship: Edith and Emma Selections from primary sources and Pauline Stafford available through Acorn April 6 1066: The Death of Anglo-Saxon England Campbell: p. 234-5. Holland: Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, s.a. 1066, p. 41-43. April 8 The Aftermath of the Norman Conquest Campbell: p. 233, 236-46. Holland: 'Durham', p. 204. April 11 Catch up and Review Description of Assignments **** General Instructions, Referencing, and Format: All papers must be properly referenced using Turabian style footnotes and bibliographies. You may not cite class lectures. You may not use Wikipedia or other non-specialist websites. If you have questions about acceptable web resources, come see me. All assignments must use both primary and secondary sources. Please double space your papers, use a font like 12pt Times New Roman, use 2.54cm margins, and number your pages. At the beginning of all papers, I want to see a title, my name, the course name and the course number, the word count, and your name. Your name is to be on the right hand side of the first page. Word counts include everything except the bibliography. If you are having problems with any assignment, please come see me during office hours. Page 5 of 8
Class participation: You are expected to come to class and to do the readings for each class. You will be marked on oral participation and written work done during class in groups and/or as individuals. You will also be given marks for contributing to discussions on Acorn. If required, I will impose a more formal structure on the oral component. Criteria for marking include sophistication and completeness of ideas, originality of thought, knowledge of material covered and ability to present the material clearly. Poor attendance can lead to failing participation marks. Option 1 Essays: In this course you will be writing three short essays on topics of your choice. While writing these you will be thinking about different ways to approach history. One essay will focus on a person (or an aspect of a person), one on an event(s) and one on an idea. All must be argumentative essays (i.e. no basic biographies). You may do these in any order you choose, but you must specify which you are doing on the title page. There may be some overlap in the research, but all three must be distinct papers. Each paper must be 1000-1300 words long. You will be graded on content, argument and style. As you work, concentrate on creating a strong thesis statement and backing up your ideas with evidence from primary sources. English Historical Documents, vol 1, by Dorothy Whitelock, is a great place to start looking for primary sources. It has a good selection and our library has both a hardcopy and a digital version. You must also use a good variety of secondary sources, including both monographs and articles. You will also use the Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Its call number is DA152.B578 2001 and it is kept in the reference section. I advise creating very tight topics. It is easier to write a short paper on a focussed topic rather than on a broad topic. Option 2 Essays: You will be writing two short essays on topics of your choice. While writing these you will be thinking about different ways to approach history. You will do two of the following: a person (or an aspect of a person), an event(s) or an idea. All must be argumentative essays (i.e. no basic biographies). You may do these in any order you choose, but you must specify which you are doing on the title page. There may be some overlap in the research, but all three must be distinct papers. Each paper must be 1000-1500 words long. You will be graded on content, argument and style. As you work, concentrate on creating a strong thesis statement and backing up your ideas with evidence from primary sources. English Historical Documents, vol 1, by Dorothy Whitelock, is a great place to start looking for primary sources. It has a good selection and our library has both a hardcopy and a digital version. You must also use a good variety of secondary sources, including both monographs and articles. You will also use the Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Its call number is DA152.B578 2001 and it is kept in the reference section. I advise creating very tight topics. Is it easier to write a short paper on a focussed topic rather than on a broad topic. Option 2 Alternative format research project : Whereas in Marking Scheme Option 1, there are three essays, in Marking Scheme Option 2, the third assignment format is to be determined through a discussion between individual students and me. For each, we will create a contract before January 18 at 3:30. For example, you may choose to do an oral presentation on a specific topic, to be scheduled in the appropriate time within the course lecture schedule. You might think about doing a visual display or organising an event. All assignments must involve primary and secondary source research and proper referencing. I have some ideas and would be happy to talk during office hours. Page 6 of 8
Midterm: The midterm will take place in class on the date listed above. It will include short answer, primary source and essay questions. It may cover any of the material in your assigned readings and anything discussed in class. Final Exam: The exam will take place during the exam period. The first section of the exam will similar to the midterm and will be on material covered after the cut off for the second midterm. The second section will cover material from the whole term and will include primary source (seen and unseen) and essay questions. It may cover any of the material in your assigned readings and anything discussed in class. Policies Late Assignments: All late assignments will be penalised one letter step per day. If the paper is one week late, it will receive a maximum value of 50%. Late papers will be marked after papers which were received on time and it is possible that they will not be returned until the end of term. Furthermore, late papers might not receive as detailed comments as papers which were submitted on time. I stamp all hardcopies with date on which I receive them and that is the only date that counts. If you have a legitimate reason for not being able to hand in work on time, please contact me as soon as you can and attach documentation to the assignment when you submit it. Class Attendance: The best way to succeed in this course is to come to class. There is a participation mark in this course and if you are not in class, you are not participating. Computer Usage: I expect all students to check their university email on a regular basis. This course makes use of Acorn for discussions, some assignments, updates and the like. Please note: I will not post lectures online. Websites of special interest: http://ebeowulf.uky.edu/ http://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/britain_from_antiquity_through_1065 http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~cpercy/hell/oldenglish/ http://omacl.org/ http://projects.oucs.ox.ac.uk/woruldhord/index.html http://www.anglo-saxon.net/penance/?p=index http://www.aschart.kcl.ac.uk/index.html http://www.ascluster.org/index.html http://www.ascorpus.ac.uk / http://www.earlyenglishlaws.ac.uk/ http://www.esawyer.org.uk/about/index.html http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html http://www.kemble.asnc.cam.ac.uk/node/3 http://www.langscape.org.uk/index.html http://www.pase.ac.uk/index.html https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu/labyrinth/categories/english-old/ Contact Information My email address and office number are given at the beginning of this syllabus. If you send an email, please include your full name and the course number. I never check email in the evenings or on the weekends. You are encouraged to visit the office during my posted office hours and I am happy to arrange to meet you at other times. You may post questions of general interest on Acorn. Page 7 of 8
Accessibility Learning Services: If you are a student with a documented disability who anticipates needing accommodations, please inform Kathy O Rourke (902-585-1823) in Accessible Learning Services, Fountain Commons, Lower Level. disability.access@acadiau.ca The Writing Centre offers free help to all students wishing to improve their writing skills. You can sign up online today: To book a one-to-one appointment with a writing tutor, click here: writingcentre.acadiau.ca/writing-tutorials.html To see which helpful presentations and workshops you can attend this year, click here: writingcentre.acadiau.ca/workshops-and-presentations.html Plagiarism: The University s policy on academic integrity, cheating and plagiarism can be found in the Calendar. It includes the following definitions: 1) Cheating is copying or the use of unauthorized aids or the intentional falsification or invention of information in any academic exercise. 2) Plagiarism is the act of presenting the ideas or words of another as one s own. Students are required to acknowledge and document the sources of ideas that they use in their written work. 3) Self plagiarism is also a form of plagiarism. It is the presentation of the same work in more than one course without the permission of the instructors involved. 4) A student who knowingly helps another to commit an act of academic dishonesty is equally guilty. 5) Penalties are levied in relation to the degree of the relevant infraction. They range from requiring the student to re-do the piece of work, through failure on that piece of work, to failure in the course, and to dismissal from the university. See the Calendar for more on procedures concerning infractions. The Library has a helpful tutorial on plagiarism. It can be found at http://library.acadiau.ca/tutorials/plagiarism/. CFUW Award - $2000 The Canadian Federation of University Women Award is offered annually for projects related to gender undertaken by any Acadia undergraduate student (i.e., you don't have to be a Women's & Gender Studies student to apply). The requirements for these projects are very broad, and they can be presented in a variety of media, but they are generally a major assignment for an undergraduate class in the current academic year (not including an Honours Thesis). Full details are available on the WGS website at http://womenstudies.acadiau.ca/cfuw_award.html, and the contact for further information is Gillian.poulter@acadiau.ca. Page 8 of 8