Syl Lab Us Celtic Fall 2013

7/30/2019 Syl Lab Us Celtic Fall 2013

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PURPOSE AND CONTENT:Throughout the ages, the Celts have been one of the most enduring and

influential peoples on history and society; yet, the Celts are often disregarded asperipheral, and are usually only superficially treated in discussions of European

history. In this course, we will discuss the history of the Celtic peoples in theIron Age, the Roman period, and the early histories of Ireland, Scotland, andWales in the Medieval period. While Celtic history admittedly suffers from a

lack of reliable narrative accounts, the medieval Celtic nations do possess one ofthe richest traditions of surviving literature, law, and poetry in all of Europe.

This material offers exceptional insight into medieval Celtic culture, which willalso be investigated in this course.

Student Learning Outcomes:Students who complete this course will be able to demonstrate the following: Students will gain a broad familiarity with the history of the Celtic peoples

from the Iron Age up to the Norman period. Students will understand how different historians have debated and analyzed

elements of Celtic Studies. Students will be able to critically analyze primary and secondary resources. Students will improve their writing, reading, and discussion skills.

HIS 3930

Celtic HistoryINSTRUCTOR: Dr. Jennifer Knight

SOC 152Mondays & Wednesdays, 2:00-3:15

Instructors Office: SOC 262Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 3:30-4:30

and by appointment

Office Phone: 974-6177e-mail: [email protected]

T.A.: Justin Fewless [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING:Mid-term Examination: 25%Final Examination: 30%Response Papers: 15%

Term Paper: 20%Attendance and Participation: 10%

Grading Policy Grading scale: A+ = 97-100; A = 93-96.9; A- = 90-92.9; B+ = 87-89.9;

B = 83-86.9; B- = 80-82.9; C+ = 77-79.9; C = 73-76.9; C- = 70-72.9; D+= 67-69.9; D = 60-66.9; F =


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UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY:Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as literary theft and consists of theunattributed quotation of the exact words of a published text, or the unattributedborrowing of original ideas by paraphrase from a published text. On writtenpapers for which the student employs information gathered from books, articles,

web sites, or oral sources, each direct quotation, as well as ideas and facts thatare not generally known to the public at large, or the form, structure, or style of asecondary source must be attributed to its author by means of the appropriatecitation procedure. Only widely known facts and first-hand thoughts andobservations original to the student do not require citations. Citations may bemade in footnotes or within the body of the text. Plagiarism also consists ofpassing off as ones own segments or the total of another persons work.Cheating: Cheating is defined as follows: (a) the unauthorized granting orreceiving of aid during the prescribed period of a course-graded exercise:students may not consult written materials such as notes or books, may not look

at the paper of another student, nor consult orally with any other student takingthe same test; (b) asking another person to take an examination in his/her place;(c) taking an examination for or in place of another student; (d) stealing visualconcepts, such as drawings, sketches, diagrams, musical programs and scores,graphs, maps, etc., and presenting them as ones own; (e) stealing, borrowing,buying, or disseminating tests, answer keys or other examination material exceptas officially authorized, research papers, creative papers, speeches, other gradedassignments, etc. (f) Stealing or copying of computer programs and presentingthem as ones own. Such stealing includes the use of another students program,as obtained from the magnetic media or interactive terminals or from cards,

print-out paper, etc.The University of South Florida has an account with an automated plagiarismdetection service which allows instructors to submit student assignments to bechecked for plagiarism. I reserve the right to submit assignments to this detectionsystem. Assignments are compared automatically with a huge database ofjournal articles, web articles, and previously submitted papers. The instructorreceives a report showing exactly how a student's paper was plagiarized.Punishment Guidelines: The student who submitted the subject paper, labreport, etc., shall receive an F with a numerical value of zero on the itemsubmitted, and the F shall be used to determine the final course grade. It is the

option of the instructor to assign the student a grade of F or FF (the latterindicating dishonesty) in the course.Student Academic Grievance Procedures -http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0708/arcsagp.htm
http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0708/arcsagp.htmhttp://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0708/arcsagp.htmhttp://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0708/arcsagp.htm


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NOTE: Tape recording of lectures is not permitted except in extenuatingcircumstances and with the prior permission of the instructor. Materials fromthis course such as tape recordings, lecture notes, and handouts may not beoffered for resale.

Students with disabilities are responsible for registering with Students withDisabilities Services in order to receive academic accommodations. SDSencourages students to notify instructors of accommodation needs at least 5business days prior to needing the accommodation. A letter from SDS mustaccompany this request.

REQUIRED BOOKS:Patrick K. Ford, trans. & ed., The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales.

University of California Press, 2008

Thomas Kinsella, The Tin. Oxford, 2002(earlier publications of these texts are acceptable, but the editor/translator mustremain the same.)

The majority of readings for this course will be posted to Canvas.

The Mabinogi and The Tin should be read throughout the course and completedby 10/16 and 10/23, respectively.

A NOTE ON READING ASSIGNMENTS: The reading assignments are

intended to supplement and prepare you for each weeks meeting, but are not asubstitute for attending class. I will assume that you have done the relevantreading before coming to lecture. Above all, you need to be aware that thereadings and class lectures are both equally important to your success in thisclass, and in ensuring that you get the most out of the time you are investinghere. Further, I will expect you to display familiarity with the themes in thereading in your papers and examinations.


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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES:(provisional and subject to change)

WEEK I - Introduction and Understanding Celticity

Monday 8/26- Introduction, Review of Syllabus, Class Expectations

Wednesday 8/28- What is a Celt? :The Celticity DebateReading assignment:

Patrick Sims-Williams, Celtomania vs. Celtoscepticism,pp. 1-15, 33-35.Miranda Green, Who were the Celts?pp. 3-7.

WEEK II - The Celtic Iron Age

Monday 9/2 - Labor Day Holiday, no class

Wednesday 9/4 - Hallstatt CultureReading assignment:

Barry Cunliffe, Barbarian Europe and the Mediterranean,pp. 47-67

WEEK III - The Iron Age, continued

Monday 9/9- La Tne CultureReading assignment:

Barry Cunliffe, The Migrations 400-200 BC,pp. 68-90.

Wednesday9/11- Celtic Britain

Reading Assignment:Nora Chadwick La Tne Art in Britain and Ireland,pp.233-258


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Week IV - Celtic Paganism & Roman Gaul

Monday 9/16- Celtic PaganismReading assignment:

Miranda Green, The Gods and the Supernatural, pp. 465-

488` Proinsias Mac Cana, Mythology and the Oral Tradition,

Ireland,pp.779-784Sioned Davies, Mythology and the Oral Tradition, Walespp. 785-791Classical Sources on the Druids, selections

Wednesday 9/18- Roman GaulReading assignment:

Julius Caesar The Conquest of Gaul, selections

Gardner, The Gallic Menace in Caesars Propaganda,pp.181-189

Week V Roman Britain and the Boudiccan Rebellion

Monday 9/23- Roman Britain & collapse of the EmpireReading assignment:

Tacitus, Speeches of Calgacus and Agricola

Hobbs and Jackson,Roman Britian,

selectionsWednesday 9/25- The Boudiccan Rebellion: Film Warrior Queen

Reading assignment:Christoph Bulst, The revolt of Queen Boudicca inA.D. 60,pp. 496-509

Week VI Boudicca, continued

Monday 9/30- Discussion, Image vs. Reality

Reading assignment:Boudicca in the ancient authors, selections

Assignment Due: Response Paper on Boudicca (2-3 pages)


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Wednesday 10/2- Celtic WomenReading assignment:

Fergus Kelly, Law of Persons: Woman,pp. 68-90; 134-37Lisa Bitel, Do Not Marry the Fat Short One: The Early IrishWisdom on Women, pp. 137-159

WEEK VII Midterm Exam

Monday 10/7- Midterm Review

Wednesday 10/9- Midterm Exam

WEEK VIII- Wales

Monday 10/14- Political History of WalesReading Assignment:

John Davies, A History of Wales.Chapter 3 Dinas Powys, Catraeth and LlantwitMajor, pp. 44-66Chapter 4 Aberffraw, Dinefwr and Mathrafal, pp.80-101

Wednesday 10/16- Early Welsh Literature and CultureReading Assignment:

Please have The Mabinogi read by this date

WEEK IX - Ireland, Political History, part 1 and Early Irish Literature

Monday 10/21- Ireland before the VikingsReading Assignment:

Dibh Crinn, Early Medieval IrelandChapter 2 Kingdoms, Peoples, and Politics, AD400-800, pp. 41-62

Wednesday 10/23- Early Irish LiteratureReading Assignment:

Please have The Tin read by this date


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WEEK X - Saints and Samhain

Monday 10/28- SaintsReading Assignment:

Kim McCone, An Introduction to Early Irish Saints Lives,

selectionsAssignment Due: Response Paper on society in the sagas (2-3pages)

Wednesday 10/30- Samhain!!A fun class meeting for the Celtic festival of Fall when theboundaries between this world and the sd are at their weakest

WEEK XI - Saints and Celtic Christianity

Monday 11/4- Video: In Search of Ancient Ireland: SaintsReading Assignment:

Charlie Doherty, The Problem of Patrick, pp. 15-18

Wednesday 11/6 Early Christian IrelandReading Assignment:

Kathleen Hughes and John Bannerman, The Church andthe World in Early Christian Ireland,pp. 99-116

WEEK XII - Ireland, Political History, Part 2

Monday 11/11- Veterans Day Holiday- no class

Wednesday 11/13- From Viking invasions to the coming of the NormansReading Assignment:

Dibh Crinn, Chapter 9 The Viking Age, pp. 233-269Clare Downham, The Battle of Clontarf in Irish History andLegend,pp. 19-23


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WEEK XIII - Scotland: Political History:

Monday 11/18- The Northern Mosaic and the formation of Alba

Wednesday 11/20- Video:A History of Scotland

Reading Assignment (for the week):Thomas Owen Clancy & Barbara Crawford, The Formationof the Scottish Kingdom,pp. 28-70.

WEEK XIV - Society

Monday 11/25- Law, Justice, Kingship, and SocietyReading Assignment:Fergus Kelly,A Guide to Early Irish Law, pp. 1-38

Wednesday 11/27: Whos kidding who? No one is coming today.Have a nice Thanksgiving ;-)

WEEK XV - The Celt in the Modern World:

Monday 12/2 Where are they now?: The Celt in the Modern WorldReading Assignment:

Philip OLeary, What Stalked through the Post Office?:Pearse's C Chulainn, pp. 21-31Glanville Price, The Celtic Languages Today, pp. 804-813

Wednesday 12/4 - Review for Final Exam

Assignment Due: Term Paper (5-7 pages)

FINAL EXAM: Wednesday, December 11, 3:005:00pm , SOC 152

Documents

Syl Lab Us Celtic Fall 2013