Overview

Exemplary Syllabus

Topics covered may broadly include the following (rough chronological order given, though actual style and order of presentation will vary).

What is ‘Celtic’?
The archaeological and historical origins, and outline of course.

Where do the Celtic languages come from?
The linguistic origins of Continental and Insular Celtic languages (including whether the ‘Celtic’ languages are really Celtic); the two main branches of Insular (Brythonic and Goedelic), the earliest linguistic evidence (inscriptions, place-names, etc, including the Ogham alphabet), and the periodization of the surviving Celtic languages.

Gods of the Celts
A consideration of the ‘mythology’ of the Celtic peoples of Britain and Ireland, considering archaeological and literary evidence, the latter mainly from the medieval prose legends of Wales and Ireland. We will have the opportunity, this week and the next, also to consider how British ‘mythology’ gave rise to the figure of King Arthur.

Heroes of the Celts The medieval literature of Wales and Ireland, from the heroic tales of the Ulster Cycle to the bardic poetry praising kings, princes and warbands. We shall also have the opportunity to consider modern retellings of medieval narratives, and question this aspect of contemporary ‘Celtic’ identity.

The Anglo-Norman Conquest of Ireland and Wales. We all know of 1066, and we think of it as the date of the ‘Norman Conquest’, but Ireland wasn’t settled by the Normans until 1170 (and only then partially), and Wales fell finally in 1282. What was the cultural effect of these conquests, and what part do they play in the modern consciousness. We shall consider, for example, the symbolic role of the ‘Prince of Wales’, and the various cultural reappropriations of sovereignty.

Field Trip 1: Halls of Princes and castles of Kings. We shall travel to some of the most interesting buildings in the surrounding area. We will see the recently excavated remains of one of the halls of the medieval Welsh princes, destroyed as a result of the conquest of 1282. We shall also explore and understand not only the physical importance of Anglo-Norman King Edward’s ‘Iron Ring’ of castles, but also their symbolic role. Caernarfon Castle, for example, built in the shadow of the Roman fort of Segontium, was designed to echo the Imperial power of Constantinople, as Edward symbolically declared himself leader of a new Empire. We will have the opportunity to consider how landscapes as well as mentalities are shaped by conquest and colonisation.

The Celtic Revival
Having surveyed the centuries of colonisation (including the profound changes introduced by the Tudor dynasty of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Elisabeth I) we consider the new forces of national revival that make themselves known in the politics and culture of the early twentieth century. Key to this is the Celtic Revival with figures such as the poet W.B. Yeats in Ireland, and T. Gwynn Jones in Wales reaching back into the legendary past to remake the old stories. We shall also consider the remarkable character of Iolo Morganwg, who created much of what we recognise in the modern Eisteddfod.

‘The death of the Celtic languages’?
The twentieth century has seen severe decline in the number speaking all the Celtic languages. What are the causes of this, and how have communities and institutions rallied to keep the languages and cultures vital? We shall consider especially the 1960s, when language rights became the Celtic equivalent of civil rights, and protest led to widespread legal changes. Connected with this are issues of language planning and sociolinguistics, as practiced in Wales and Ireland; we shall have the chance to consider also the Celtic languages spoken in the Americas, from Scottish Gaelic in Nova Scotia, to Welsh in Patagonia.

Where are we today?
Language and culture in the Celtic countries, in a European and global context. This will give us a chance to think further about the social, political and ideological forces driving the fate of the Celtic languages. We shall also give more thought to the importance of different modes of cultural production.

Field Trip 2

Is there a Celtic future?
Marshalling all our information, we shall think as broadly as possible about what the word ‘Celtic’ means to us now, and think about the preservation and development of minority languages and cultures in a global context.

Exemplary Syllabus

Topics covered weekly may include the following, though order and presentation will vary.

What is ‘Celtic’?
The archaeological and historical origins, and outline of course.

Where do the Celtic languages come from?
The linguistic origins of Continental and Insular Celtic languages (including whether the ‘Celtic’ languages are really Celtic); the two main branches of Insular (Brythonic and Goedelic), the earliest linguistic evidence (inscriptions, place-names, etc, including the Ogham alphabet), and the periodization of the surviving Celtic languages.

Gods of the Celts
A consideration of the ‘mythology’ of the Celtic peoples of Britain and Ireland, considering archaeological and literary evidence, the latter mainly from the medieval prose legends of Wales and Ireland. We will have the opportunity, this week and the next, also to consider how British ‘mythology’ gave rise to the figure of King Arthur.

Heroes of the Celts The medieval literature of Wales and Ireland, from the heroic tales of the Ulster Cycle to the bardic poetry praising kings, princes and warbands. We shall also have the opportunity to consider modern retellings of medieval narratives, and question this aspect of contemporary ‘Celtic’ identity.

The Anglo-Norman Conquest of Ireland and Wales. We all know of 1066, and we think of it as the date of the ‘Norman Conquest’, but Ireland wasn’t settled by the Normans until 1170 (and only then partially), and Wales fell finally in 1282. What was the cultural effect of these conquests, and what part do they play in the modern consciousness. We shall consider, for example, the symbolic role of the ‘Prince of Wales’, and the various cultural reappropriations of sovereignty.

Field Trip 1: Halls of Princes and castles of Kings. We shall travel to some of the most interesting buildings in the surrounding area. We will see the recently excavated remains of one of the halls of the medieval Welsh princes, destroyed as a result of the conquest of 1282. We shall also explore and understand not only the physical importance of Anglo-Norman King Edward’s ‘Iron Ring’ of castles, but also their symbolic role. Caernarfon Castle, for example, built in the shadow of the Roman fort of Segontium, was designed to echo the Imperial power of Constantinople, as Edward symbolically declared himself leader of a new Empire. We will have the opportunity to consider how landscapes as well as mentalities are shaped by conquest and colonisation.

The Celtic Revival
Having surveyed the centuries of colonisation (including the profound changes introduced by the Tudor dynasty of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Elisabeth I) we consider the new forces of national revival that make themselves known in the politics and culture of the early twentieth century. Key to this is the Celtic Revival with figures such as the poet W.B. Yeats in Ireland, and T. Gwynn Jones in Wales reaching back into the legendary past to remake the old stories. We shall also consider the remarkable character of Iolo Morganwg, who created much of what we recognise in the modern Eisteddfod.

‘The death of the Celtic languages’?
The twentieth century has seen severe decline in the number speaking all the Celtic languages. What are the causes of this, and how have communities and institutions rallied to keep the languages and cultures vital? We shall consider especially the 1960s, when language rights became the Celtic equivalent of civil rights, and protest led to widespread legal changes. Connected with this are issues of language planning and sociolinguistics, as practiced in Wales and Ireland; we shall have the chance to consider also the Celtic languages spoken in the Americas, from Scottish Gaelic in Nova Scotia, to Welsh in Patagonia.

Where are we today?
Language and culture in the Celtic countries, in a European and global context. This will give us a chance to think further about the social, political and ideological forces driving the fate of the Celtic languages. We shall also give more thought to the importance of different modes of cultural production.

Field Trip 2
We shall visit a contemporary Welsh-language cultural event, not only to enjoy the performance, but also to reflect on it in the light of our previous ideas.

Is there a Celtic future?
Marshalling all our information, we shall think as broadly as possible about what the word ‘Celtic’ means to us now, and think about the preservation and development of minority languages and cultures in a global context.

Assessment Strategy

-threshold -(D) Work shows evidence of an acceptable minimum of reading, based partly on lecture notes and/or a basic textbook; covers some of the necessary ground but fails to discuss some large and vital aspects of a topic; deploys some relevant material but partly fails to combine it into a coherent whole or sustains a clear argument for only some parts of the piece; deploys some evidence to support individual points but often fails to do so or shows difficulty weighing evidence or chooses unreliable, atypical or inappropriate evidence; shows some awareness that the past can be interpreted in different ways but the differences will not receive sustained discussion or analysis; is often correctly presented but has sections where there are serious difficulties in presentation, style, spelling, grammar, or paragraph construction (but see section on dyslexia below); and uses references and bibliography where needed but sometimes misunderstands their appropriate use or makes serious mistakes in their presentation.

-good -(B) Work is based on solid reading; covers the necessary ground in depth and detail; advances a well-structured, relevant, and focused argument; analyses and deploys an appropriate range of historical and/or archaeological evidence and considers possible differences of interpretation; and is correctly presented with references and bibliography where appropriate.

-excellent -(A) First-class work will have its argument supported by an impressive wealth and relevance of detail. It will usually also demonstrate an acute awareness of relevant discourses, and give an impressive account of why the conclusions reached are important within a particular debate. It may show a particularly subtle approach to possible objections, moderating the line taken in the light of counter-examples, or producing an interesting synthesis of various contrasting positions. Overall, the standards of content, argument, and analysis expected will be consistently superior to top upper-second work. In essays and dissertations standards of presentation will be high.

-another level-(C) Work shows evidence of solid reading, but remains superficial; covers most of the important aspects of the relevant field, but lacks depth; advances a coherent and largely relevant argument; employs some limited evidence to back its points; and is presented reasonably well with only limited mistakes. It will also contain appropriate references and bibliography, which may, however, contain some mistakes or be slightly erratic and/or partially insufficient.

Learning Outcomes

• Appreciate the relationship of the Celtic languages to each other and other European languages

• Be aware of the nature of the medieval literary cultures of Wales and Ireland

• Be aware of various factors causing pressures to minoritised languages and cultures globally

• Understand how the term 'Celtic' has been variously used through the centuries.

• Understand the general historical processes that have led to the decline of the Celtic languages