Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic
Bachelor's degree
In Cambridge
Description
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Type
Bachelor's degree
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Location
Cambridge
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Start date
Different dates available
Overview Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic at Cambridge A voyage of discovery The history and culture of Anglo-Saxon England, Celtic languages and literature, or Viking exploits – Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic (ASNC) allows you to explore a range of cultures, and to look at history, language and literature side by side. ASNC focuses on the history, material culture, languages and literature of the peoples of Britain, Ireland and the Scandinavian world in the earlier Middle Ages. ASNC students discover medieval history while learning one or more languages and reading great works of literature in the original languages, such as the Old English poem Beowulf, the epic medieval Irish tale Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley) and Icelandic sagas. Exactly which areas you study and to what depth is largely up to you, and to support your learning Cambridge has rare and exceptional resources to offer in the University Library, the College libraries, and in the Fitzwilliam and other museums. What are we looking for? No previous knowledge of the subject is expected or required; all languages are taught from scratch and we don’t assume that students have studied early medieval history or literature at school. However, we do require passion and commitment, and look for evidence of your general ability in arts and humanities subjects. Additional course costs There are no compulsory additional course costs for ASNC. Full course details are available on the Department of ASNC website and if you have any queries about resources/materials, please contact the Department (see fact file, right). Changing course A few students choose to transfer to another course after Part I. ASNC combines well, for example, with Part II of the History or English degree courses. After ASNC This unusual and challenging degree develops your powers of argument and sharpens your powers of analysis. It equips you for a wide range of careers where intellectual and...
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About this course
Entry Requirements Typical offers require A Level: A*AAIB: 40-41 points, with 776 at Higher Level For other qualifications, see our main Entrance requirements pages. Course requirements Required by all Colleges: no specific subjectsRequired by some Colleges: A Level/IB Higher Level in an essay-based subject All undergraduate admissions decisions are the responsibility of the Cambridge...
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Good University, thanks a lot, it was a great experience, I learned a lot.
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Course rating
Recommended
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Jennifer Ngai
Subjects
- IT
- English
- Irish
- Archaeology
- University
Course programme
Teaching is provided through lectures, classes, seminars and supervisions and you can expect between 10 and 15 hours of lectures and classes per week during Part I.
Years 1 and 2 (Part I) Year 1In the first year, you study the various disciplines which form the core of ASNC studies. There are no compulsory papers – you choose six subjects selected from a range of 10, and take an examination in four of them and departmental tests in the other two.
Historical subjects:- Anglo-Saxon history
- Scandinavian history
- Gaelic history (Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man)
- Brittonic history (Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, the Pictish kingdoms and the North Britons)
- Old English
- Old Norse
- medieval Welsh
- medieval Irish
- insular Latin
- palaeography (the study of manuscripts and handwriting)
In your second year, you may continue to study your chosen subjects and take an examination in all six of them. Alternatively, you have the option to replace up to three of your first-year subjects with a dissertation and/or one or two 'shared' papers (from related courses). Shared papers currently include subjects from Archaeology, English, and Modern and Medieval Languages.
Year 3 (Part II)This is where you develop and use the skills you learned in Part I, exploring your chosen fields and applying your newly acquired knowledge in original and imaginative ways.
You study four subjects selected from a range of 17 papers including, for example:
- The Conversion of Scandinavia
- Beowulf
- Advanced Medieval Irish Language and Literature
- Germanic Philology
These are designed to give you the opportunity to pursue more detailed study in your chosen areas. You may replace one of your four Part II ASNC papers with a shared paper (from another course). The range of subjects currently includes medieval English literature, medieval French literature, historical linguistics, North Sea archaeology, the archaeology of late antiquity and the migration period, and a subject from the Faculty of History. You may also replace one of your Part II subjects with a Part I paper that you didn’t offer for the examinations at the end of your second year.
In addition, you write a dissertation of between 9,000 and 12,000 words on a specific subject of your own choice within the scope of the course.
For further information about studying Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic at the University of Cambridge see the the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic website.
Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic