The 'Celts' are any of those peoples of Europe who speak or spoke a Celtic language. By the Iron Age the Celtic peoples were spread across Europe and across the course of millennia have given rise to a number of European nations and cultures-including the Irish, the Welsh and the Bretons. This unit explores definitions of the Celts, examining their history and development, and provides an overview of their languages.

Finding the Celts in History from c.500 B.C. to the present raises issues of the extent of invasion or migration that has occurred in the past and its role in cultural change, indeed the very nature of cultural change itself. These will be addressed from written sources, material remains and genetic evidence. While this unit stands on its own, its topics have been carefully selected to allow students who have done CLST2601 to explore further the Celtic world.

The Welsh language has one of the oldest literary traditions in Europe. This unit will introduce students to this culture by providing them with the basic structure and vocabulary of the language, with an emphasis on the acquisition of oral and written skills of communication through functionally oriented language activities. The language will be studied in the context of Welsh history, literature and society.

This unit will examine key topics in the history of Scottish self-awareness from the Picts to the early modern period. We will consider the many diverse origins of Scotland's regional cultures, Scotland's part in the European Enlightenment, and relations between highlands, islands and lowlands in shaping identities in the wider Gaelic world.

The Scottish Gaelic language has a very old literary tradition. This unit will introduce students to this culture by providing them with the basic structure and vocabulary of the language, with an emphasis on the acquisition of oral and written skills of communication through functionally oriented language activities. The language will be studied in the context of Scottish history, literature and society.

This unit looks closely at one of the most influential narrative types in early Celtic literature. We will examine a series of texts (in translation) and place them in the context of early Irish and Welsh conceptions of cosmology, landscape and pilgrimage: including stories of the Tuatha Dé Danann; Saints Brendan and Fursey, and the Mabinogi tales.

In this unit students will apply advanced methods of language-learning, sociolinguistics and literary criticism to the understanding of Modern Welsh Language and Culture. Students will analyse the most influential theories, historical and contemporary, about the role of Modern Welsh in contemporary Welsh society. They will evaluate ways that the language has interacted with other cultures in modern times. Students will learn how to apply their understanding of Modern Welsh Language and Culture to the social and political challenges of today.

In this unit students will apply advanced methods of language-learning, sociolinguistics and literary criticism to the understanding of Scottish Gaelic Language and Culture. Students will analyse the most influential theories, historical and contemporary, about the role of Scottish Gaelic in contemporary Scottish society. They will evaluate ways that the language has interacted with other cultures in modern times. Students will learn how to apply their understanding of Scottish Gaelic Language and Culture to the social and political challenges of today.

Middle Welsh was the language spoken and written in Wales in the Middle Ages (from about the 12th to the 14th Century). The most famous text surviving in Middle Welsh is the Mabinogion, a compilation of mythical and legendary material often of much earlier date. In this unit students will develop a knowledge of Middle Welsh grammar and vocabulary and learn to read and interpret texts in Middle Welsh.

Old Irish was the language spoken and written in Ireland in the early Middle Ages, and is preserved in a range of records, from Ogham stones to manuscripts. In this unit students will develop a knowledge of Old Irish grammar and vocabulary, and learn to read texts in Old Irish. It will also provide a basic introduction to the development of the Irish language in its early historic context, with reference to examples from inscriptions, manuscripts and the different genres of literature.

Honours is an intensive year-long program of advanced study based around research. Honours is undertaken after successful completion of a Bachelor degree and where the overall mark is a minimum credit average (70%). Entry into Honours is selective and work at this level is challenging. Honours is available in most subjects areas taught in the Faculty, and which are listed under Tables A and B in the Handbook. Students will complete a thesis and coursework seminars throughout the year. For further information contact the Honours Coordinator in the department or consult the Handbook entry for the relevant subject area.

Refer to CLST4011

Refer to CLST4011

Refer to CLST4011

Old English was the language of England from the fifth century until the twelfth. This earliest phase of the English literary tradition evolved against a background of cultural encounters: as the Anglo-Saxons encountered the culture of Rome, as they adopted and adapted the Christian religion, and as they reflected on their origins on the European continent. This unit introduces students to the language spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons, and presents the opportunity to translate and read Old English texts.

Students will study (in modern English translation) the literature of the peoples who lived in Britain in the Early Middle Ages -- Britons, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans. Lectures and tutorials will cover the literature, history, religion and language of these cultures, focusing on representations of the heroic ideal, as this is embodied in mythic, legendary and historical writing. Texts to be studied include Beowulf, The Wanderer, selections from the Edda, and early Arthurian material.

The legend of Camelot and King Arthur emerged from the so-called 'Dark Ages', and grew through imaginative storytelling to become one of the most enduring narratives of western literature. In this unit students will study a range texts which have developed the fantastic world of Camelot, from medieval texts in translation to recent adaptations and reconfigurations. Students will consider the legend's transformations across the tradition from its origins in the Middle Ages, through Romantic medievalism to the late 20th century.

This unit of study charts the development of Irish literature from the late nineteenth century to the present day, in the form of drama, short fiction, novels, poetry, biography and autobiography. Prominent themes include: the emergence of the modern Irish nation through resistance, civil war, and independence from Britain; Northern Ireland and the Troubles; expatriation and exile; wit and verbal dexterity; the fate of specifically "Celtic" sensibilities; and the relation of writing to history (ancient, colonial, the Famine, Republicanism).

The histories of Herodotus, Thucydides and Xenophon and the speeches of Antiphon, Andocides, Lysias, Isocrates, Demosthenes, Aeschines, Lycurgus, and Demades are our primary sources for the political and social history of Athens and Greece in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. This unit offers a close reading of historical and rhetorical texts and detailed analysis of the rhetorical and ideological construction of truth in Classical Athens. Language skills will continue to be tested and developed by periodic exercises in unseen translation.

This unit consolidates the knowledge of Latin acquired in LATN1601, LATN2621 or by advanced study of Latin at school. It involves both formal language study, including practice in unseen translation, and the close reading of a wide variety of shorter and extended extracts from Latin verse and prose texts. Increasing attention will be paid to the literary qualities, style, generic and socio-historical background of the texts, as well as to their grammar and syntax.

This unit develops skills in the literary study of Latin texts, and builds further on language knowledge and translation skills acquired in LATN2600. It will involve the close reading of classic works of Latin prose and/or poetry, to be advised in advance on the Department of Classics and Ancient History website. Attention will be paid to style, literary and narrative technique, and the generic and socio-historical background of the texts, as well as to the intricacies of grammar and syntax.

This unit provides senior-level students with the essential linguistic foundation to the study of the literature, culture, history and long legacy of the Latin-speaking world ruled by Rome. No previous knowledge of any foreign language is assumed and all grammatical concepts encountered will be explained. The unit introduces the basics of Latin through the study of grammar and, using a wide variety of short and longer readings from a range of Roman authors, provides an introduction to Latin literature.

This unit builds on the knowledge and skills acquired in LATN2620, enabling senior-level students to read more complex Latin texts. It concentrates particularly on reading skills and the syntax of the sentence, while also introducing further grammatical concepts and constructions. Grammatical knowledge is reinforced by translation from and into Latin, while reading skills are further consolidated through the study of a wide variety of longer extracts from Latin prose and verse texts.

The unit explores expressions of social identities and relationships through language, including the connection between social groups (e.g. gender, ethnicity, age) and language use. It familiarises students with theories that explore relationships between language and identity construction/perception. The unit also equips the students with the necessary tools to critically engage with and analyse the issues of language and identity in various contexts.