Hwæt! English looked a lot different 1000 years ago. Although it sounds “old,” the history of our language has everything to do with how we use English today. Old English and medieval culture are the bases for Tolkien’s Middle Earth, of course, but they are also often used in modern nationalist movements. Learn how to think about “origins” in accurate ways that honor the past without living in it. This course provides an introduction to Old English, the ancient ancestor of Modern English (as Latin is the ancient ancestor of Spanish and Italian, distinct from both). The focus of the course is on reading knowledge through grammar study and translation, and to a lesser extent on pronunciation. The course will provide basic parsing and translation skills and an introduction to the history, culture, and literature of early medieval Britain, as well as an introduction to the history of the English Language. Did you know that the word glamor comes from grammar? You will see why! Old English is a sequence, and Intermediate Old English I (Engl 4013) will be offered in the spring.

Introduces students to Old English, the ancient ancestor of Modern English (as Latin is the ancestor of Spanish and Italian, distinct from both). Course will focus on reading knowledge through grammar study and translation, and to a lesser extent on pronunciation. Provides basic parsing and translation skills and an introduction to the history, culture, and literature of early medieval Britain. Provides an introduction to grammar and to the history of the English language.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: 
Additional Information:Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: British Literature to 1660

Taught by Tiffany Beechy.

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Chaucer: Literature at (What Feels Like) the End of the World

The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was no stranger to crisis: he was born in the wake of the Black Death, the plague that killed about half of the population of Europe; and he lived through war with France, the Peasants’ Revolt, the deposing of a king, and religious conflict. In this course, we will explore Chaucer’s writings, not only for what he had to say about his own crises, but also for what he might help us understand about our own. We will approach his work as part of an ongoing conversation with the world around him and with other authors. To that end, we will read Dante’s Inferno together with Chaucer’s House of Fame; the anonymous Pearl with Chaucer’s Book of the Duchess; excerpts from William Langland’s Piers Plowman together with Chaucer’s great work, The Canterbury Tales. No previous knowledge of medieval literature is expected or required.

Selection of Chaucer's works, including The Canterbury Tales and other shorter poems. Includes an introduction to Middle English.

Requisites: Restricted to students with 27-180 credits (Sophomores, Juniors or Seniors) only.
Additional Information:Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: British Literature to 1660

Taught by Katie Little.

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Provides a chronological study of great figures and forces in English literature from Beowulf to 1660.

Additional Information: Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: British Literature to 1660

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Introduces students to Old English, the ancient ancestor of Modern English (as Latin is the ancestor of Spanish and Italian, distinct from both). Course will focus on reading knowledge through grammar study and translation, and to a lesser extent on pronunciation. Provides basic parsing and translation skills and an introduction to the history, culture, and literature of Anglo-Saxon England.

Additional Information:Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: British Literature to 1660

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Shakespeare's poetry and drama.

Requisites: Restricted to students with 27-180 credits (Sophomores, Juniors or Seniors) only.
Additional Information:Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: British Literature to 1660

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Selection of Chaucer's works, including The Canterbury Tales and other shorter poems. Includes an introduction to Middle English.

Requisites: Restricted to students with 27-180 credits (Sophomores, Juniors or Seniors) only.
Additional Information:Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: British Literature to 1660

Off

Provides a chronological study of great figures and forces in English literature from Beowulf to 1660.

Additional Information:Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: British Literature to 1660

Off