N.B. This Syllabus Subject to Change Check This Website Regularly

N.B. THIS SYLLABUS SUBJECT TO CHANGE--CHECK THIS WEBSITE REGULARLY!!

History 308 - Fall 2007

(T/Th 11-12.20, Thh 214)

Britain and Ireland to 1200

Prof. Lisa Bitel

office: SOS 282

office hours: Monday 10-12 and by appointment
email:
office telephone: 213-821-2150
webpage:

This course is designed to introduce students to major trends in the history of Britain and Ireland from the late Bronze Age to the brink of Norman invasions. The course moves thematically as well as chronologically. Principal themes include: invasion and immigration; ethnicity and identity; concept and practice of kingship; kinship structures; religious change; gender; and literature of heroes. Class sessions are devoted to informal lectures, multimedia presentations, and discussions of readings.

Assignments:

1. Readings completed before class, including those on syllabus and those assigned on WWW; along withoccasional brief assignments; participation in all discussions; lead one discussion (=20% grade)

2.Blog (6 posts total) (= 10% of grade)

2. Two in-class examinations (each = 10% of grade)

3. Paper of approx. 8-10 pages or equivalent project (discuss with professor) (=30% of grade)

4. Final examination (=30% of grade)

(Discussion leaders listed HERE)

Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is, according to the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, "the
appropriation or imitation of the language, ideas, and thoughts of another author,
and representation of them as one's original work." Plagiarism on any exam or paper
will result in a failing grade on that assignment and possible disciplinary action.

NOTE:

2 ABSENCES WITHOUT PROOF OF MEDICAL OR OTHER EMERGENCY RESULT IN LOWER CLASS GRADE.

3 ABSENCES OF ANY KIND WILL RESULT IN LOWER CLASS GRADE.

ADDITIONAL ABSENCES WILL RESULT IN EVEN LOWER GRADE.

* Blog: Each week, I will post a question about the readings to the blog. During the semester you are required to make 6 responses total. Postings will be graded on thoughtful quality, not quantity. You must post to blog before 5.00 p.m. of day before class or your posting will NOT COUNT for credit--BUT feel free to make additional postings of questions or comments at any time.

**Discussion leading: Everyone will sign up to lead one discussion session; some weeks will have more than one discussion leader. You are expected to prepare for discussion (with the others who have signed up, if any) for your approximately 10-minute presentation on the subject and texts under discussion. Your presentation SHOULD NOT be simply a rehearsal of the contents of the readings--it should put the readings in context, or present related materials, or help direct the discussion in some other useful way. You should be able to suggest GENERAL (not specific or yes-and-no) directions and questions for our discussion. BUT you should know who wrote the texts, when, why, and where, and what the texts are about. Base your presentation on scholarly resources in the library and/or online, as well as books or other materials assigned for class. Feel free to include images or other additional materials to help explain the assigned readings. Don't hesitate to ask the instructor or reference librarians for assistance!

***Papers: Papers must be based on assigned texts, to be posted later in the semester.

NOTE:Readings and homework MUST be completed by class for which they are assigned.

Late assignments WILL BE GRADED WITH PENALTY.

Books available for purchase:

T. Charles-Edwards, After Rome

J. Gantz, Early Irish Myths and Sagas

Tacitus, Germania and Agricola

T. Kinsella, The Tain

S. Heaney, Beowulf

K. Crossley-Holland, The Anglo-Saxon World

Other sources used in class may be found online or in Leavey or Doheny libraries.

CLASS MEETINGS:

(8-28) Introduction

I.Britain and Ireland before and after Humans

(8-30) Reading:

Find an atlas in library or online, study the physical geography of Britain and Ireland--be ready for in-class investigations.

Ritual sites:Avebury and Avebury

Stonehenge and Stonehenge

Newgrange and Newgrange

also check the BritishMuseum education site,Compass - search under Amesbury Archer

Some MAPS and timelines available here:

Prehistoric and Celtic Ireland resources

British prehistory

Prehistoric sites:

Cheddar Caves

Céide fields, Co. Mayo

II. Celts and Celticity

(9-4/6) Reading:

Maryon McDonald et al., " Celtic Ethnic Kinship and the Problem of Being English [and Comments and Replies]" [via JSTOR]

Michael Sundermeier, "The Archaeology of Ancient Ireland"

Simon James, "Peoples of Britain"

If you want some info about the Celts, see these links AND/OR the links at end of syllabus:

Encyclopedia of the Celts

Stone Pages

III. The Iron Age

NOTE: NO CLASS 9-13 or 9-18, so READ AHEAD!!You'll be glad you did. No, really, I mean it. Some of those weeks ahead have what seems like quite a lot of reading, so this would be a great time to settle down and get through Tacitus's Agricola or maybe the Tain...I mean, even next week has a fair number of pages...and who are all those gods and goddesses and shapeshifters and druids anyway? Honestly.

(9-11/20) Reading:

Gantz, Early Irish Myths, 1-106.

Julian Richards, Overview: Iron Age, 800 B. C. to 43 A. D.

More Celts:

Iron Age Celts--this is a totally cool interactive site.

Archaeological evidence/Images of Celtic art

Periods in Celtic art/archaeology (Metropolitan Museum timeline)

Celtic mythology:Mythography and Searc's Guide

British Museum education site, Compass (search under La Tène)

How to make an Iron age "Celtic" house

IV. Romanization/Romanitas

(9-25/27) Reading:

Tacitus, Agricola

Charles-Edwards, After Rome, xvi- 58

Get an idea of when the Romans invaded, why they did it, where they went,

and how they changed the island:Roman Britain

WHAT did the ancients think about Britain? Check out what Caesar said:

Julius Caesar, Gallic Wars Book V : see Book V, chapters 12-26

HOW ABOUT the early medieval English themselves? See:

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Part I : skim beginning to year 449

Bede, Ecclesiastical History Book I : skim chapters 1-12.

Also, have a look at these:

Romano-British Sites and Museums

Roman Inscriptions in Britain

Villas (and other R-B sites) - e.g.

Chedworth

Fishbourne Villa (courtesy of the Dirt Bros.)

Go to the Roman Britain site for town plans and changing maps of the province

Go to BritishMuseumCompass for silver hoards, sculpture, mosacis, forts, and tablets from Vindolanda

Go to Bath for a Romano-British temple

V. Christianitas

(10-2/4) Reading:

Charles-Edwards, After Rome, 103-139

St. Patrick, Confession

Muirchú, Life of Patrick [on reserve at Leavey library in L. Bieler, ed., Patrician Texts in the Book of Armagh]

Browse:Celtic Inscribed Stones Project

Irish Annals at CELT : explore early sections

VI. Heroic Age: Arthur v. the Anglo-Saxons

(10-9/11)Reading:

Gildas, from the Ruin of Britain

Nennius, History of Britain, Arthur selection

Bede, Ecclesiastical History Book I : read chapters 13-16

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Part I : see years 449-597

The Annals of Wales : see up through 595

For more Arthurian-era fun:

Visit Post-Roman Britain and track the Anglo-Saxon conquest!

Arthur in History

Vortigern Studies

Heinrich Harke, "Finding Britons in Anglo-Saxon Graves," British Archaeology 10 (1995), Features

Historicity and Historicisation of Arthur

The Fenian Cycle

Camelot Project

Arthuriana Chronology

A Gazetteer of Arthurian Sites

Arthuriana

10-11: FIRST SHORT EXAMINATION - take home, open book, due in class 10-16.

VII: Medieval-ism and Arthuriana

(10-16/18) Reading:

Charles-Edwards, After Rome, 61-101

FILMFEST:

King Arthur (Fuqua, 2004) - See also:Review of King Arthur (2004)

Excalibur (Boorman, 1981)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Gilliam, Jones, 1975)

Camelot (Logan, 1967)

Sword and the Stone (Reitherman, Disney, 1963)

In your spare time, you might also consider:

Mists of Avalon (Edel, 2001)

Merlin (Barron, 1998)

First Knight (Zucker, 1995)

Perceval le Gallois(Rohmer, 1978)

Lancelot du Lac (Bresson, 1974)

Prince Valiant (Hathaway, 1954)

Knights of the Round Table (Thorpe, 1953)

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Garnett, 1949)

VIII. Church Establishment: (Re)conversion, monasticism, and saints' cults

(10-23/25) Reading:

Charles-Edwards, After Rome, 140-190

Bethu Brigte(Life of St. Brigit)

Crossley-Holland, The Anglo-Saxon World, 155-206