The Celtic Question : Art in early Britain and Ireland (P02818)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : ACE-P-P02818

This course explores the art and spirituality of Britain and Ireland from the time before the Romans until the arrival and eventual occupation by the Vikings. It incorporates a wide range of media including illuminated manuscripts (primarily gospel books such as the Book of Kells), metalwork (liturgical objects, reliquaries, jewellery and armour) and stone sculpture (Northumbrian and Irish high crosses as well as Pictish cross-slabs and standing stones). More specifically, the course focuses on the role of sight and perception in pre-Christian and Christian culture, where both saints and heroes were frequently described as gifted with special vision.

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

History of Art, (School of Arts, Culture and Environment, Schedule A)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : To be arranged/Unknown

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will also be expected to consider the various questions and issues of this field of study, especially the nineteenth and twentieth-century debates concerning the term "Celtic". The course evaluates to what extent immigration, occupation and conversion impacted the beliefs and artistic practices of the indigenous populations.

Students will have the opportunity to examine the high crosses and standing stones on-site, considering the impact of the physical environs and landscape when viewing the art object. In so doing, the course also addresses the controversial question as to how to display and to what extent these objects should be restored and/or conserved.