Postgraduate Course: Medieval Epic (PGHC11030)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology | 
College | College of Humanities and Social Science | 
 
| Course type | Standard | 
Availability | Available to all students | 
 
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) | 
Credits | 20 | 
 
| Home subject area | Postgraduate (School of History and Classics) | 
Other subject area | None | 
   
| Course website | 
None | 
Taught in Gaelic? | No | 
 
| Course description | In this course two Latin epics from the medieval period, both of German provenance, are studied: 
 
the Waltharius, with its pervasive exploitation of Virgilian and other classical poetry to recast Germanic heroic legend; 
the Ruodlieb, with its unique generic blend, its early chivalric features, and its idiosyncratic style. | 
 
 
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites | 
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Co-requisites |  | 
 
| Prohibited Combinations |  | 
Other requirements |  None | 
 
| Additional Costs |  None | 
 
 
Information for Visiting Students 
| Pre-requisites | None | 
 
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes | 
 
 
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |   
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes 
By the end of the course you should  
- have explored some of the distinctive ways in which the epic form was used in the Latin Middle Ages; 
- have read in Latin the whole of the Waltharius and a substantial portion of the (fragmentary) Ruodlieb, with due attention to linguistic and stylistic detail and to literary technique; 
- be aware of the context within which each of the epics was composed; 
- be able to discuss critically interpretative issues which arise from the texts and from a range of scholarship. | 
 
 
Assessment Information 
| 2 essays equivalent to 5000 words in total. |  
 
Special Arrangements 
| None |   
 
Additional Information 
| Academic description | 
Not entered | 
 
| Syllabus | 
Not entered | 
 
| Transferable skills | 
Not entered | 
 
| Reading list | 
Not entered | 
 
| Study Abroad | 
Not entered | 
 
| Study Pattern | 
Not entered | 
 
| Keywords | Not entered | 
 
 
Contacts 
| Course organiser | Prof Andrew Erskine 
Tel: (0131 6)50 3591 
Email: Andrew.Erskine@ed.ac.uk | 
Course secretary | Mr Nicholas Ovenden 
Tel: (0131 6)50 9948 
Email: Niko.Ovenden@ed.ac.uk | 
   
 
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