Undergraduate Course: Viking Studies (ELCS10034)

Course Outline
School	School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures	College	College of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	20	ECTS Credits	10
Summary	This course addresses the historical developments referred to collectively as the Viking Age, c 800-1066 AD. The intention is to investigate Scandinavian Iron Age society in an attempt to identify possible reasons for the Viking expansion, to survey the various forms the expansion took and to explore the legacy it left behind. There will be a special focus on raids and settlement in the British Isles and the North Atlantic. Emphasis throughout will be on the critical interpretation of the various sources available historical, archaeological, genetic, onomastic, literary as well as the ways in which different kinds of sources can be used to supplement one another.
Course description	W1: General Introduction / History: Written Sources & Historiography Debate - Perceptions, Points of View & Prejudices W2: Archaeology Tutorial: Reading the Material Record W3: Language & Literacy Place-Names W4: Iron Age Scandinavia The Viking Ship W5: Life & Death Social Structure & World View W6: Scotland before the Viking Age War or Peace in the Western Isles? W7: The Gall-Ghàidheil Ritual & Belief W8: Student Presentations W9: The Northern Isles The North Atlantic W10: North America and The Vinland Sagas W11: The Scandinavian Influence on English & Scots The Viking Legacy: Use & Abuse

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	Familiarity with a modern Scandinavian language or Old Norse would be advantageous. However, as all main texts will be read in English translation, this is not crucial.

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Semester 2
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 22, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 172 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 70 %, Coursework 30 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Continuous assessment for Edinburgh University Students and Visiting Students - one essay of 2000 words (30%), plus a two hour exam (70%).
Feedback	Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)			2:00

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Demonstrate a sound understanding of the historical developments referred to collectively as 'The Viking Age', and covered by the period c. AD 800-1066, from the reasons for the Viking expansion to the legacy it left behind. Execute a critical appraise the various forms taken by the Viking Expansion utilising a wide range of sources, approaches and methods of interpretation, including historical, archaeological, linguistic, and onomastic, crossing disciplines such as philology and history. Produce clear, complex reports, articles and essays, which develop arguments both critically and systematically with the use of relevant emphases, subsidiary points, and examples. Demonstrate finely honed communication, presentation and interaction skills across a wide range of media and circumstances, both formal and informal, for lay and specialised audiences. Consistently exercise autonomy and initiative, taking responsibility for the work of others and for a range of resources to bring about new thinking.