| FALL
2005
KATHLEEN DAVIS, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Kathleen@princeton.edu
ENGLISH 301: THE
OLD ENGLISH PERIOD
What did English look like in the year 900? How did
its poetry sound? This course aims to give the student
a reading knowledge of Old English--which may sometimes
seem foreign, but in many friendly ways is quite like
Modern English. We will begin with basic structure and
syntax, build a vocabulary, and translate regularly.
The course will introduce Old English literature in
its cultural context, as well as the ways its study
has played a role in English history. We will also examine
some manuscripts and facsimiles in order to gain appreciation
for early medieval book technology and the complications
of editing medieval texts.
Sample Reading List:
J. R. Clark Hall , A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary
Stephen Pollington , Wordcraft
Seamus Heaney, tr. , Beowulf
R. M. Liuzza, tr. , Beowulf
HARUKO MOMMA, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
hal.momma@nyu.edu
G41.1060: INTRODUCTORY
OLD ENGLISH Mon 3:30--5:30 pm
This course is designed for students who are interested
in the language, literature, and culture of England
up to the Norman Conquest of 1066. It will provide solid
practice in the language and close reading of representative
literature, as well as an introduction to its historical
background.
The
course will be divided into three parts. In the first
part, students will learn basic grammar and read a simple
passage along with a translation. There will be a quiz
at the beginning of each class. In the second part,
students will read prose texts while learning more advanced
grammar and building vocabulary. The instructor will
give brief lectures on the history and culture of Anglo-Saxon
England. There will be a translation test at the end
of this section. In the third part, students will learn
the meter of Old English poetry and read short poems,
including The Dream of the Rood and The Wander and/or
The Seafarer. Students will write a relatively short
essay (ca. 2,500 to 3,000 words) formatted as a conference
paper. Recommended topics include not only medieval
literature and culture but also "medievalism"
that is, modern interpretations and appropriations of
the Middle Ages.
RICHARD SACKS, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
sacks@columbia.edu
CLEN G4093x INTRODUCTION
TO OLD NORSE Fri 1:30-4
An introduction to Old Norse language and literature,
with the primary focus on learning to read Old Norse
literature in the original. A few texts from a range
of literary genres will also be read in translation.
Some previous exposure to Old English or another Germanic
language is useful though not required. For the syllabus
please click here ('http://www.columbia.edu/cu/english/syllabi/4093sacks.htm')
MARTIN CHASE, FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
chase@fordham.edu
ENGA 5101 HISTORY
OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Our language has changed dramatically in the twelve
hundred years of its recorded history. We would not
recognize speech (Old English) of the first Germanic
peoples who migrated to post-Roman Britain in the fifth
century; Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (Middle English)
might seem to be written in a foreign language; even
Shakespeare's (Early Modern) English requires special
efforts. Today, in different parts of the world, in
our country, even in the city, we encounter surprisingly
different varieties of English. In this course we will
look at the English of these earlier periods as well
as the English of our own time with a twofold goal:
to gain an understanding of the sounds, words, and structure
of the language and to consider the phenomenon of how
and why a language changes (or doesn't). This course
will introduce students into the study of language and
linguistics; no previous knowledge if presumed. The
course fulfills the New York State requirement for English
teaching certification.
SPRING
2006
PATRICIA DAILEY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
pd2132@columbia.edu
ENGL G6091y THE
WITNESS AND THE TEXT. SUBJECTIVITY IN ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND
Wed 2-5
This course will explore the figure of the witness in
Anglo-Saxon England and the early Middle Ages in literary,
historical, and religious contexts. We will be looking
at the implications of eyewitnessing in the construction
of history and experiences of time, the role of the
eyewitness and vision in the construction of authority,
inscription as a form of testimony, Christian and non-Christian
modes of bearing witness to the word, the question of
the human and the voice in its Anglo-Saxon context,
memory and commemoration. We will also examine the relevance
of testimony to poetry and its relation to contemporary
thought. Readings include The Fates of the Apostles,
Daniel, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, selections from Bede,
Bilbical texts, travel narratives (The Voyage of Othere)
and pseudo travels such as The Wonders of the East as
well as Old English Riddles. Theoretical texts include
Agamben, Derrida, Lyotard, Felman, Blanchot and medieval
theories of optics.
Students who wish to apply to this seminar should send an e-mail message with the subject "Witness and the Text" to Prof. Dailey (pd2132@columbia.edu) by November 18, including the following information:
year of graduate study and major field; their aptitude in languages (modern and/or medieval);
related courses taken (either medieval, theoretical, or other);
and a brief statement about their interest in the course.
HARUKO MOMMA, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
hal.momma@nyu.edu
Medieval Literature I: The Discourse of Slavery and Servitude, Beowulf, Piers Plowman and beyond M 3.30-5.30 PM
This course will consider how slavery and servitude are either represented or regulated in the writing of medieval England and Europe at large. It will encompass various genres of literature, since the concept of slavery had both literal and metaphorical applications in the Middle Ages: on the one hand, the institutions of slavery and serfdom existed in medieval Europe and were both accepted and theorized by authors including Ælfric; on the other, the Christian discourse embraced the language of humility and privileged such terms as servus ('slave, servant') and ancilla ('handmaiden'). Among the related subjects to be covered are wergeld ('man price'), prices of men and women, human rights, and the ideas of sacrifice and substitution.
Students in this course will be encouraged to examine the topic from a wide perspective: they might, for example, read medieval texts in the light of contemporary theoretical work or re-examine post-medieval literature in relation to the medieval discourse of bondage. There will be several faculty guests to lead seminar discussions, including Elizabeth McHenry, Crystal Parikh (immigrant labor and sex-workers), Sukdev Sandhu (on international refugees), and Bryan Waterman (Olandah Equiano and the concept of Black Atlantic).
The primary texts to be read in the course include Beowulf, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (esp. the General Prologue, The Man of Law's Tale, and The Clerk's Tale), Ælfric's Colloquy and his homiletic and hagiographical writing, Anglo-Saxon laws, charters, and penitential literature, Piers Plowman, Cynewulf's Juliana and Elene, medieval romances and lives of women saints, Ancrene Wisse; secondary material includes the writing of, among others, David Pelteret (Slavery in Early Medieval England), Patrick Wormald (The Making of English Law), Allen Frantzen (The Literature of Penance), Louise Fradenburg, David Aers, Frederic Jameson, and Judith Butler.
The course is open to graduate students working in all areas and undergraduate medieval-studies majors and advanced English majors who are interested in the topic. Those who have reading knowledge of Old English, Middle English, or Latin are particularly welcome.
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