The Program in Celtic Studies
Spring 2008 Course Descriptions (10/16/07)
The Program in Celtic Studies Language Proficiency Placement
Please contact the staff in the Celtic Studies administrative office in 6303 Dwinelle for information on proficiency screening, placement and testing. You will be referred to the relevant faculty member in charge of screening and placement. Note: Language course supervisors and instructors make the final determination for language placement.
 
 

Celtic Studies R1A (4 units each)
Kim Starr-Reid
MWF 11-12

Reading and Composition Course

"Images of the Irish and Welsh"

This section of Celtic Studies R1A will explore readings that promote images of the Irish and Welsh. Some of these works are by insiders to Celtic identities, some by outsiders; some are modern, some are medieval. The course is intended to provide a basic orientation to Celtic Studies at the same time that we work toward critical engagement with some enjoyable texts and college-level academic essay writing. This section satisfies the first-semester Reading and Composition requirement.

Assignments will include a diagnostic paper; one or two brief writing assignments per week; and four formal papers. Class attendance and participation are mandatory.

This course satisfies the first half or the “A” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement.

Texts:
Owein, (13th-century Welsh tale)
Chrétien de Troyes, Yvain: The Knight of the Lion (12th-century French verse narrative)
The Voyage of St. Brendan (12th-century Irish-Latin text)
Frederick Buechner, Brendan: A Novel (20th-century American novel)
Irish poems in translation, 1690-1720
Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal
Kate Tourabian et al., A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th ed.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement.

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Celtic Studies R1B (4 units each)
Kim Starr-Reid
MWF 3-4

Reading & Composition Course

“Myth, Magic, Other Worlds, and Fantasy in Medieval Celtic Literatures”

The term “Celtic” for many people conjures up vague feelings of charm or quaintness or mystic wholeness. Early Irish and Welsh literatures do not disappoint: one-eyed giants, fertility goddesses, otherworld journeys, shape-shifting, allegorical boars, talking salmon—not to mention romance, adventure, gratuitous violence, and political intrigue-the readings for this course have them all and more. But we can press these stories to tell us more, if we press ourselves to develop some skills and knowledge to discern more. To gain perspective on our medieval texts we will look at how audiences different from ourselves have received them, how some readers have used them to create cultural and political stereotypes.

The goals of the class are 1) to improve students’ comprehension, enjoyment, analysis, and critical evaluation of different kinds of texts; 2) to build students’ management of longer and more sophisticated writing projects as well as their fluency as writers; and 3) to broaden students’ research skills, using both electronic and traditional media and emphasizing the evaluation of writers’ claims.

This course satisfies the second half or the “B” portion of the Reading and Composition requirement.

Texts:
The Mabinogi, translated by Patrick Ford
Early Irish Myths and Sagas, translated by Jeffrey Ganz
Kate Tourabian et al., A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th ed.
Course reader

Prerequisites: Successful completion of an “A” portion of the Reading & Composition Requirement or its equivalent.

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Celtic Studies 85 (4 units)
Esther O'Hara
TT 3:30-5

Intermediate Modern Welsh Language

(A Continuation of Celtic Studies 15)

After a short review of material covered in Fall 07, the course will continue to focus on grammar, conversation, reading and translation. Basic texts of poetry, prose, song, and Irish history will be studied. Students will be required to write one e-mail each week (on various topics) to the instructor. There will be a final project which will consist of scripting, acting, and filming a short sketch in Irish (in groups) with the help of the instructor. There will be one final exam and no midterm. In class participation will constitute a significant portion of the grade.

Texts:
English-Irish/Irish-English Reference Dictionary.
A Reader provided by the instructor.

Prerequisites: Completion of Celtic Studies 15; consent of instructor.

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Celtic Studies 102B (4 units)
Eve Sweetser
TT 9:30-11

Beginning Modern Breton

Continuing with the textbook used in the first semester (Brezhoneg Buan Hag Aes), students will increase their proficiency in spoken and written Breton. We will finish the textbook, which means that all the central grammatical constructions of Breton will have been taught by the end of the semester. Along with compositions and dialogues to write, students will have some supplementary readings--poems and stories in relatively accessible Breton. Some introduction to the dialect contrasts underlying the literary dialect will be presented. There will be a midterm and a final examination.

Text:
Per Denez, Brezhoneg Buan Hag Aes--available via the instructor.

Prerequisites: Celtic Studies 102A or equivalent; consent of instructor.

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Celtic Studies 129 (4 units)
Kathryn Klar
MWF 10-11

Aspects of Modern Celtic Cultures and Folklore

L&S Breadth: International Studies OR Historical Studies OR Social & Behavioral Studies OR Arts & Literature

This course will have two major themes:

1. The political and linguistic situations of the modern Celtic countries: Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, as well as the experience of the world-wide Celtic diaspora.

2. Celtic folklore and the "Celtic (Irish) revival" of the 18th-20th centuries, and their influence on modern conceptions of "Celticity," from both inside and outside the individual cultures.

Course materials will consist of assigned readings, viewing of films, and internet assignments. There will be a midterm and a final exam, and each student will write a paper on a topic to be decided on in consultation with the instructor.

Texts:
Woodham-Smith, The Great Hunger
Sayers, Peig
Synge, The Aran Islands
Reed, Border Ballads
McPhee, The Crofter and the Laird
Yeats, The Celtic Twilight
Helias, The Horse of Pride
Glassie, Irish Folktales
Thomson, The People of the Sea
Course Reader

Prerequisites: None.

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Celtic Studies 139 (4 units)
Daniel Melia
MWF 9-10

Irish Literature from 1800-Present

L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature

Name some great English writers. Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, G.B. Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Oliver Goldsmith, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Bram Stoker; oops, these guys were all Irish. Why is that? The prominence of the Irish-born in English literature is one of the things we will discuss in Celtic Studies 139.

From the 17th century on, Ireland was a land of two primary spoken languages: Irish and English. Although Irish was the language spoken by most Irish people until the middle of the 19th century and had a flourishing literary tradition (mainly poetic), there was little published in the language until the end of the 19th century. How much interpenetration was there between the two traditions? What sort of audiences existed for different kinds of literature? What was the Irish Literary Renaissance? What part did colonialism and nationalism play in the development of both language traditions in Ireland? All these questions will be addressed, if not answered to everyone’s satisfaction, in this course.

Readings will include: Translations, by Brien Friel; Irish Literature, A Reader (2nd ed., 2006) by Murphy and MacKillop; and A History of Ireland, by Mike Cronin.

There will be a mid-term, a term paper (10pp.) and a final examination.

Prerequisites: None. Course and readings are in English.

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Celtic Studies 144 (4 units)
Kathryn Klar
MWF 1-2

Modern Welsh Level 4

Emphasis is on mastering the fine details of Welsh grammar (including prepositional idioms), accent reduction, and acquiring conversational ease. Dialect information is introduced. Supplementary reading will introduce students to the standard literary languages; brief compositional exercises will be based on this material.

Texts: Texts will be available via a reader at a local copy shop.

Prerequisites: Celtic Studies 144A; consent of instructor.

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Celtic Studies 146B (4 units)
Annalee Rejhon
TT 11-12:30

Medieval Welsh Language and Literature:
"Medieval Welsh Arthurian Texts"

L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature

A selection of medieval Welsh prose and poetry will be read with a focus on King Arthur with an additional incursion into Middle Welsh translations of Anglo-Norman French works. These works will be examined in the context not only of the medieval Welsh manuscripts that preserve them but on the interface between Welsh and French traditions in medieval Britain. In this regard selections will be read from Culhwch and Olwen, the earliest Arthurian tale in any vernacular language, Brut y Brenhinedd [History of the Kings], the Welsh version of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, the native Arthurian tale, Breudwyt Ronabwy [the Dream of Rhonabwy], the Welsh grail text Peredur, the counterpart of Chrétien de Troyes’ Old French Perceval, and the early Arthurian poems, “Pa gur” [What Man (the Gatekeeper)], “Preiddeu Annwn” [Spoils of the Otherworld], and “Ymddiddan rhwng Arthur a Gwenhwyfar” [Conversation between Arthur and Guenevere]. Within the context of Middle Welsh translations of Anglo-Norman French texts, extracts will be read from Ystoria Bown de Hamtwn [The Tale of Boun de Hamtone] and from Cân Rolant, the Welsh version of the Song of Roland. The latest critical treatments of the medieval works in their cultural context will be covered in lectures and in-class reports. Texts will be read in Middle Welsh; for most works, translations will be available. In-class translations will normally form part of each class and a reader will be made available.

Course requirements include a midterm and a final exam.

Texts:
~Bromwich, Rachel and D. Simon Evans, eds. Culhwch and Olwen: An Edition and Study of the Oldest Arthurian Tale. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1992. (ISBN: 0-7083-1127-X)
~Roberts, Brynley, ed. Brut y Brenhinedd. Mediaeval and Modern Welsh Series, 5. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1971.
~Richards, Melville, ed. Breudwyt Ronabwy. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1948. (ISBN 0-7083-0270-X)
~ Goetinck, G., ed. Historia Peredur vab Efrawc. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1976. (ISBN 0-7083-0440-0) 5) Watkin, Morgan, ed. Ystorya Bown de Hamtwn. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1958.
~Evans, J. Gwenogvryn, ed. Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch. 2nd ed. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1977. (ISBN 0-7083-0523-7)
~Rejhon, Annalee D., ed. and tr. Cân Rolant: The Medieval Welsh Version of the Song of Roland. University of California Publications in Modern Philology, 113. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1984. (ISBN: 0-520-09997-4)
~Evans, D. Simon. A Grammar of Middle Welsh. Mediaeval and Modern Welsh Series, suppl. vol. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1976. (ISBN: 00-000-2972-6)
~Evans, H. Meurig and W.O. Thomas. Y Geiriadur Mawr: The Complete Welsh-English English-Welsh Dictionary. Llandybïe, Dyfed: Christopher Davies and Gwasg Gomer, 1989. (ISBN 0-85088-462-4)
~Davies, Sioned, tr. The Mabinogion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. (ISBN: 978-0-19-283242-9)

Prerequisites: CS146A is normally a prerequisite for this class, but as an extensive review of the language will form part of the first weeks of class the course may be taken with permission of the instructor.

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Celtic Studies 170 (4 units)
Kathryn Klar
TT 12:30-2

Topics in Celtic Studies: "Celtic Christianity"

L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature
Students: Please check the College of Letters and Science website under Breadth Lists for possible additional breadth assignments as this is a first-time, topical course.

In this course we will explore the history of Christianity among Celtic-speaking populations. The main themes are how the nature of pre-Christian belief systems influenced the reception and spread of Christian beliefs, and the influence that Celtic Christianity had on the wider Christian experience in Western Europe and the New World. We will look at traditional views on these questions through the classic work of Louis Gougaud (Christianity in Celtic Lands) and more recent views in works by scholars such as Michael Herren (Christ in Celtic Christianity: Britain and Ireland from the Fifth to the Tenth Century).

This is NOT a course in so-called "Celtic Spirituality" or in Celtic pagan mythology. (The latter is covered in another Celtic Studies class.)

Required readings will include the two texts noted above, supplemented by selected poetic works, traditional foundational stories (such as the Irish "Book of Invasions"), and hagiographical portraits. There will be midterm and final exams and a required essay on a topic to be decided in consultation with the instructor.

Required Texts:
Michael W. Herren and Shirley Ann Brown, Christ in Celtic Christianity
Adomnan, Life of St. Columba, (Richard Sharpe, trans.)
John O’ Meara, Voyage of St. Brendan
D.R.R. Howlett (trans.), The Confession of St. Patrick
Bernard Meehan, The Book of Kells
Thomas Owen Clancy and Gilbert Markus, Iona: The Earliest Poetry of a Celtic Monastery
L. Gougaud, Christianity in Celtic Lands… (2004, reprint of 1932 ed.)
Tentative: Garry Wills, St. Augustine

Reading Packet (at ZeeZee Copy after second week of classes.):
Life of St. Brigit.
Life of St. David.
Life of St. Patrick.
Some additional short readings.

Prerequisites: None. (However, a working familiarity with the canonical and apocryphal Christian scriptures is recommended.)

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RELEVANT OUTSIDE COURSES FOR
CELTIC STUDIES MAJORS AND MINORS

Comparative Literature 190 (4 units)
Annalee Rejhon
TT 3:30-5

"The Image of Arthur in the Middle Ages"

L&S Breadth: Arts & Literature

The course will focus on Arthurian romance in medieval French, Welsh, and English literatures. The figure of Arthur—his image and social function—will be examined in the three cultural contexts with special attention devoted to how his reception in each culture reflects the concerns of that particular milieu. The French works that will be read are Chrétien de Troyes’ romances, Erec and Enide, Yvain, and Perceval; Marie de France’s Lanval and the anonymous lais, Graelent and Guingamor; Robert de Boron’s Romance of the Grail; The Quest of the Holy Grail; and Perlesvaus. The Welsh works are: the Arthurian romances, Gereint, Owein, and Peredur; the native Arthurian tales, Culhwch and Olwen and The Dream of Rhonabwy; the early Arthurian poems, “What Man the Gate-Keeper,” “The Spoils of the Otherworld,” and “A Conversation Between Arthur and Guenevere.” The English Arthurian texts will include Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and selections from Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte D’Arthur and from The Alliterative Morte Arthur. Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain will also be read as will the Irish tale, The Voyage of Bran.

The course is open to students with a competence in reading at least one of the literatures in the original language; all works will be available in English translation. Particular emphasis will be given to the Celtic aspect of the Arthurian texts.

Course requirements will include a midterm and a final examination, an oral report and a term paper.

Texts:
~Bryant, Nigel, tr. The High Book of the Grail: A Translation of the 13th Century Romance of Perlesvaus. Rochester, N.Y.: D.S. Brewer, 1996. (ISBN: 0-85991-510-7)
~Burgess, Glyn S., tr. The Lais of Marie de France. New York: Viking Penguin, 1986. (ISBN 0-14-044476-9)
~Davies, Sioned, tr. The Mabinogion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. (ISBN 978-0-19-283242-9)
~Meyer, Kuno, tr. Imram Brain: The Voyage of Bran. [Reprint] Wales: Llanerch Publishers, 1995. (ISBN: 1-897-853-20-3)
~Matarasso, P.M., tr. The Quest of the Holy Grail. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997. (ISBN 0-14-044220-0)
~Raffel, Burton, tr. Chrétien de Troyes: Yvain, The Knight of the Lion. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987. (ISBN 0-300-03837-2)
~Raffel, Burton, tr. Chrétien de Troyes: Erec and Enide. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997. (ISBN 0-300-06771-2)
~Raffel, Burton, tr. Perceval: The Story of the Grail. New Haven & London: Yale Univ. Press, 1999. (ISBN: 0-300-07585-5)
~Rogers, Jean, tr. Robert de Boron: Joseph of Arimathea, A Romance of the Grail. London: Steiner, 1990. (ISBN: 0-85440-426-0)
~Stone, B., tr. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. 2nd ed. Penguin Classics, 1974. (ISBN: 0-14-044092-5)
~Thorpe, Lewis, tr. Geoffrey of Monmouth: History of the Kings of Britain. Penguin Classics, 1986. (ISBN 0-14-0441-700-0)
~Weingartner, Russel, ed. & tr. Graelent and Guingamor: Two Breton Lays. New York: Garland, 1984. (ISBN 0-8240-8914-6)
~Wilhelm, James J., ed. The Romance of Arthur. New, expanded ed. New York & London: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1994. (ISBN: 0-8153-1511-2)

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English 150, Section 1 (4 units)
Eric Falci

MW 11-12:30

Irish Poetry After Yeats

Ireland is a famously anomalous site in literary and cultural studies: it is sort of postcolonial, somewhat colonial, partly British, and always has one eye trained across the Atlantic and the other across the Irish Sea. Beginning with the late poetry of W.B. Yeats and alternate varieties of Irish modernism in the 1930s, we will closely examine some of the more intriguing Irish poetry written in the second half of the 20th century, attempting a series of theoretical gazes so as to construct a rich array of critical readings. Course requirements: a 15-25 page research paper.

Texts: Carson, C.: Belfast Confetti; Heaney, S.: Station Island; Ní Chuilleanáin, E.: The Girl Who Married the Reindeer; Walsh, C.: City West; and a course reader containing poems by W.B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Denis Devlin, Patrick Kavanagh, Louis MacNeice, John Hewitt, Thomas Kinsella, John Montague, Derek Mahon, Michael Longley, Paul Muldoon, Eavan Boland, Medbh McGuckian, Paula Meehan, Michael Hartnett, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Cathal Ó Searcaigh, Trevor Joyce, Tom French, Sinéad Morrissey, and Caitríona O’Reilly, as well as a few essays and articles.

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Courses by number:

85   102B   129   139   144B   146B   170  

Reading And Composition Courses:

R1A: Images of the Irish and Welsh

R1B: Myth, Magic, Other Worlds, and Fantasy in Medieval Celtic Literatures

Relevant Courses Taught Outside of Celtic Studies:

Comparative Literature 190: The Image of Arthur in the Middle Ages


English 150, Sec. 1: Irish Poetry After Yeats


 

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updated 1/17/08 Elizabeth LaVarge-Baptista