126-068 Viking Studies A: Culture and Conflict

Medieval or European Studies students wishing to enrol in this subject would normally have completed first-year Medieval European studies.

This subject examines the dynamic relationship between Scandinavia and the rest of Europe in the Viking Age (c750-1100) and introduces students to Old Norse, the language of the Vikings. Vikings are studied within their own culture and through the changes and developments they cause in medieval Europe. Students will explore principal themes in viking historiography, such as: Are vikings 'mad, bad and dangerous to know'? How extensive was viking influence, in regions ranging from the British Isles to Constantinople? What features of their own societies might have encouraged or necessitated expansion? And is a viking only a male Scandinavian warrior, or should this image be mediated by gender, ethnicity and activity? Through the evaluation of written accounts, archaeological evidence and modern scholarship, students will form their own opinions of the historical realities that may underlie the image of vikings. No prior knowledge of Old Norse is assumed. Text-based language study will introduce vocabulary and syntax whilst incorporating discussion of the cultural content and context of the material, and students should acquire a basic level of Old Norse language comprehension.

• be able to seek and evaluate information and new ideas critically;

• be able to plan and execute tasks and projects efficiently and independently, as well as part of a team.

Seminar attendance and participation 10% (during semester); weekly vocabulary tests 10% (during semester); 1000 word document analysis 20% (during semester); 2000 word research essay 35% (late semester); take-home language exam 25% (late semester).

A course reader and language materials will be made available in class

• Geir Zoega, A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic. Toronto, 2004.