Old English and Beowulf
21L.601J · Linguistics and Philosophy, Literature · Undergraduate · Spring 2023
Prof. Arthur Bahr
This course is an intensive introduction to Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon), the ancestor of modern English that was spoken in England <em>ca.</em> 600–1100. In the first half of the term, students use short prose texts to study the basics of Old English grammar. They go on to read short poems, and conclude by tackling portions of the epic <em>Beowulf</em> in the last third of the term. Assessment is based upon translation work, daily vocabulary quizzes, and three exams.
The syllabus, on MIT OpenCourseWare
The full course — syllabus, assigned readings, problem sets, exams, and lecture notes — lives on OCW. These open the real thing:
Syllabus ↗
Course overview, grading, schedule
Readings ↗
The assigned reading list, session by session
Assignments ↗
Problem sets and projects
Full course on OCW ↗
Everything, including lecture materials
Attribution
Prof. Arthur Bahr. 21L.601J Old English and Beowulf. Spring 2023. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu. License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Course materials are © their authors and licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. CurrMana links to the source and does not re-host them.