MAS2101 – Runology - Runic Inscriptions of the Middle Ages
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
THIS COURSE HAS BEEN MOVED TO ILN AND HAS A NEW COURSECODE: NFI2101 – Runology - Runic Inscriptions from the Migration Period to the Viking Age
Runology covers 1300 years of the history of writing. Runes were a distinctive writing system for a number of Germanic peoples from the second century AD until runic writing died out in Norway in the 15th century. This course provides a study in depth of the runic inscriptions from the Middle Ages 1050-1400. In addition to a close study of inscriptions, the inscriptions are also studied in the context of cultural history, in particular with reference to the relationship between the runes and the Latin alphabet. Why did runic writing not die out immediately when the Latin alphabet came?
Learning outcome
The aim is to provide students with specific skills in reading and interpreting runic inscriptions from the Middle Ages and to place these in the context of cultural history. Students will also gain insights into the discussion of orality - literacy as a historical perspective on the Middle Ages in terms of forms of writing.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
No requirements
Recommended previous knowledge
This course of study requires general basic skills in runology equivalent to MAS1100 - Runology – a general introduction. However, it is not a requirement for admission that students should have passed the MAS 1100 examination. The course presupposes a good knowledge of Old Norse. One should also be able to read not only runic inscriptions but also Old Norse literary texts in the original. The required reading will be essentially Scandinavian and English.
Overlapping courses
The course can be taken as a part of the following course groups:
40-group - Medieval Cultural history and Language 40-group – Middelalderens kulturhistorie og spr?k (40MIDKULTHS) (discontinued)
40-group - Runology 40-group – Runologi (40RUN)
80-group - Specialisation in Medieval Langiage and Literature 80-group – Fordypning i middelalderens spr?kog litteratur (80MIDSL) (discontinued).
Teaching
This course of study extends over a whole semester. The teaching will be a mixture of lectures, inspections of museums and collections as well as work in groups and seminars. The structure of the course is tripartite, approx. 3 x 6 weeks. Each part will be introduced with lectures for three weeks (2-4 hours per week), then come two weeks of self-study and assignment writing. In the final week of each part the assignments are to be presented and discussed in plenary session.
Examination
Students are to hand in three assignments, one from each of the parts into which the course of study is divided. Each assignment shall be subject to the approval of the subject teacher and have an extent of roughly 5 pages of 2300 keystrokes, not including spaces. Assignments may either be written individually or done as group work. The assignments are to be collected in a portfolio as documentary evidence of the students’ learning process. The whole process is concluded with an oral examination at which the portfolio is also submitted. The student may choose an assignment that is to constitute the basis of the oral examination, together with the syllabus that has been studied. The final evaluation is graded with alphabetic marks. In the event of illness, documented by a medical certificate, or failure in the oral examination, a student may apply for a deferred/new examination in the following semester.
Other
Students with the right to study under a Programme or for an individual course must register for the teaching in StudentWeb each semester. Read more about admission to courses and teaching for students at the UiO.
The study programmes at the UiO are made up of courses. If you have not already obtained a place at the UiO, you may apply for admission to a study programme. Read more about course provision and admission.
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Changes may occur.
If you are handicapped or functionally disabled in a way that is essentially disadvantegous when taking the examination, you can apply for a special arrangement of your examination.