NFI2120 – Old Norse Palaeography and Codicology
Course description
Course content
This course gives an introduction to Old Norse script and its development from c. 1100 to 1550. Students will study manuscripts with various content and types of script. The course will also offer a brief introduction to manuscript production in the Middle Ages, the compilation of manuscripts and the scientific description of manuscripts in catalogues.
Finally, the manuscript culture, which is one of the characteristics of this period, will be treated from the perspective of European cultural history.
The course syllabus will vary; the reading list will consist of literature amounting to approximately 1,000 pages.
Learning outcome
Students will develop a capacity for reading medieval texts from the manuscripts and an understanding of the systems of abbreviation used by medieval scribes. They will be able to distinguish various kinds of script and gain an understanding of how to determine the relative date and provenance of manuscripts from palaeographical and codicological data.
The course will also develop students’ capacity for analysis and independent thinking when it comes to primary sources. The students will be given insights into what it means to do research in the field of palaeography and codicology and thus be provided with a basis on which to build their own work in the field. The course will enable the students to summarize the research debate in an independent, well-considered way, both orally and in writing.
Admission to the course
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.