COURSE INFORMATION

REQUIRED TEXTS: Samuel Moore & Thomas M. Knott. The Elements of Old English. 10th ed. rev. James R. Hulbert. Ann Arbor, MI: Wahr, 1977; John C. Pope, Eight Old English Poems, 3rd ed. rev. R. D. Fulk. New York: Norton, 2001.

COURSE COVERAGE: This course will introduce the student to the Old English language through the study of Old English grammar and through readings of Old English prose and poetry, including prose passages from the Bible, Bede, and Ælfric, as well as poetic passages from Beowulf and "Dream of the Rood" and the poems, "Cædmon's Hymn," "The Wanderer," "The Battle of Brunanburh," and "The Wife's Lament." In addition to the works themselves, relevant background material will also be covered.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: The course will have three main objectives for the student: 1) to learn to read and pronounce Old English with a reasonable degree of accuracy and ease; 2) to gain a basic acquaintance with the background material and with some of the fundamental scholarly concerns connected with the language and literature; 3) to examine and discuss the selected works of Old English prose and poetry as literature and as sources of insight and enjoyment.

COURSE GRADES: Course grades will be based on the following work:

Examinations will cover both the reading assignments and the class material (lectures, discussions, handouts). Oral reports will be ten-minute class presentations on some aspect of Anglo-Saxon life or literature directly related to course materials. The daily grade will include class preparation and participation, pronunciation and reading ability, homework exercises, and anything else not covered in the other categories.

DAILY GRADE: The daily grade will be made up of instructor assessments of students' homework and classroom participation.

ATTENDANCE: Regular attendance is expected. Repeated absences, whether excused or unexcused, could be detrimental to your daily grade, as could repeated late arrivals and/or early departures.

CHEATING: All work done in this course must be your work only. Cheating and/or plagiarism could result in an "F" for the course.

CLASSROOM DECORUM: During class, please do not eat, sleep, chat, read extraneous material, leave and re-enter the classroom, or do other things that may distract the instructor or other students from the task at hand. During exams, you will not be allowed to go to the restroom, so don't ask.

NOTE: This course may be repeated only once without the permission of the Academic Standards Committee.

(Towson University does not recognize A+ or C- grades.)