Reading and Interpreting Sources II

Course goals

The successful student:

1. will be able to analyse, interpret and translate medieval vernacular texts;
2. will have deep knowledge of the cultural and historical context of this literature and will be able to report on this orally and in writing;
3. will understand the development of the language in the period and will be able to reflect on this orally and in writing;
4. will be able to independently employ the scholarly apparatus (specialised dictionaries, grammar, bibliography) belonging to the field;
5. will be able use their proficiency in the medieval vernacular language for subsequent course work in the RMA programme, including research apprenticeships and the RMA-thesis.

Content

This course, taught as a tutorial, introduces a medieval language (e.g. Old French, Middle Dutch, etc.) and its literature to students. The ability to read and interpret sources written in a vernacular language in the medieval period is an advanced academic skill that is crucial for conducting research in the field of Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Advanced skills in this domain provide a strong foundation for research apprenticeships and RMA thesis work and are a key asset when pursuing a PhD position upon graduation.

This course is one of the options of the core curriculum course Reading and Interpreting Sources II. It is recommended for students of the Medieval track who wish to pursue research related to vernacular languages, though it is also appropriate for students of other tracks who wish to pursue research for which knowledge of vernacular languages plays a role.

Additional information

This course is for students that are enrolled in the RMA Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Studies; students from other RMA programmes can only enroll with consent of the programme coordinator and Board of Examiners.