Stud.: MA „The Celts“, Bangor University, UK

Few words are as evocative and intriguing as ‘Celtic’, bringing to mind the intricacies of Bronze Age jewellery, the enigmas of Stonehenge and Newgrange; King Arthur, Cú Chulainn and the Bardic craft of medieval princes. However, ‘Celtic’ is also about the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the New World; Romanticism, Revolution and the struggles for survival in modernity of languages, literatures and entire national identities.

New for 2013, this inderdisciplinary MA from Bangor University (Wales, UK) gives students the opportunity and ability to sift fact and fiction, and to answer in detail the question: What is 'Celtic'?

Instruction through English or Welsh

Over a single academic year, modules will be taught by experts in the Schools of Welsh; History, Welsh History and Archaeology; and Music, exploring literature, archaeology, religion, mythology, antiquarianism, art history and music, to explore the culture and identity of the Celtic peoples from the hillforts of prehistory through the cultural wonders of the Middle Ages to the devolved and independent parliaments of today.

With issues such as these in mind, the MA ‘Y Celtiaid – The Celts’ is designed to develop participants’ skills through specialist advanced study. Participants are provided with relevant analytical training, so that they are familiar with the latest theoretical and practical developments relating to Celtic Studies.

The initial part of the MA consists of three inderdisciplinary, taught modules, where each topic is taught by an expert in that particular field. Students will then be guided by a personal tutor as they perform research towards a Master’s thesis on a topic of their choice.

On completing this course, students will have a solid grounding in the main methods and sources of the discipline, and will also have developed widely transferrable skills which will be of clear relevance to a broad range of careers.

There are also excellent opportunities to learn Welsh, the Celtic language spoken by the majority of the population in the county of Gwynedd.

Major issues covered on ‘The Celts’ MA include:

Do ‘The Celts’ actually exist, and if so, who and what are they?

How can we discuss such questions, with what methodology and with what evidence?

What can medieval texts and archaeology tell us about the culture and identity of the 'Celts'?

What are these poetic, legendary, legal and religious texts, considered among the most important works of medieval Europe – and how should we read them?

What has been – and what is – the political and ideological relevance of the ‘Celt’?

How do and how did the Celtic-speaking peoples negotiate their own identities?

What can recent history, politics and pop culture tell us about 'the Celtic'?

How do medieval traditions of poetry, music and imagery contribute today to living cultures and vital politics?

How has the ‘Celt’ been discovered (and discarded) in fields such as Archaeology, Literature, Linguistics, Folklore and Music?
Kontakt:

Kate Olson

Bangor University, College Road, Bangor (Gwynedd), LL57 2DG, UK

[email protected]
URL: http://www.bangor.ac.uk/welshpg
URL zur Zitation dieses Beitrages: http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/chancen/id=8219&type=studiengaenge