Introductions

• M Jan 22 - Introduction to the course
• W Jan 24 - To the West: "Graenlendinga Saga," Vinland Sagas - 47-72
  • Questions
• F Jan 26 - To the West: "Eirik's Saga," Vinland Sagas - 73-105. Also skim the Introduction. You'll learn a lot. Read the historical background and notes on where your sources come from.
  • Questions
• M Jan 29 - The Rus and Islam: The Risala of Ibn Fadlan, translation and commentary by J. Montgomery.
  • Discussion Questions

Scandinavia in Mythic Time

• W Jan 31 - The Old Religion
  • Reading: Poetic Edda: "The Seeress' Prophecy," p. 3-13 and "The Sayings of the High One", p. 14-38. Use Rosedahl - 147-158 and Oxford - 202-218 for background.
  • Discussion Questions
  • Women in the Poetic Edda (a solid academic article)
  • On Ragnarok (a new-agey interpretive essay, but good)
• F Feb 2 - Stories of the Gods
  • Reading: Prose Edda - "Gylfaginning," p. 7-58.
  • Discussion Questions
• M Feb 5 - Stories of the Heroes - Sigurd and Brynhild
  • Readings. Poetic Edda: 151-194
  • Rather than assign a list of discussion questions as before, I want you to come to class with three discussion questions and a paragraph suggesting answers to each one. I will be collecting these

The Northmen in Europe

• W Feb 7 - Before the Vikings: The Formation of the Medieval West
  • 100 Years of English History - Read the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle from 787-887 C.E (in part 2). Take notes!
  • The Annals of Xanten
• F Feb 9 - Vikings in France
  • Reading: Oxford - 19-47, The Northmen attack the Franks (sources)
  • Look at Rollo in history and in literature.
  • Discussion Questions
• M Feb 12 - Vikings in The British Isles
  • Reading: Oxford - 48-82 and The Martyrdom of St. Edmund
  • Discussion Questions
• W Feb 14 - Research Methods Presentation
• F Feb 16 - Resistance - King Alfred
  • Reading: Life of Alfred. Go back and review the Keynes article in Oxford as needed.
  • As with the poems from a few weeks ago, I want you to come to class with discussion questions.
• M Feb 19 - NO CLASS. READ BEOWULF AND STUDY
• W Feb 21 - Beowulf
  • Reading: Beowulf - Lines 1192-1650.
  • Read them online if you can to make use of the notes, but for class highlight the selected lines, go to File-Print and select SELECTION on the window. Otherwise, you'll be printing 68 pages instead of 9.
  • Also, listen to some of the passages read on this site.
  • Take a look at the supplemental texts page to get a sense of the world in which Beowulf operates, and skim the introduction for some background. Skip the technical details on language.
  • Try to figure out what is happening in the text, but you can find dozens of little summaries all over the web if you are having difficulties.
• F Feb 23 TEST #1

M Feb 26 - NO CLASS - Begin to think about research paper topics. You will need to bring some kind of proof of said thinking to class on Wednesday.

Christianity in the Viking East and West

• W Feb 28 St. Canute & St. Olaf - New Kingdoms & New Religions
  • Reading: Oxford 156-181 and Oxford 218-224
  • Due: About 1 paragraph or page documenting your work on your project. Said paragraph might be a prose record of your work, or a list of sources obtained, ordered, or consulted.

The Kievan Rus

• F Mar 1 Foundation and conversion.
  • Reading: Oxford 134-155. Primary Source: The Russian Primary Chronicle.
• M Mar 5 The Development of Rus Society and Law
  • Reading: Church Statute of Vladimir, Law Code of Iaroslav, Church Statute of Iaroslav, Martyrdom of Boris and Gleb
  • Document discussion day planned. Discussion Questions to be posted.
• W Mar 7 The Rus and the Byzantine Commonwealth
  • The uses of the Varangian Guard
  • Russia in Constantine Porphyrogenitos
• F Mar 8 Individual Meetings - No class - Paper planning
• March 10-18 SPRING BREAK

The Scandinavian Realms

• M Mar 19 Society
  • Reading: Rosedahl 25-63, The Viking Pirate Princess (handed out in class)
  • Discussion - List of Rig (handed out in class)
• W Mar 21 Politics
  • Reading: Rosedahl 64-93 and 129-146
• F Mar 23 Economy
  • Reading: Rosedahl 94-128
  • Discussion - Viking Law Codes (handed out on Wednesday)
  • In-class writing project
• M Mar 26 Iceland
  • Reading: Rosedahl 262-276
• W Mar 28 Viking Ships
  • Reading: Oxford, 182-201
  • In class - Hedeby
  • Watch if you want - Gaia
• F Mar 30 Greenland
  • J. Diamond - from "Collapse" (handed out in class)
  • "Enduring Impacts" - O Vésteinsson, TH McGovern, C Keller - Archaeologia Islandica, 2002. Online as a MS Word document. Print out and bring to class.
• M Apr 2 TEST #2

The Normans (France, England, Sicily, the Holy Land)

• W Apr 4 Harald Hardarada
  • Reading: Saga of Harald (online)- Part I
  • Discussion Questions
• F Apr 6 GOOD FRIDAY
• M Apr 9 Harald Hardarada II
  • Reading: Saga of Harald (online) - Part II
  • Discussion Questions
• W Apr 11 The Norman Conquest
  • Reading: "The Essential Norman Conquest" - Explore the site and read the history. This is a bit "high-schooly," but fun for a change of pace. It's a good example of what's on the internet.
  • Class Activity - Prepare for class discussion on the Bayeux Tapestry
• F Apr 13 Norman Sicily and Byzantium
• Reading: Career of Robert Guiscard. Deeds of Robert Guiscard - Handed out in Class.
• M Apr 16 Normans and Scandinavians on Crusade and Pilgrimage
  • Reading: "Viking Pilgrimage." Read also: "The Siege and Capture of Antioch," one of the pivotal events of the First Crusade. Print these out.
  • Also look at: Demark and the Crusades (an interesting project).
• W Apr 18 High Medieval Scandinavia
  • Reading: Anders Andrén, "States and Towns in the Middle Ages: The Scandinavian Experience" (jstor - print out).
• F Apr 20 TEST #3

The Viking Ecumene

• M Apr 23 The Seventh Seal
• W Apr 25 The Seventh Seal
• F Apr 27 Presentations
• M Apr 30 Presentations

Final paper due during exam period. Date TBA.