MPhil Guide
Introduction
The Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic (known as ASNC) is dedicated to the study of the history, languages, literatures and material culture of the different peoples of the British Isles, Brittany and Scandinavia in the earlier Middle Ages; the MPhil provides a one-year course of study in the scholarly methods and disciplines relevant to those subjects. The course allows candidates the possibility of achieving an understanding of early Insular culture as a whole, while at the same time specialising in aspects of particular interest, whether historical, palaeographical, literary or linguistic (including the languages Insular Latin, Old English, Old Norse, Old Saxon, Medieval Welsh, Medieval Irish, Middle Breton and Middle Cornish).
Teaching for the course consists of individual supervision, seminars and classes. Each graduate student has an allocated supervisor who is responsible for planning the research and courses to be followed during the MPhil year; other senior members of the Department are also available for consultation. Instruction is given in scholarly methods and bibliographical searching (including the use of IT resources), as well as in the particular fields of the candidate’s interests.
Flexibility, and the possibility of tailoring supervision and instruction to individual needs, are the Department’s priorities. The University Library’s extensive collections of manuscripts and printed books provide a rich background for research, augmented by many special holdings in College libraries. In addition to following the seminars and classes specified for the course, candidates for the MPhil also have the opportunity of attending the Department’s lectures, seminars and classes relevant to their individual interests.
The Convenor of the MPhil in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic is Dr Rosalind Love who can be contacted by email (rcl10@cam.ac.uk), telephone (01223-767316), or via the departmental office mailboxes. During Easter Term 2012, while Dr Love is on leave, the MPhil will be convened by Dr Judy Quinn (jeq20@cam.ac.uk; tel. 01223 767317).