Remains of Tintagel Castle, Cornwall, Britain
Arthurian Literature in Britain
June 7 –June 21, 2008
Program Overview:
Arthurian Literature in Britain (LITR 312) offers students the opportunity to study medieval literature, with a particular focus on the various genres and authors associated with the British Arthurian tradition, while visiting the sites that provided the historical contexts, imaginative settings and indeed the inspiration for their generation.
While King Arthur has come to represent the ultimate symbol of medieval Britishness and utopian imperial ambition, an exploration of the genres, historical and cultural traditions that produced the Arthurian legend as we know it reveals the fascinatingly fragmented political and cultural landscapes of medieval Britain. As students visit the famous “Arthurian” sites of Somerset and Glastonbury, explore Tintagel and the fabled land of Lyonesse on the Cornish coast, and examine Arthur’s roots in Wales, they will plumb the strata of Arthurian tradition, learning how the tale of Arthur has passed from one culture and one genre to the next, each time shape-shifting to address the concerns its tellers and audience, an instrument of both conquest and indigenous resistance.
Since this course will end in London, Tennyson’s Idylls will allow us to consider the legacy of Arthur in the self-conceptualization of English nationhood and imperialism.
The course will involve two formats: 1) a week of intensive seminar classes on campus prior to the travel; 2) 12 days of travel together in England, Cornwall and Wales where classes will be held on site (July 8th to July 20th).
Glastonbury Tor
Tentative Itinerary :
- Saturday the 7th: Students leave for London
- Sunday the 8th: Students arrive at airport
Bus us to Salisbury
-sightseeing in Salisbury
- Monday the 9th: -Avebury
-Stonehenge
- Tuesday the 10th: Day in Glastonbury
Stay in Glastonbury overnight
- Wednesday the 11th: -Leave Glastonbury for Tintagel/Boscastle
-Stop at Cadbury Castle in a.m.
-wander around local area in Boscastle
Overnight in Tintagel/Boscastle
- Thursday the 12th: Tintagel
-leave for Penzance/St. Ives
- Friday the 13th: -Zennor, Penwith Antiquities in day; Mt. St. Michael's
-Land's End at sunset
- Saturday the 14th: -Leave for Wales
-stop at Caerleon
-overnight in Cardiff
- Sunday the 15th: St. Govan's Head
Drive through Carmathen
-drive through scenic Snowdonia to Bangor
- Monday the 16th:
Caernafon + Dina Emyrs
Bardsey Isle or Anglesey
- Tuesday the 17th: Day trip Llangollen
Head to Bath
- Wednesday the 18th: Bath
Leave for London in the evening
Shakespeare group: National Museum and Portrait Gallery-Trafalgar Square
- Thursday the 19th: Free
- Friday 20th:Last Supper
- Saturday 21st: Return Flight Home
Avebury
*Photograph copyright GNU free license
Accommodation:
Small hotels, room based on multiple occupancy.
Program
fee: $ 2400.00 estimated*
*Does not include round-trip air fare or EMU tuition and fees. Our program fees are based on currency exchange rates in effect at the time of budget planning. Further weakening of the U.S. Dollar against world currencies may require a surcharge to cover unexpected costs resulting from unfavorable exchange rates. We will do everything possible to limit program costs as we monitor economic conditions beyond our control.
Program fee includes:
• All lodging in Britain
• Program travel
• Museum admissions
• Lectures
• Theatrical Performances
• Miscellaneous tour expenses
• Breakfasts (continental)
• All gratuities
• International Student ID Card
• CMI Health insurance
Program fee does not include:
• Round-trip international airfare
• EMU tuition and fees
• Meals and beverages
• Personal expenses
• Independent travel
The Last Sleep of Arthur by Edward Burne-Jones
Academics:
Course evaluation:
Participation 15
Seminar presentation 20
Book report on site 15
Travel journal 20
Research paper 30
Participation: This slightly higher participation grade is to account for the level of preparation and engagement required from students to run classes successfully while traveling and teaching on location.
Seminar Presentation
Each student will be responsible for researching the cultural and historical contexts pertinent to one literary text we will be studying. The student will prepare a 10 minute oral presentation for the class, with a written version including a bibliography to be submitted to me that day.
Book Report
Each student will prepare a critical book report on a book chosen from a list of predetermined texts, all addressing the Arthurian material from a critical perspective—in other words, these will be texts that address the function of Arthurian texts on a cultural or philosophical level. On the day we address this topic during the tour, this student will present the report and help guide the class discussion.
Course texts: The Mabinogion. Geoffrey of Monmouth. History of the Kings of Britain. Wace and Layamon. Brut. The Alliterative Morte Sir Thomas Malory. Morte D’Arthur. Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Idylls of the King. Coursepack: including articles and excerpts from relevant critical theory (in particular historiography and postcolonial theory)
Response Journal:
Students will be responsible for keeping a travel journal documenting their learning experiences. In particular students will be asked to reflect on the interaction between imaginary and actual landscapes, topographical dynamics of texts only discernible through travel, as well as their perceptions of popular culture Arthuriana, as we encounter Arthur tourism, and the role of Arthur in contemporary Welsh nationalism.
Term Research Paper: Upon returning from their travels, students will be required to submit a standard 8-10 page research paper (with a minimum of 5 secondary sources) on an Arthurian text and topic of their choice.
For
further information:
Prof. Christine Neufeld
Rm. 613D Pray Harrold
Phone: 487-0135
Email: cneufeld@emich.edu
Fall Office hours: T/Th 10-12:30
or by appointment
or
Office of Academic Programs Abroad
103 Boone Hall
734.487.2424 or
800.777.3541
programs.abroad@emich.edu
Early Application deadline: February
15, 2008
Final Application deadline: March 14, 2008
Download
Applications
Stonehenge image copyright Creative Commons
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