Names and Identities
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| ENGL2012 | English | 2 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- ENGL2012
- School
- English
- Level
- 2
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
The module explores the origin of the names given to people forenames, surnames, and nicknames and examines the contribution that the study of them can make to linguistics, social and cultural history. The emphasis is on names used in England from the medieval period to the earlier twentieth century.
Target Students
Only available to second-year students on SH and JH English programmes, including 2+2 programmes; students participating in exchanges from the School partner institutions; and second or third-year students on the Liberal Arts programme.
Classes
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 11 weeks
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 11 weeks
Assessment
- 100% Coursework: One piece of coursework 3,500 words
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
In common with all Level 2 medieval provision, this module aims to provide students with:The opportunity to develop particular expertise in an area of medieval studiesPractice in reading literatures against different contexts, including political, cultural and theoreticalConfidence in developing their own interpretations through attention to the detail of the texts under considerationAdditionally, the module aims toprovide training in the techniques of personal name study and the use of complex discipline-specific reference booksgive a comprehensive grounding in patterns of personal naming in early Englandshow how personal name study can be used to illuminatedialectal variation in language and in naming practiceslexicographylanguages in contactquestions of social historymigration patternspopulation history, in conjunction with other disciplines such as genetics.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding common to all medieval modules
- The methods of transmission and circulation of medieval texts and the particular challenges of interpretation associated with that evidence
- Theoretical and historical approaches to the study of medieval languages and literaturesadditionally:
- An understanding of personal name-studies as, at base, a linguistic discipline, and a knowledge of the range of languages used in England from ancient times to the present, and the evidence that personal names provide for these languages.
- An understanding of the nature of personal name-studies as an interdisciplinary subject, and how it contributes to and benefits from the related disciplines of social and political history and cultural and physical geography.
- A knowledge of the range of primary and secondary evidence available for personal name-studies.
Intellectual skills common to all medieval modules
- The ability to argue a case using detailed evidence from a variety of material;
- The ability to apply contextual information in interpretation, while recognising the limits and challenges of that task;
- The ability to analyse data and present results in a clearly structured format.
- The ability to communicate and argue effectively and appropriately in written discourse.
Professional practical skills common to all medieval modules
- The ability to draw together a variety of sources (e.g. glossaries) appropriately to illuminate a question
- The ability to carry out independent and class-based research, evidenced in summative assessmentadditionally:
- The ability to use appropriate methods to gather and analyse both primary data from historical documents and scholarly commentary in the range of discipline-specific reference books.
- The ability to apply one type of evidence to broader subjects.
Transferable (key) skills common to all medieval modules
- The ability to identify a question and work out the information necessary to address it
- the ability to conduct self-directed study and present written findings clearly
- The ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in written discourse.