Reading and composition course based on works of Celtic writers both in English and in translations from Celtic languages. In addition to training in textual analysis and descriptive and argumentative writing, the courses will discuss the notion of Celtic "voices": distinctive modes of cultural expression chosen by important authors from a Celtic milieu. Readings will be chosen from a variety of modern Irish, Welsh, highland Scots, and Breton writers. R1A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and R1B satisfies the second half.

“I am aware that I shall describe some things that will seem to the reader to be either impossible or ridiculous,” wrote Gerald of Wales in his History and Topography of Ireland (trans. L. Thorpe 1982). Travel writing – whether accounts of pilgrimage, otherworldly voyages, or travel guides – opens windows on worlds to which the reader may never travel. This genre of literature is illuminating not only for the information it provides about the peoples and places described, but also for the information which may be gleaned about the writers themselves: their worldview, biases and beliefs. In this course, we will survey travel literature written by and about the Celtic-speaking peoples. This literature will span the medieval and the modern, the fantastic and the mundane. Through the eyes of strangers in strange lands, we will explore themes of identity, politics and religion. Students will learn to analyze these works critically, considering not just the texts themselves but the contexts in which they were produced. Training in textual analysis will be taught through the study of the works surveyed, while descriptive and argumentative writing will be developed alongside research skills. Reading List Print: Gerald of Wales, The History and Topography of Ireland, trans. J. J. O’Meara (London, 1982). ISBN-13: 978-0-140-44423-0 Gerald of Wales, The Journey Through Wales and The Description of Wales, trans. L. Thorpe (London, 1978). ISBN-13: 978-0-14-044339-4 Hacker, D. and N. Sommers, A Pocket Style Manual: 2016 MLA Update, 7th edition (2016). ISBN-13: 9781319083526 O’Meara, J. J., trans., The Voyage of Saint Brendan: Journey to the Promise Land (1981). ISBN-13: 978-0851055046 Strunk Jr., W., and E. B. White, The Elements of Style, 4th edition (1999). ISBN: 9780205309023 Online: Boswell, J., Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson LL.D. (London, 1898). https://archive.org/details/boswellsjournalo00bosw Borrow, G., Wild Wales (London, 1901). https://archive.org/details/wildwales00borr Johnson, S., A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland (London, 1775). https://archive.org/details/journeytowestern01john Pennant, T., Tours in Wales (1883). https://archive.org/details/toursinwales01penn Other texts and resources to be assigned online.

Requisites

• Previously passed an R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Previously passed an articulated R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Score a 4 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Literature. Score a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Language and Composition. Score of 5, 6, or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination in English.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills