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Dr Richard Dance |
These notes have been prepared by our External Director of Studies, Dr Richard Dance, who is a Fellow of St Catharine's College and whose special interests include Old English language and literature and Germanic philology. There are relatively few applications to read Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic (ASNaC) at Churchill; they are, however, welcomed. It may, of course, also be possible to change to reading ASNaC after admission for another subject. |
What is ASNaC?
Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic (ASNaC) is a degree course unique to Cambridge. It focuses upon the history, languages and literatures of the different peoples of the British Isles and Scandinavia in the early medieval period. It is a distinctive course, which allows for the combination of subjects and techniques rarely taught together, but which mutually reinforce one another in the pursuit of a broad and detailed understanding of the world of which early Britain was a part: it is cross-cultural (involving the study of English, Celtic and Scandinavian materials) and inter-disciplinary (offering a variety of historical, linguistic and literary topics). Several of the subjects taught in ASNaC (including palaeography and codicology, the study of medieval scribes and manuscripts) are seldom if ever available in other degree courses at undergraduate level.
Who will be interested?
As a degree course, ASNaC has many aspects in common with the other Humanities courses, especially English, History, Classics and Medieval and Modern Languages. It will therefore appeal to any prospective student of these and similar subject areas, especially those with an interest in pursuing texts and their traditions back into the Middle Ages and beyond. But in its unique combination of disciplines, ASNaC offers the student both a greater spread of topics and a greater detail of engagement with the full range of sources than is possible with these more 'traditional' courses. At the same time as looking at the history of early medieval Britain, Ireland or Scandinavia, that is, one is able to examine original texts relevant to this study in their original language, whether Old English, Old Norse, medieval Welsh or Irish, or Insular Latin. ASNaC has, moreover, a very strong tradition of literary scholarship, giving students access to great works of literature like Beowulf; the Icelandic sagas, The Mabinogion, The Táin and the poetry of Aldhelm, again all in their original languages, and making use of the latest editions, critical writings and electronic resources in exploring them. All this makes for an intellectually challenging, and highly rewarding, combination.
No prior knowledge of any of the ASNaC subjects is necessary in order to apply (though you will normally be expected to have demonstrated an aptitude for other linguistic, literary and/or historical subjects).
Teaching
The ASNaC Tripos is examined in two Parts; Part I comes at the end of the second year, with the more advanced Part II at the end of the third. The course is taught in a variety of forms, ranging from lectures and seminars (including language and translation classes) to supervisions. The latter, a mainstay of the Cambridge system, are (ordinarily one-to-one) meetings organized through College, for which students write essays and then discuss them with a subject specialist; these will be arranged by your Director of Studies, with whom you will also have regular meetings to discuss and plan your work. The ASNaC experience is, moreover, enhanced by the small size and friendly nature of the department: its tight-knit, thriving community of undergraduates, post-graduates and senior members means that it is easy to find a like-minded person with whom to discuss your work, whether formally or informally.
Resources
Reading ASNaC will give you access to library and other information resources that are second to none. The ASNaC department has a very well-stocked library of its own, which functions as part of the English Faculty Library and from which books may be borrowed. Students also have access to the unparalleled resources of Cambridge University Library, a major copyright library with one of the most important collections of manuscripts and early printed books in the U.K.; the libraries of some other Cambridge colleges also hold significant collections of manuscripts relevant to the period studied by those taking ASNaC (though Churchill Library would make no special claim to excellence in this subject).
Careers
Like most subjects in the Arts and Humanities, ASNaC is not a vocational course that prepares students for a specific career; but the skills that can be acquired over the three years of the degree are many and varied, and should most importantly provide a thorough grounding in the careful interrogation of a variety of sources from different points of view (literature, history, linguistics), and in the reasoned construction of sound, detailed arguments, whether orally or in writing. Recent ASNaC graduates have put these skills to good use in a wide range of jobs, including careers in law, finance, publishing, teaching, the civil service, the armed forces, the police, computing, television and journalism, besides those who have chosen to progress to post-graduate level research.
The Application Process
ASNaC usually admits around 25-30 new undergraduates each year across the university. Applicants will normally have taken A-levels in subjects that allow them to demonstrate their ability in linguistic, literary and/or historical areas, such as History, English Literature, a modern language (French, German, Spanish, Italian, etc.) or an ancient language (Latin or Greek), but there are no fixed requirements. We expect good grades in equivalent subjects at GCSE level, including evidence of some ability in a language to at least GCSE standard.
Subject interviews will be conducted by the Churchill Director of Studies, Dr Richard Dance, and a colleague from the ASNaC department. The interview will last approximately 20 minutes; we will be looking for evidence of enthusiasm for and a potential for aptitude in the subjects covered by the ASNaC tripos, and an ability in historical, linguistic and/or literary thinking. No formal 'test' will be set as part of the interview, but we require candidates to submit two essays on literary, historical or linguistic topics.