ATTN: OLD ENGLISH & INTENSIVE LATIN OPPORTUNITIES

I am copying information forwarded by Dr. Larry J. Swain of Bemidji State University concerning two intensive language courses in Latin and Old English. (As someone who has just spent the last academic year learning both of these languages (OE in the Fall, Intensive Latin this Spring! - I highly recommend it to any aspiring Medievalist.)

Hello all,

I am pleased to off the two courses listed below this summer online.
There are both undergraduate and graduate options.  If you are not a
Bemidji State University student, directions on admission can be found
here: http://www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/distance/admissions/   The
ability to use basic software is required, and much will be delivered
through D2L, a Blackboard like software that the student will be able to
access once enrolled for the class.  I’m looking forward to see some of
you there!

ENGL 3930/5930
Intensive Latin Online
Dr. Larry Swain
Bemidji State University

Course Description:  This course is an intensive introduction to Latin,
covering in eight weeks a full academic year’s worth of the language.
This will require a lot of work and dedication on the part of both
instructor and student.  By the end, however, the student should be able
to read Latin prose with the aid of a grammar and a good dictionary or
lexicon.  There will be a great deal of memorization.  Via our online
tools, discussion board, online office hours, recorded lectures, live
lectures, exercise sharing and corrections, and Q&A sessions delivered
via D2L, power point presentations, and other tools, we will go through
the entire text and master basic Latin.

The course will require a commitment from the student.  A MINIMUM of 2
hours and preferably 4-6 hours a day will need to be spent working on
the exercises, in class, interacting with the professor etc.  Because
delivery is online rather than in a traditional classroom, the need for
each individual student to apply him- or herself diligently daily is
even more important than in a face-to-face class.   Four days a week we
will meet virtually to explain the grammar lesson, to do some in class
exercises, to correct exercises, and so on, for approximately two hours.
 The rest of your time will be spent working on exercises, translating
sample passages of actual Latin, memorizing the forms.


Texts:
Intensive Latin by Floyd Moreland and Rita Fleischer
Other materials as assigned
(I will have advice about students’ dictionaries, additional grammar
aids in print and online and so on as well throughout the course).

Highly Recommended:   English Grammar for Students of Latin: The Study
Guide for Those Learning Latin by Norma Goldman and Ladislas Szymanski


English 3390/5390: Intensive Old English
Summer 2012
Dr. Larry J. Swain
Bemidji State University


This seminar is intended to accomplish three related objectives: 1) to
learn to read Old English and translate texts in Old English with
relative ease 2) to have an overview of Anglo-Saxon Literature and 3) to
place the language and literature into the historical, cultural,
theological, intellectual, and material contexts.  That's a tall order.
But like those we read who endure heroically, so shall we: we will be
able to by semester's end read Old English literature in Old English,
both prose and poetry.   The approach is simple.  This is an intensive
course, a full 15 week course offered over less than 8 weeks in Summer
delivered over D2L and the Internet.  This means that the student will
need to keep up and plan well.  Missing some elements of the course will
prevent successful completion.  We will cover approximately two chapters
a week, and during the last couple of weeks we will be working
exclusively in translating Old English texts.  This will require a
serious commitment on the part of the student as well as the instructor.

Textbooks:
Reading Old English: An Introduction by Robert Hasenfratz and Thomas
Jambeck

A History of Old English Literature by Michael Alexander

Recommended:
The Anglo-Saxons James Campbell

Attention Old Norse Scholars: Another Job Opportunity!

I would like to reiterate what I first saw on Dr. Chris Abram's Old Norse News blog:

There is a job opportunity at the University of Bergen in Norway. This position is looking for individuals to teach Old Norse Philology. See the job description here (in Norwegian).

This job opening serves to me personally as a reminder to continue practicing my Norwegian. Through my mother I can claim Norwegian heritage, which I have always been rather exuberant about, considering my deep fascination with Medieval Scandinavia and long-term goals to pursue research in this area. I can read a bit of Norwegian and have basic conversational tactic under control, but I am doing myself a disservice to let my linguistic skill fall by the wayside. Both to my professional and personal affiliations with Norwegian culture generally.

Hmm, so perhaps I will fill the day with productive language study...

Betre byrdi du ber kje i bakken enn mannevit mykje.

Attention Medievalists: Employment Opportunity

I am absolutely drowning in work at the moment, severely impacting my ability to be active on here. Which is unfortunate considering I have a bounty of ideas for blog-posts but never see them through to completion. Again, this is because I am seeing other projects through to completion - and those have hardcore deadlines.

There is an employment opportunity which I have come across (which does not pertain to me since I am on a mission to obtain a PhD and do not hold one) but I figured I would post it in case anyone out there can benefit:

The History Department at Boston College is looking for a High or Late European Medievalist:

High or Late Medieval Europe
The Department of History at Boston College invites applications for a historian working on post-1100 continental Europe.  The appointment will be tenure-track and at the rank of assistant professor.  The successful candidate will be expected to offer broad and specialized courses in European history at the undergraduate and graduate levels and to participate in the History Core Program.  Ph.D required by August 2012.  Please submit a letter of application, CV, article-length writing sample, and at least three letters of reference.  Applications should be submitted electronically to: MedEu.Search@bc.edu. They can also be sent to the Chair, Medieval Europe Search Committee, Dept. of History, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.  Deadline: November 1, 2011.  Boston College is an AA/EO employer and welcomes applications from women and minority candidates.

For good measure I will add the link: Medievalists, Click here!