GERMANIC PHILOLOGY

Germanic Philology 2.1 is one of the main courses for the degree in Language Sciences; it contributes to the in-depth study of the various Germanic linguistic and textual traditions in historical perspective. The overall objective of Module 2.1 is to introduce the production of the Germanic legal texts from the Middle Ages. The course is taught entirely in English.

Student Learning Objectives (SLO):
- to acquire knowledge and understanding in the main topics of legal texts and the languages conveying them, as well as cultural and literary studies, by being exposed to both the current theoretical debate and its applications in the field of Germanic Philology. This knowledge and understanding will be founded upon and will extend that typically associated with the first cycle; it will also provide a basis for originality in developing and/or applying ideas, often within a research context;
- to apply their knowledge and understanding, and problem solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader contexts related to Germanic Comparative Linguistics, as well as Germanic Philology (e.g. textual criticism and literary reading skills applied to Germanic medieval texts);
- to have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity, and formulate judgments with incomplete or limited information about their object of study (this is a typical situation in the philological field). The ability to formulate judgements will include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge (e.g. the educational and social impact of philological studies);
- to be able to communicate their conclusions, and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously, using the appropriate language register;
- to be able to represent course content organically and critically consult reference texts;
- Non sono richiesti prerequisiti specifici. Le nozioni teoriche necessarie per affrontare i principali argomenti elencati nella sezione dei contenuti (vedi sotto) saranno fornite dalla docente all'inizio del corso. Si ricorda tuttavia alle e agli studenti che si tratta di un corso avanzato di Laurea Magistrale, perciò la didattica sarà organizzata in lezioni frontali, accompagnate da lavoro a gruppi e lavoro individuale.to acquire the learning skills that should allow them to continue to study in a manner that may be largely self-directed or autonomous (e.g. through individual independent reading on philological issues, as well as practice exercises on linguistic theories, models and forms).

No specific prerequisites are required. The basic notions necessary to tackle the main topics listed in the content section (see below) will be provided by the teacher at the beginning of the course. However, students are reminded that this is an advanced MA course, so the teaching will be organized in regular lectures combined with team as well as independent work.

The course consists of a series of lectures on relevant texts to the Germanic tradition, along with practice exercises:
- Medieval legal texts
- North Germanic languages
- Nordic manuscript culture and its paleographic features

Pp. 69–99 from: Robinson, Orrin W. Old English and its closest relatives. A survey of the Earliest Germanic Languages, Standford, Standford University Press, 1992.
Pp. 107–127 from: Benham, Jenny, Matthew McHaffie, and Helle Vogt, eds. Law and Language in the Middle Ages. Brill, 2018, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctv2gjwmwn .
Pp. 535–543 from: Bandle, Oskar, et al. The Nordic Languages. 1. Aufl. Germany: De Gruyter, 2002.

Reference materials for exercises:
Selected headwords from: Love at al. A Lexicon of Medieval Nordic Law, 2020. https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0188 .
Selected papers from: Benham, Jenny, Matthew McHaffie, and Helle Vogt, eds. Law and Language in the Middle Ages. Brill, 2018, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctv2gjwmwn .

Materials uploaded in the Moodle platform.

Students who are not able to attend classes are kindly asked to contact the lecturer in order to receive further bibliographic indications about supplementary materials.

During the oral interview, content questions will assess the acquisition of knowledge and comprehension skills, while analysis exercises will be proposed to test the application of knowledge and comprehension skills. The oral interview is also aimed at examining critical thinking and independent judgment.

Lectures, lecturer-led discussions and practice exercises.

English

oral