MAS4525 – Old Norse religion
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This course sets out to provide an overview of Old Norse religion. As part of the course, students will be introduced to various types of primary source material on this tradition (e.g. textual sources such as poetry, Snorri’s Edda and laws, as well as place names and archaeological findings), along with related secondary literature.
By Old Norse religion is meant the pre-Christian religion of the Viking Age (ca. 800–1050 CE). The course will also touch upon aspects of Christianity during the Nordic Middle Ages (ca. 1050–1550 CE), the emphasis however, will be on the pre-Christian period, the religious conversion around the year 1000, and the sources we have available for studying these topics.
Learning outcome
By drawing on various types of source material, the course adopts an interdisciplinary approach the students will gain a thorough overview of Old Norse religion and the transition to Christianity.
Students will develop their ability to evaluate and discuss the use of the different types of source material on pre-Christian Old Norse religion, thus building source-critical skills that will be of value also in other fields. Students will learn to observe, describe and discuss cultural change.
Students are expected to discuss primary sources and secondary literature critically and to know and use important theories and terminology from the science of religions.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Prerequisites
Recommended previous knowledge
Some previous knowledge in Old Norse language and literature, history of religion or archaeology is an advantage, but not required.
Teaching
28 hours of seminars and lectures throughout the semester.
In order to qualify for the exam, the student must hand in one qualifying assignment within a given deadline.
The assignment should be about 4 pages, maximum 6 pages long.
The assignment must be approved before the student can take the exam.
An approved assignment is valid for the present and two following semesters the course is given.
Examination
The final assessment is based on a three-day home exam.
Language of examination
English or any of the Scandinavian languages
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.