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MAS4525 - Old Norse religion

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 outcomes

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.

International applicants, if you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.

Prerequisites

Recommended prior 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.

Exam information

The final assessment is based on a three-day home exam.

Language of examination

English or any of the Scandinavian languages

Assessment and grading

Course grades are awarded on a descending scale using alphabetic grades from A to E for passes and F for fail. Read more about the grading system .

Explanations and appeals

Students can request an explanation of their grades, and can also appeal against their grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals

Possibility of make-up exams and re-takes

You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam .

Exam options for students with special needs

Students may apply for access to alternative exam resources or exam forms on the basis of chronic illness and/or special needs that create a marked disadvantage to other students in the exam situation. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.

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