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Introduction
Celtic Studies aims to provide students with a full understanding of, and critical engagement with, a diverse and complex field of study, taking advantage of the knowledge and expertise of staff in Humanities and the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS). Students will explore aspects of Celtic life, literature, religion and culture, from ancient times to the present, covering several geographical areas, from Wales to Ireland and Cornwall.
A broad and well-balanced curriculum encourages enthusiasm for Celtic studies. You will learn to appreciate the cultural and social significance of Welsh and the Celtic languages as well as a variety of aspects of the history and heritage of the Celtic regions.
The course provides you the opportunity to either learn Welsh or improve your Welsh language skills, increasing your employment skills and your personal development through acquiring cultural enrichment and valuable life skills.
You will read and critically analyse primary and secondary sources and appreciate a variety of theories and methodologies used when exploring the past and appreciating literary texts.
As a graduate, you will also be equipped with a range of subject-specific and generic skills that will qualify you for the workplace and further study.
PATHWAY OPTIONS
Celtic Studies (BA)
UCAS Code: CS01
Celtic Studies with Foundation Year (BA)
UCAS Code: CES1
Why choose this course?
• Our students will study a wide range of modules and topics on Celtic culture and Celtic literature, from Antiquity to modern times.
• This programme is taught to you via our unique distance-learning platform, so you can carry on working and keep up with your family commitments while you study for your BA degree.
• The modules are taught by research-active scholars from the renowned University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS) and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David who have published extensively in their specialist fields, providing a cutting-edge teaching environment.
• Learn where to find the most important sources on the Celtic peoples and how to question the various versions of the past that have been put forward by historians, linguists, folklorists and archaeologists.
• Take advantage of being able to learn modern Welsh at a distance and attend our optional intensive language residential course in the heart of Welsh-speaking Ceredigion.
Overview
Some of the world’s leading experts in the field of Celtic Studies have come together to produce an innovative programme that tutors students in topics such as the early Celts, the druids and Celtic religions, the social histories of the Celtic languages, Celtic hagiography and saints’ cults, classic Celtic literature and folktales, medieval Welsh prose and poetry, representations of Brittany and Cornwall, Welsh and Celtic place names, religious revival in 18th- and 19th-century Wales and the influence of Celtic mythology on contemporary writing.
No previous knowledge of the Celtic languages is required for this programme, as students study texts in translation and the programme is taught through the medium of English. However, students may choose to learn Welsh as part of the programme and it is also possible for students who are fluent in Welsh to study their modules entirely through the medium of Welsh (see BA Astudiaethau Celtaidd).
Students will develop an understanding of the distinctive features and linguistic concepts that define ‘Celtic’ as a language family and how this concept was influentially extended to the realms of literature, archaeology, art, music and cultural identity.
Modules
Year One – Level 4 (CertHE, DipHE & BA)
• Academic Skills (20 credits; compulsory)
• An Introduction to Celtic Literatures (20 credits; compulsory)
• An Introduction to the Celtic Languages (20 credits; compulsory)
• Introduction to Celtic Art (20 credits; compulsory)
• The Early Celts (20 credits; compulsory)
• Welsh Language Skills 1 (20 credits; compulsory)
Year Two – Level 5 (DipHE & BA)
Year A Entry
• Medieval Prose in Wales (20 credits; compulsory)
• Representations of Brittany (20 credits; compulsory)
• The Celts through the Eyes of the Greeks and the Romans (20 credits; compulsory)
• The Irish Question 1886-1998: from Charles Parnell to the Good Friday Agreement (20 credits; compulsory)
• Welsh and Celtic Place-Names (20 credits; compulsory)
• Welsh Language Skills 2 (20 credits; compulsory)
Year B Entry
• Celtic Sanctity and Spirituality: Hagiography and Saints’ Cults (20 credits; compulsory)
• Cornwall Without Cornish (20 credits; compulsory)
• From Desert Myths to Sheep Tales: The Cistercians in the Middle Ages (20 credits; compulsory)
• Roman Britain (20 credits; compulsory)
• True Brits (20 credits; compulsory)
• Welsh Medieval Praise Poetry (20 credits; compulsory)
Year Three – Level 6 (BA)
Year A Entry
• Celtic Sanctity and Spirituality: Hagiography and Saints’ Cults (20 credits; optional)
• Cornwall Without Cornish (20 credits; optional)
• Dissertation (40 credits; compulsory)
• From Desert Myths to Sheep Tales: The Cistercians in the Middle Ages (20 credits; optional)
• Roman Britain (20 credits; optional)
• True Brits (20 credits; optional)
• Welsh Medieval Praise Poetry (20 credits; optional)
Year B Entry
• Dissertation (40 credits; compulsory)
• Medieval Prose in Wales (20 credits; optional)
• Representations of Brittany (20 credits; optional)
• The Celts through the eyes of the Greeks and the Romans (20 credits; optional)
• The Irish Question 1886-1998: from Charles Parnell to the Good Friday Agreement (20 credits; optional)
• Welsh and Celtic Place-Names (20 credits; optional)
• Welsh Language Skills 2 (20 credits; optional)
Level 3 (Foundation Year)
• Academic Skills (20 credits; compulsory)
• The Humanities (20 credits; compulsory)
• Writing for University (20 credits; compulsory)
• Knowledge and Belief (20 credits; compulsory)
• People across time (20 credits; compulsory)
• Language and Culture (20 credits; compulsory)
Prospective students should be aware of the following:
• Not all optional modules are offered every year
• Optional modules are delivered subject to sufficient student numbers
• Language modules are optional/compulsory/core according to linguistic ability
• There are many Level 5 and Level 6 versions of the same module. Students can only take this module once; this depends on which year the modules are offered in.
Entry Criteria
Grades are important; however, our offers are not solely based on academic results. We are interested in creative people who demonstrate a strong commitment to their chosen subject area and therefore we welcome applications from individuals from a wide range of backgrounds.
To assess student suitability for their chosen course we normally arrange interviews for all applicants at which your skills, achievements and life experience will be considered as well as your qualifications.
ENTRY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Home Office Share Code
For EU students only.
IF no Qualification
Please provide CV with at least 2 years of work experience, and employee reference letter.
Assessment
ASSESSMENT METHODS
1. INTERNAL ENGLISH TEST if you don't have an English accredited certificate
2. Academic Interview
Assessment
The programme will include several of the following types of assessment:
• essays of 1,000 to 4,000 words in length
• document analysis
• book/ journal reviews
• short reports and reflective journals
• time tests
• seen and unseen exams
• field journals
• posters
• group and individual presentations
• dissertations of 10,000 words
• wikis
• commentaries
• film evaluations
Career Opportunities
Successful graduates will acquire skills that will lead to a range of possible posts including:
• teaching
• the heritage and tourist industry
• libraries
• archives and information services
• local and Welsh assembly government
• civil service
• administration
• proofreading
• publishing
• journalism
• film
• television
• media
• creative arts
Many of our students progress to postgraduate studies at UWTSD/CAWCS: for example, the MA in Celtic Studies or MPhil and PhD study.
Learning Welsh and becoming bilingual will equip students to work confidently as part of a bilingual workforce in Wales.
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