Entry requirements

A Bachelor’s degree equivalent to 180 credits with a major (90 credits) in a subject relevant to Historical Studies, such as Ethnology, Archaeology, Comparative Literature, History of Ideas, or Religious Studies.

Main field

No main field of study

Progression level in relation to degree requirements

No mainfield

Course contents

The course enables students to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the early medieval heroic epic Beowulf and the multifaceted processes of meaning-making that the work has undergone from its creation to the present day. By combining historical, religious and popular cultural perspectives, the epic is studied as a literary, cultural and ideological phenomenon whose significance has changed over time. Emphasis is placed on how traditional narratives concerning the themes and morals in Beowulf both reflect and reshape pre-Christian beliefs within a Christian value system and within the context of medieval manuscript culture, as well as how this tension continues to influence interpretations of the work. Furthermore, the course deals with how Beowulf has been revitalised, appropriated and reinterpreted in various political, cultural, religious and aesthetic contexts in the post-medieval era, from nineteenth-century national romanticism to twenty-first-century fantasy culture. Through a focus on popular culture, the course discusses the epic’s significance for modern fantastic literature and especially the fantasy genre, as well as how contemporary media (film, literature, games) have shaped new versions of the heroic narrative. The course also explores the question of the epic’s contemporary relevance: how an early medieval heroic epic can still be relevant in a modern globalised world, and what functions it fulfils in today’s cultural and social landscape.

Learning outcomes

After completing the module, the student will be able to:

1. critically analyse and discuss Beowulf and its meaning-making functions in a pre-Christian context of the Migration Period, a medieval Christian context, and in later post-medieval interpretations,

2. independently and on a theoretical basis, analyse the epic from historical, religious and popular cultural perspectives, and assess how different analytical approaches influence the interpretation of the text,

3. critically reflect on the origins, transmission, reinterpretations and function of Beowulf in various social contexts, and assess how socio-cultural, religious and political changes have shaped the work’s significance over time,

4. independently formulate and carry out advanced textual analyses that integrate relevant research literature and theoretical frameworks within medieval studies, literary studies and cultural history.

Learning activities

The course is conducted through lectures, seminars, webinars and group work.

Assessment

All learning outcomes are assessed through a portfolio.

Assessment criteria will be announced by the course leader at the start of the course.

For all assessments, the basis must be such that individual performance can be distinguished.

Course literature and other study materials

Damico, Helen (2015). Beowulf and the Grendel-Kin: Politics and Poetry in Eleventh Century England. Morgantown: University of West Virginia Press (297 pages)

Flight, Tim (2021). Basilisks and Beowulf: Monsters in the Anglo-Saxon World. Chicago: Reaktion Books (250 pages)

Gardner, John (1991). Grendel. London: Robin Clark (150 pages)

Gräslund, Bo (2022). The Nordic Beowulf. Leeds: Arc Humanities Press (240 pages)

Headley, Maria Dahvana (2021). Beowulf. London: Scribe (176 pages)

Headley, Maria Dahvana (2018). The Mere Wife. London: Scribe (300 pages)

Heaney, Seamus (2000). Beowulf. London: Faber (100 pages)

Mellinkoff, Ruth (1979). “Cain's monstrous progeny in "Beowulf": part I, Noachic tradition, i Anglo-Saxon England, vol. 8. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, s. 143-162 (20 pages)

Newton, Sam (1993). The Origins of Beowulf and the Pre-Viking Kingdom of East Anglia. Cambridge: Brewer (145 pages)

O'Donoghue, Heather (2024). Beowulf: Poem, Poet and Hero. London: Bloomsbury Academic (192 pages)

Shippey, Tom (2022). Beowulf and the North before the Vikings. Leeds: Arc Humanities Press (124 pages)

Tolkien, John R. R. (1997). The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays. London: Harper Collins. Individual selection in consultation with the course leader.

Course evaluation

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).

Interim rules

If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that applied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented. The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.

Additional information

If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format. The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.