English 3450a: Old English (Fall 2026)
Contents
Instructor
Times and location
- Time: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 11:00-11:50
- Location: AH116
Office and Office Hours
Location: B810B (Office); B838 (Lab).
Availability: Appointment preferred (Use this form). I expect to be on campus most of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, either in my office or the lab. You are welcome to drop in if you don’t mind running the risk that I can’t see you right away. An appointment is the best bet.
About this course
English 3450 introduces students to Old English, the principal ancestor of our present day English, and the language of daily life in early medieval (Pre-Conquest) England (from approximately the mid 400s to the mid 1100s).
The Calendar describes the course in this way:
The study of Old English language and literature. Instruction in basic Old English grammar and syntax, translation practice, and an introduction to the language’s literary and historical context.
As this suggests, our main goal will be to learn the Language. The English we speak today is derived largely from that spoken in the Old English period. Indeed, although the English language has borrowed a huge number of words from other languages, our core vocabulary—as much as 80% of the words we use in daily conversation—have their origins in Old English. Speakers of Old English often had different words for things we have since borrowed words from other languages to discuss: both stōw and stede are Old English words for what we now call a place (you can still see them in place names such as Bristol or a word like homestead). And we also have developed and borrowed many words for things they had no knowledge of or reason to discuss, such as computers or rocket ships (though scip is an Old English word)! But speakers of Old English would recognise most of the words we use to tie our sentences together and discuss every day activities—and, where, up, in, am, ask, have, and many others are from Old English.
The real difference will be in the grammar. Old English grammar is quite different from Modern English grammar, and, as a result, must be learned by most students as if it were a foreign language (students who know modern Germanic languages such as High or Low German, Dutch, or the Nordic languages may find useful congruences to Old English).
In the course of the term, we will study and practise Old English grammar, phonology (the study of the sounds of a language), and script (how it is written). To provide us with a basis for comparison, we will also devote some attention to practising and improving our knowledge of Modern English grammar and phonology. Our principal method of study, however, will be practical: most class and study time will be devoted to translation work from Old English to Modern English.
Although it will not be the main focus of the course, students will complement their study of the Old English language with some study of its speakers and the culture in which it was used. We will discuss the range of Old English literature and learn about the culture and history of Germanic Britain alongside our readings in the original language.
Learning goals
By the end of the course, students should have a basic reading knowledge of Old English and a sense of the period in which it was used. This involves being able to
- translate prepared texts comfortably without aids and selected sight passages with help of a glossary
- read Old English texts aloud with an appropriate pronunciation
- transcribe short passages from facsimiles of Old English manuscripts
- speak and write knowledgeably on major aspects of Early Medieval English history, literature, and culture.
Texts
Required
- Baker, Peter S. 2012 (online). The Electronic Introduction to Old English. Medieval Institute, Western Michigan University.
- Mitchell, Bruce and Fred C. Robinson. A Guide to Old English, Eighth Edition. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. ISBN 978-0-470-67107-8. [1]
- O’Donnell, Daniel Paul.
- The Old English Alphabet
- Old English Pronunciation
- Insular Script
- Basic Old English Grammar
- Essential Grammar 1: Inflections
- Essential Grammar 2: Parts of Speech
- Essential Grammar 3: Grammatical Function
- Crash course on translating OE
- Old English ‘Cheat Sheet’
- How to Study Old English
- Old English Metre: A Brief Guide
- Additional handouts and documents as assigned.
Notes:
[1] Please make sure you have the eighth edition. Second-hand listings under this title and these authors also turn up a much earlier edition, A Guide to Old English: Revised with Texts and Glossary, published by University of Toronto Press. Title and authors both look right; only the edition statement tells you it is the wrong book. Our section, text, and page references will all follow the eighth.
Assessment
This assessment is provisional until the end of the first class.
This course uses two types of evaluation, formative (intended primarily to assist the student measure their progress and identify areas of improvement) and summative (intended primarily to assess a student’s success in accomplishing the course’s main learning goals).
You can read more about my approach to grading here and (in much greater depth, with a justification), here
- Academic Citizenship 15% (Appropriate/Inappropriate/Fail) [2]
- Formative Exercises 30% (Appropriate/Inappropriate/Fail) [4]
- Weekly Blog (due every week by Sunday evening, beginning in Week 3 [Sept 20]). [5]
- First written assignment What I did/did not know about Early Medieval England (Due Sunday Sept. 27)
- First term test: Grammatical Terminology (Week 5: Oct. 5-9)
- Second term test: Essential cases and noun forms (Week 9: Nov. 2-6)
- Second written assignment: Unessay (Week 8: Due Sunday Oct. 25)
- Third term test: Verbs and Adjectives (Week 11: Nov. 23-27)
- Summative 45% (A+ through F)
- Third written assignment: research essay or (with prior permission) creative project 25% (due Sunday Dec. 13, 23:59). [6]
- Final Exam (Moodle) 20% (Testing Centre, Dec. 12-19). [7]
- Badges 10% [8]
- Distinction 1.5%
- Great Distinction 3.0%
- Permission to resubmit inappropriate work -2.5% [9]
Notes:
[2] Each category under this heading is of equal weight (i.e. the Moodle profile is worth the same as the poster and presentation which is worth the same as attendance and participation). I reserve the right to add or subtract participation exercises and categories during the term (e.g. adding a quiz or homework category if class effort flags). Grading is Appropriate/Inappropriate/Fail.
[3] Attendance will be taken in class. Students may pass on translations up to five times in the course of the semester. After that, they will not be counted as present whenever they “pass” on a translation (subject to instructor discretion and barring medical, family, and other exigencies). If you are having trouble keeping up with the translations at any time in the term, please let me know as soon as possible: I have tips and techniques you can try to make things more efficient.
[4] All exercises under this category are of equal weight. Grading is Appropriate/Inappropriate/Fail.
If your work is exceptionally high quality it may be eligible also for Badges. Students may submit one piece of “Inappropriate” work for regrading, provided they accompany this with a letter explaining what changes have been made to the resubmission. Students who resubmit work for grading will receive a 2.5% penalty on their final grade.
[5] Up to three blogs published in any one week may be counted for credit (though you are welcome to publish more than three). If you publish more than one blog, then the first one counts for 1 point and the second and third 1/2 point each (i.e. a maximum of 2 points in any one week). For the purposes of calculating grades, the week ends at the end of our Friday class (i.e. anything published after 11:50 on Friday belongs to the following week’s blog(s)). Your first blog in a week must be published by midnight Sunday to count as “on-time.” After midnight on Sunday, each blog published in a week will count for 1/2 point. Please look at the about blogs page to see my (liberal and easy-going) policies on what is required and acceptable.
[6] Creative/alternative work will be accepted for the final written assignment only with prior permission of the instructor. Proposals for creative/alternative work will be considered the week before Fall Term Break. If you are considering a creative or alternative project for your final written assignment, please ensure you prepare a proposal and book an appointment to discuss it with Professor O’Donnell.
[7] The final exam will be available in the Testing Centre throughout the exam period, except on Sunday 13 December, when the Centre is closed. Students are responsible for finding a time to sit the exam. Please be aware that the Testing Centre can be very busy during this period. Be sure to leave sufficient time to accommodate delays in computer availability within the Centre.
[8] 10% of the grade is reserved for “Badges.” Badges are earned for exceptional work and may be applied to any assignment, summative or formative. There are two types of badges: “Distinction” (equivalent to 1.5% on your final grade) and “Great Distinction” (equivalent to 3%). The value of a badge does not depend on the value of the underlying work (i.e. the badges are worth the same whether they are on a poster or an essay). Students may receive up to the maximum of 10% in badges. Please note that these are not “bonus marks”: the badges represent a reserved portion of the final grade that is awarded for excellence.
[9] Students may request permission to resubmit one piece of “inappropriate” formative work in the course of the semester, at a cost of -2.5% on their final grade in the class. Work receiving a “Fail” may not be made up.
The three term tests are written in the Testing Centre, which is closed on Sundays, on holidays, and during the November Fall Term Break. Each test window therefore closes at the end of the day on Friday. Please do not leave a test to the last moment.
Generative AI
Since the role of Generative AI is a topic of particular interest currently, I am providing a direct link to my policy on the use of generative AI tools such as chatbots in my courses. This applies to all work in this class.
In the case of the translations, there is no point in using AI to help you directly with your translations (e.g. by dropping the text in and asking for a translation): all the texts we will be studying have been translated many times and you don’t need AI to find a translation you can use; but just as reading somebody else’s translation in class doesn’t teach you anything, so too reading ChatGPT’s translation in class doesn’t help you. It’s the mistakes you make that will teach you.
There are ways of using AI to help you organise your learning—build a dictionary, or study cards or something. But in most cases, there is a learning element to building the aids by hand as well. For true language learning, I’m not sure there’s much to be gained from automatic assistance.
Parents room
The University has two Parent Rooms that are accessible to anyone on campus who wishes to feed or just spend some quiet time with their baby or toddler. They’re located in SU058 (Students’ Union Building) and SA7236 (Science Commons). Parent Rooms will be open during regular building hours, normally 7 am – 9 pm and are not required to be booked in order to use. Please contact the ULSU (403-329-2222) if you have any questions. Information on policies and rules concerning the room may be found here: https://www.ulethbridge.ca/policy/resources/parent-rooms-use-principles.
Policies
The following policies will be followed in all my classes unless otherwise announced. You are expected to be familiar with the policies reproduced here and in the more general section on my website. These additional web pages are to be considered part of this syllabus for the purposes of this course. Failure to conform to any of these policies may result in your grade being lowered. My AI policy is found there as well.
Grade scale
The University of Lethbridge keeps track of student performance using a letter and grade point system (see the Academic Calendar). Instructors assign students a letter grade at the end of each course (the University does not issue or record mid-term grades). These letter grades are converted to a numerical value (a Grade Point) for assessing overall academic performance (a Grade Point Average or GPA). The University does not record percentage-type grades and does not have a fixed scale for conversion from percentage scores to letter grades and grade points. Each instructor is responsible for determining their own methodology for determining students’ final letter grade.
In my classes, I use the following letter-grade to percentage correspondences:
| Excellent | Good | Satisfactory | Poor | Minimal pass | Failing | |||||||
| Letter | A+ | A | A- | B+ | B | B- | C+ | C | C- | D+ | D | F |
| Percent range | 100-94 | 93-90 | 89-86 | 85-82 | 81-78 | 77-74 | 73-70 | 69-66 | 65-62 | 61-58 | 57-50 | 49-0 |
| Conventional value | 100 | 92 | 88 | 84 | 80 | 76 | 72 | 68 | 64 | 60 | 56 | 49-0 |
| Grade point | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0 | |
How your grade is determined depends on the type of work being assessed. Tests of specific skills or knowledge (such as identification questions in literature classes, or fact-oriented tests in my grammar and language classes) are usually assigned a numeric score which is easily converted to a percentage. Essays, presentations, and other performance-oriented tests are usually graded by letter. I convert letter grades to percentages by taking the median value in each grade-range, and rounding up to the nearest whole percent. The only exceptions are A+ (which is converted to 100%), and F (which is converted to an arbitrary percentage between 0% and 49% based on my estimation of the work’s quality). These scores can be found in the conventional value row of the above table.
In marking work I try to keep the University’s official description of these grades in mind (a description can be found in the Academic Calendar). If you get an A it means your work is excellent; a B means your work is good; a C means it is satisfactory; a D that it is barely acceptable (minimal pass); and an F that it is failing to meet University-level standards.
I have prepared rubrics for most types of qualitative assignments (assignments that do not expect the student simply to provide a correct factual answer). These can be found in my Academic Policies section: https://people.uleth.ca/~daniel.odonnell/Academic-Policies/
Submitting Work
Tests, Exams, and Quizzes
Tests and Exams will be written in the University’s Testing Centre on Moodle. Quizzes may be presented on Moodle.
Essays and Reports
Essays and reports will normally be collected using Turnitin via Moodle.
Plagiarism
This course uses plagiarism detection software. Any plagiarism will be treated very seriously: you can expect to receive a grade of 0 on the assignment as well as other penalties depending on the seriousness of the offence.
Class schedule
This schedule is provisional and subject to change in response to changing class interests, discussion, and similar exigencies.
| Week | Date | Topic | Classwork | Notes and Background Reading |
| 1 | Wed. 9/9 | Class cancelled. The introduction moves to Friday 11 September. | ||
| Friday 11/9 | Welcome: Syllabus and nature of the course | On Zoom due to continuing instructor illness: https://uleth.zoom.us/my/daniel.odonnell |
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| 2 | Sun 13/9 | Please complete your profile on Moodle (with picture and statement of interests) by midnight tonight. | ||
| Monday 14/9 | Linguistic and Historical Background |
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| Wed. 16/9 | ||||
| Friday 18/9 | Instructor away (no class) | |||
| 3 | Sun 20/9, evening | First blog due (blogs are due every Sunday evening thereafter, through Sunday 6 December) |
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| Monday 21/9 | ||||
| Wed. 23/9 | ||||
| Friday 25/9 | ||||
| 4 | Sun 27/9 | What I did/did not know about Early Medieval England due (Turnitin on Moodle) | ||
| Monday 28/9 | ||||
| Wed. 30/9 | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Observance (No classes) | |||
| Friday 2/10 | ||||
| 5 | Mon 5/10 – Fri 9/10 | First term test: Grammatical Terminology (Formative; Testing Centre, on Moodle) | ||
| Monday 5/10 | ||||
| Wed. 7/10 | ||||
| Friday 9/10 | ||||
| 6 | Monday 12/10 | Thanksgiving (No classes) | ||
| Wed. 14/10 | ||||
| Friday 16/10 | Instructor away (no class) | |||
| 7 | Monday 19/10 | |||
| Wed. 21/10 | ||||
| Friday 23/10 | Instructor away (no class) | |||
| 8 | Sun 25/10 | Second written assignment: Unessay due | ||
| Monday 26/10 | ||||
| Wed. 28/10 | ||||
| Friday 30/10 | ||||
| 9 | Mon 2/11 – Fri 6/11 | Second term test: Essential cases and verb forms (Formative; Testing Centre, on Moodle) | ||
| Mon 2/11 – Fri 6/11 | Proposals for creative/alternative final projects considered this week [6] | |||
| Monday 2/11 | ||||
| Wed. 4/11 | ||||
| Friday 6/11 | ||||
| Fall Term Break, Nov. 9-14 (No classes; includes Remembrance Day, Nov. 11) | ||||
| 10 | Monday 16/11 | |||
| Wed. 18/11 | ||||
| Friday 20/11 | ||||
| 11 | Mon 23/11 – Fri 27/11 | Third term test: Nouns and Verbs (Formative; Testing Centre, on Moodle) | ||
| Monday 23/11 | ||||
| Wed. 25/11 | ||||
| Friday 27/11 | ||||
| 12 | Monday 30/11 | |||
| Wed. 2/12 | ||||
| Friday 4/12 | ||||
| 13 | Monday 7/12 | |||
| Mon 7/12 | Poster and presentation due | |||
| Wed. 9/12 | ||||
| Friday 11/12 | ||||
| Sun 13/12 23:59 |
Third written assignment: research essay or creative project due | |||
| Sat 12/12 – Sat 19/12 | Final examination period (Moodle, in the Testing Centre) | |||
