Unit of study_

ENGL3635: Old Norse

2026 unit information

Old Norse is the name given to the language of medieval Scandinavia which was spoken by the Viking invaders of Britain in the early Middle Ages. Old Norse literature presents a rich variety, from mythological and legendary poetry to Icelandic sagas. This unit extends students' understanding of the Germanic culture which the Anglo-Saxons brought to Britain by introducing them to the language of medieval Iceland, the literary centre of medieval Scandinavia, through texts written in Old Icelandic.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Arts and Social Sciences

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
12 credit points at 2000 level in English or 12 credit points at 2000 level in Australian Literature or 12 credit points at 2000 level in Linguistics or 12 credit points at 2000 level in Celtic Studies
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
ENGL3631 or ENGL3632 or ENGL3622 or ENGL3621
Assumed knowledge:
? 
None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. understand basic Old Norse language and grammar
  • LO2. be familiar with the major cultural and linguistic forces shaping Old Norse and its literature
  • LO3. undertake more advanced research in Old Norse and related areas of linguistic, historical, and literary studies
  • LO4. appreciate Old Norse literature and its cultural contexts, and the cultural contexts of the history of scholarship on this field
  • LO5. demonstrate research and argumentation skills necessary for the study of pre-modern language and literature across a range of cultural contexts.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

There are no availabilities for this year.
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2026
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
There are no availabilities for previous years.

Find your current year census dates

Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.