ANTH 232: The Viking World
Supplementary information for NEW COURSE
I. REASONS FOR PROPOSED COURSE
Fit with existing curriculum
The proposed course addresses a gap in the current curricular offerings of the
Anthropology Department: the Department currently has no courses dedicated to
understanding that particular time period or region of the world. It also addresses a
gap in university-wide course offerings. Aspects of the medieval world are covered
in classes offered by the History, English, and Art History Departments such as HIST
211 Foundations of Western Civilization, HIST 304 The Early Middle Ages, 305 The
Later Middles Ages, and HIST 309 The Medieval Mind (last offered in 2009); ENGL
401 The Medieval Period; ART 101 Ancient and Medieval Art, and ART 305 Early
Medieval Art. However, there is no existing class that focuses on the Norse or any
particular region or culture of the medieval world. In addition to topic, this course
provides expanded coverage of the medieval world by integrating source materials
from a range of disciplinary bailiwicks – archaeology, art, history, literature, and
anthropology – through a focus on the culture of the Viking World (as opposed to a
single focus on art, literature or history).
How does the course serve students?
Aspects of the medieval world, especially those stemming from the popularly
conceived “Viking” world, are of considerable interest and play a large role in the
entertainment industry and popular media, especially those aimed at children and
young adults (eg. The Lord of the Rings, How to Train Your Dragon, Brave). Many
students have delved into this area on their own, frequently through popular, nonscholarly sources. Previous experience teaching this topic to undergraduates has
demonstrated considerable student interest across departments and backgrounds
along with a need for academic guidance in approaching the material.
Within Anthropology, the course will expand the temporal and regional range of
offerings. The Viking world has a long-standing place within Anthropology, dating to
Marx and Weber. As a topic that relies on literary, historical, and archaeological
source material as well as contemporary ethnography and the environmental
sciences, it is perfectly situated to illustrate and explore the holistic approach that is
anthropology’s hallmark. The course significantly expands the anthropology
offerings as the only class that focuses on the anthropology of a European region.
The course presents an in depth study of a specific culture and its transformation.
The topic provides an opportunity to engage a wide range of themes that resonant
with the contemporary world, for example: the role of culture in environmental
transformation and degradation, cultural response to climate change (Norse
Greenland is one of the few examples of a culture that appears to have completely
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disappeared in large part as a result of climate change), religious conversion and
sectarianism, ethnic and national identity, political and institutional change (Norse
migration played a significant role in the formation of the French, English, and
Russian states as well as the modern Scandinavian countries), and arguably the
Viking world was the precursor to the modern capitalist world system.
II. APPLICATION FOR DISTRIBUTION II Status
1. Rationale for inclusion in Distribution Area.
This course is eligible for inclusion in the World Languages and Cultures Area
because it meets the following criteria:
1. The course addresses the meaning of culture directly via a consideration of the
different approaches used to study the Viking world employed by anthropologists,
archaeologists, historians, environmental scientists, and literary scholars. The
course challenges students to grapple directly with archaeological material and
primary written sources representing the cultures of the Viking world.
The cultures of the Viking world sit uncomfortably at the nexus of modern European
(and American) identity. The Norse were and were not part of the mainstream
European tradition as they were simultaneously the scourge of other nations and at
the root of the later English, French, Russian, and Scandinavian states. Close
attention to this history challenges the perceived unity of past cultural traditions
and reveals them as diverse and changeable. The course will critically engage the
stereotype of the Viking horde, with close attention paid to the shifting context of
social identity and behavior. Specific examples in the course that challenge
ethnocentrism include an exploration of pagan religious beliefs and sacrificial
practices (including evidence for possible human sacrifice).
The course will explore concepts and processes of culture change through the broad
expansion of Norse peoples that characterized the Viking Age and through changes
within Norse culture in the Scandinavian homelands and abroad. Within the
Scandinavian lands, Viking culture underwent many transformations including the
first appearance of urban trading centers and towns, religious conversion, and the
development of state power. The most well-known aspect of the Viking Age was its
expansive nature with raiding, trading, colonization and migration of Norse peoples
in and to new areas, which resulted in a wide range of examples of culture contact
and processes of cultural assimilation.
2. Students will be asked to compare their own cultural beliefs and practices with
those found in the Viking world. Discussions regarding the nature of the family and
the relationship between the individual and society are particularly fruitful in this
regard.
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As an anthropology course, it also approaches the subject from a comparative and
analytical standpoint. Thus it examines many of the central features of the Viking
world by asking students to juxtapose phenomena such as family and household
structure, society and the individual, mythology and ritual practice, a broad range of
economic behavior spanning theft to gift-giving, and the adaptation to and
transformation of the natural and human environment. It also forces students to
critically examine the nature of morality with the ways these concepts are
understood in their own cultures. We will use scenes from historical, literary, and
archaeological sources to illustrate these particular cultural issues. Students will be
asked to reflect on the similarities and differences between these practices and
values systems and their own in writing assignments and in-class discussions.
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2. Example of writing assignment suitable for inclusion in a student’s WPE
Portfolio.
Assignment 1: Howell’s Dilemma
In the summer of 2010 as part of an ongoing research on Viking Age farms at the site
of Ingiríðarstaðir in the north of Iceland, archaeologists discovered a building
associated with a pagan grave field. The building, likely an unroofed enclosure,
included deposits containing unusual materials: a cat‘s jaw and a small human skull
that showed signs of blunt trauma. The building also shows evidence for unusually
large wooden posts. Additional details on the finds can be found on the course
Blackboard Learn website under Ingiríðarstaðir Burials.
Elements of the finds bear some resemblance to the funerary rites described for the
Rus by Ibn Fadlan (see your reader). How should archaeologists interpret the find?
Should they use Ibn Fadlan’s account as a source for interpretation? Should they
avoid its use? How does the use of literary accounts (Ibn Fadlan’s account and
literary sources in general) impact our interpretation of archaeological materials?
How are they beneficial or problematic? Please refer to Neil Price’s article on Norse
funerary rites and performance in formulating your opinions:
Price, Neil S. "Bodylore and the Archaeology of Embedded Religion: Dramatic
License in the Funerals of the Vikings." In Belief in the Past: Theoretical
Approaches to the Archaeology of Religion, edited by David S. Whitley and
Kelley Hays-Gilpin, 143-65. Walnut Creek, Calif.: Left Coast Press, 2008.
Final essays should be approximately 4-5 double-spaced pages. You must use at
least two additional sources in your analysis (these could include other literary
sources from your reader) in your paper. Please include citations to all references
and source materials (including those from class readings).
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3. General Education Capabilities to be covered
1) Verbal Reasoning (Critical Thinking): This capability will be covered
primarily through asking students to critically engage the complementary
and contradictory nature of historical, literary and archaeological sources on
the Viking world. Varying sources will be used throughout the course to
address a range of topics. Written assignments will ask students to explicitly
address how these differing sources impact our understanding of the past.
2) Effective communication: This capability will be addressed through in-class
instruction in writing and a sequence of writing assignments and
presentations. Two 4-5 page written assignments will be required of
students in addition to a final presentation and paper. Students will be given
timely feedback on clarity of expression, ability to organize and articulate a
strong analysis and argument, and correct methods of academic citation.
Assignments are specifically designed to progressively develop analytical and
writing skills, especially the comparison of different types of source material
and the development of a strong thesis statement and supporting
argumentation. The final presentation and paper is designed as an expansion
of the second paper so that students have an opportunity to revisit, revise,
and develop their thinking and writing.
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4. Assessment of student progress meeting General Education Capabilities.
There will be two major writing assignments and a final presentation and written
paper. Through writing, and receiving feedback on their writing, students will be
encouraged to engage with the ideas in the course and the terms and analytical
approaches being used in the reading. Students will be given extensive written
feedback on their written assignments and will be expected to improve over the
duration of the course. Students will be asked to conference with the instructor in
the process of developing their final paper topic (usually and expansion on their
second paper) and will be given detailed feedback with regard to improvements
that need to be made in their final paper. Final papers will be partially graded based
on the extent to which students have incorporated feedback on earlier assignments.
Students may request help with writing skills from the instructor at any time during
the writing of the final draft.
Formal presentation of the final paper is designed to breakdown the studentprofessor orientation of most college writing. Students are specifically asked to
present their work to the other members of the class – not the professor – and are
given criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of their own and their peer’s
presentation. This helps students adopt the perspective of audience with regards to
their and others writing and argumentation.
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5. See syllabus at end of this document
6. Sample Assignments
For Critical Reading/Analysis, and Effective Written Communication
Written assignments for the course are designed to foster a critical engagement with
historical and archaeological sources while encouraging students to develop and
argue for their positions. The assignments are structured beginning with a tightly
defined problem and focused source material and progressing to greater
independence in choice of subject and sources while retaining an emphasis on thesis
construction and development.
Assignment 1: Howell’s Dilemma
See section 2, above.
Assignment 2: Sagas and Archaeology
Njal’s saga is widely considered to be one of the greatest literary works of the
medieval world. It is also an important source of information on the history,
worldview, and society of the Viking World. In this essay you will use Njal’s saga to
explore how literary and archaeological source materials (and approaches) produce
alternative, complimentary, and contradictory perspectives on the past.
For the paper pick one aspect of Njal’s saga for which there is a correlated
archaeological signature (and some archaeological research) to analyze. This can be
any aspect of the story (place, individual, type of person, event, activity, set of
behaviors, social institution, object, etc.) for which you can find complementary
archaeological sources.
In your analyses, you should discuss the specific context of your subject in the saga
and how it fits into the story. You also should explore how your subject enlightens
general practices in the Viking world. Archaeological sources need not be tied
directly to the specific contexts found in the saga but should speak to both the
specific and general aspects of your subject in the saga. In other words, your
archaeological sources should inform your analyses of the specific saga episode and
general social practices. How do the sources vary? How do the scholarly approaches
vary? And how do these sources emphasize different dimensions of past peoples
and practices? What are the problems and benefits involved in integrating literary
and archaeological sources on your subject?
Final essays should be approximately 4-5 double-spaced pages. You must use at
least two additional archaeological sources in your paper (these can included
recommended readings from the syllabus). Please include citations to all references
and source materials (including those from class readings).
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Assignment 3: Final Paper and Presentation
Final Papers
1. Final papers are open to any topic related to the Viking World. Papers are
limited to 8 pages in length and are not intended to be extensive research
papers. You should develop a specific thesis and then use the available
evidence, historical and/or archaeological to support it. You must get
approval from me for any final paper topic.
2. You may develop your topic from Essay 2 for your final paper, so consider
your topic carefully.
3. Focus your paper:
a. Make sure you have a clear thesis.
i. Your thesis must have a central argument or hypothesis
ii. You should be able to state your basic thesis in a single
sentence (you have 8 pages to address the nuance and
subtleties)
b. Use analysis of concrete and specific examples to support your thesis.
4. Discussion: Your paper is a discussion in support of your thesis. Keep your
paper limited to the presentation and analysis of material directly relevant to
your central argument. It should be clear how all the presented material
contributes to and develops your thesis.
5. How many citations? As many as you need to make your argument. This will
vary from paper to paper. For example, if your thesis is based on your own
interpretation of a primary literary or archaeological source you may not
need many citations: the primary source and some supporting secondary
sources to situate your own analysis may be sufficient.
Final Presentations
1. In class presentations; we will proceed in alphabetical order by last name
2. Scope and organization:
a. Do not tell us what your paper will be about. Your presentation
should be an alternative (shorter and simpler) version of your final
paper. It should stand alone.
b. You should start with your thesis. Presentations are a good
opportunity for you to test and to focus it.
c. You do not need to (and should not attempt to) present your entire
paper; there will not be time. Keep it simple and focused.
d. You can write out and read presentations if you want.
1. Timing:
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a. We have a lot of people and not much time; prepare approximately 5
minutes of material to present (assume one double-spaced page of
written text takes about 2 minutes to read).
2. Slides and illustrations:
a. Feel free to develop a slideshow to accompany your presentation;
they are not required.
b. If you do, keep it simple. Illustrations should emphasize your spoken
presentation. Do not include material that you do not directly discuss
in your presentation. If people are reading your slides or deciphering
your illustrations then they will not be listening to you.
3. Relax: presentations are a fun opportunity for you to share your work with
the rest of the class!
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IV. APPLICATION FOR DIVERSITY STATUS
This course will address the International Diversity category. With the rapid
transformation and homogenization of modern society serious knowledge of and
reflection on the past is becoming rarer even as its role in the critical evaluation of
the present is more important.
This course aims to give students the knowledge and perspective needed to
understand the Viking world and, to some degree, any other past culture. Students
will learn how gender, social and family status, religion, and ethnicity shaped past
societies and the agency of individuals. In turn, this knowledge of the past provides
a point of origin and comparison for the modern world, along with a critical
awareness of how many dimensions of modern life are rooted in the past and have
been transformed in time. The thoughtful examination of past societies and people
often allows students the opportunity to reflect on their assumptions about what is
normal for people or society.
In addition, this course aims at giving students specific knowledge to counteract the
idea that Viking world, or any past culture, can be understood as a single monolithic
entity. This class will demonstrate that the Viking world is better understood as
highly regional and with profound differences in the experience of individuals based
on social status, lineage, gender, and circumstance. Perhaps most significant,
students will gain an awareness of the farming society behind the Viking raids and
the perspectives that can be closed or opened when cultures come in contact. In
particular, students will learn that the Viking world as we now imagine it is largely
the creation by modern scholars based on accounts from outside the Norse society
culture and have only a limited bearing on the reality of Norse culture. In this
context, historical distance can be an aid in confronting our own assumptions and
stereotypes about foreign cultures as we can critically how others did this in the
past.
Two examples of the diversity categories we will be examining are gender and
culture.
Gender: The Viking world is commonly considered by contemporary scholars as
respecting the rights and independence of women to a greater degree than most
pre-modern societies. Women had rights to property ownership and divorce. At the
same time, Norse societies had strong culturally defined gender roles that
structured expectations, attitudes, and behavior. In the class we will examine these
roles and the limitations put on men’s and women’s actions including literary and
archaeological examples in which gendered norms were defied. Source material will
be explored in depth through guided class discussion of stories that challenge
gendered norms in the past and contemporary expectations. The defiance of
gendered cultural expectations are particularly evident in the mythology around the
god Óðinn, who was simultaneously the all-father, god of war, and the exemplar of
magical ritual that appears to have been closely associated with women in practice.
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The current syllabus includes Njál’s Saga, one of the great works of medieval prose
narrative, as one of the depth to study in general. While representing many
dimensions of Old Norse culture, Njal´s Saga can be read as an extended meditation
on both masculine and feminine gender roles. We will explore the relationship
between gender and social space through an examination of culturally idealized
gendered domains and the reality of spatial practice as represented in literature and
archaeological sites. Spatial practice is a particularly effective realm to explore the
culturally embedded and constructed nature of gender. The frontier of the Viking
world provides another opportunity to explore gender as raiding ventures were
primarily a male activity while colonizing ventures required a greater demographic
balance. We will specifically look at the role that gender imbalance played in the
settlement of the uninhabited North Atlantic islands of Iceland and Greenland and
the possible role it played in the ultimate failure of the short-lived North American
colony. These investigations will help students to better understand and
contextualize the idea of “gender” as a singular category both in the Viking world
and in their own understanding of the term in the contemporary US.
Culture (national origin, ethnicity, religion): The very term “Viking” challenges our
assumptions about cultural and ethnic identity. While the stereotype of the Viking
warrior descending on innocent monks or townspeople along the European coast is
ingrained in popular imagination, the word Viking actually refers to an activity, seaborne raiding, not a person or ethnicity. The Viking world predates the modern
national and ethnic identities that it is, to some degree, at the root of. Rooted in the
Norse peoples of Scandinavia, Viking culture expanded across the European and
Asian worlds from the Dnieper River to North America. Those regions were all
transformed through their contact with the Viking world as were the Norse
Scandinavian homelands. The Viking world provides the unusually historical
example of a relatively homogenous cultural group being transformed through
contact with a wide-range of cultures in a range of circumstances, including the first
recorded contact between European and Native American peoples. These varying
circumstances resulted in different assimilation practices throughout the Viking
frontier. In the class we will explore the expanding frontiers of the Viking world, the
cultural interaction in those frontiers, and resulting communities and identities.
Perhaps most significantly, we will explore the Christian conversion of the Viking
world and the degree to which it did, and did not, change aspects of Norse culture.
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