A crest I created for Guinevere and Arthur. It could also be the seal for Pendragon University. Copyright: Nicole Evelina
I’ve spent way too much time looking at master’s/Ph.D. programs online lately. Need proof? A few days ago I woke up around
1 a.m. with a thought: what would a major in Celtic Arthurian legend look like? I was awake for the next two hours pondering just that.
I’m betting that somewhere in the world a course design looks much like this, but since I haven’t found it yet, I give you the major of Arthurian Studies at my fictional Pendragon University:
Required Courses
- Celtic History 101 (Vienna to British tribes)
- Celtic History 201 (Roman occupation to Anglo Saxon rule)
- King Arthur: Man or Myth?
- Arthurian Legend 101 (Characters)
- Arthurian Legend 201 (Historical, Mythological and Literary Sources)
- The Battles of King Arthur
- Celtic Law
- Celtic Daily Life
- The Druid Religion: Then and Now
- Classic Arthurian Literature (myth and oral history through the Middle Ages)
- Modern Arthurian Literature (18th-21st centuries)
- Arthur’s Enemies: the Picts, Irish and Saxons
- The Meaning of Arthurian Legend Today
- Capstone Tour (Glastonbury, Cadbury, Carlisle, Tintagel, etc.) – this tour does exist and I’m going on it next June!
- Thesis/dissertation
Optional Courses
- Archeology (emphasis on Roman occupation and post-Roman Britain)
- Language of the Celts
- Celtic Herbalism
- Arthur’s Children in Myth and Literature
- Arthurian Places Across Britain, Wales and Scotland
- Warriors and Fighting in Celtic Times
- Avalon: Myth, Legend and New Age Pilgrimage
- Beyond the Walls: The Gododdin and The Highlands
- Food in Post-Roman Britain
- Arthur in Film and Pop Culture
- Standing Stones and Monoliths
- Lecture Series: Women in Arthurian Legend
- Morgan
- Guinevere
- Isolde
- Elaine
- Priestesses of Avalon
- The Holy Grail
- Symbolism in Arthurian Legend
I even realized that some of my favorite fellow Arthurian/history bloggers could be instructors that this fictional school: Tyler Tichelaar, Ian Forbes, Tim Clarkson (Senchus) Mac Wilson (Badonicus) and Oxford professor Jonathan Jarrett, just to name a few. And if you want a required reading list, check out my research page.
Do you know of any schools that offer something similar? If a major like this existed, would you be interested? Which classes would you want to take? Which classes would you want to teach? What would you add to the list? What books would you recommend?