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Celtic Studies (Full-time) (BA Hons)

Distance Learning
3 Years Full-Time
96 - 112 UCAS Points

Celtic Studies aims to provide students with a full understanding of, and critical engagement with, a diverse and complex field of study, taking advantage of the knowledge and expertise of staff in Humanities and the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS). Students will explore aspects of Celtic life, literature, religion and culture, from ancient times to the present, covering several geographical areas, from Wales to Ireland and Cornwall.

A broad and well-balanced curriculum encourages enthusiasm for Celtic studies. You will learn to appreciate the cultural and social significance of Welsh and the Celtic languages as well as a variety of aspects of the history and heritage of the Celtic regions.

The course provides you the opportunity to either learn Welsh or improve your Welsh language skills, increasing your employment skills and your personal development through acquiring cultural enrichment and valuable life skills.

You will read and critically analyse primary and secondary sources and appreciate a variety of theories and methodologies used when exploring the past and appreciating literary texts.

As a graduate, you will also be equipped with a range of subject-specific and generic skills that will qualify you for the workplace and further study.

Course details

Start date:
Study modes:
  • Distance Learning
  • Full-time
Language:
  • English
  • Welsh
Institution code:
T80
UCAS code:
CS01
Course length:
3 Years Full-Time
Entry requirements:
96 - 112 UCAS Points

Tuition Fees 2023/24 and 24/25
Home (Full-time): £9,000 per year
Overseas (Full-time): £13,500 per year

Why choose this course?

01
Our students will study a wide range of modules and topics on Celtic culture and Celtic literature, from Antiquity to modern times.
02
This programme is taught to you via our unique distance-learning platform, so you can carry on working and keep up with your family commitments while you study for your BA degree.
03
The modules are taught by research-active scholars from the renowned University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS), who have published extensively in their specialist fields, providing a cutting-edge teaching environment.

What you will learn

Some of the world’s leading experts in the field of Celtic Studies have come together to produce an innovative programme that tutors students in topics such as the early Celts, the druids and Celtic religions, the social histories of the Celtic languages, Celtic hagiography and saints’ cults, classic Celtic literature and folktales, medieval Welsh prose and poetry, representations of Brittany and Cornwall, Welsh and Celtic place names, religious revival in 18th- and 19th-century Wales and the influence of Celtic mythology on contemporary writing.

No previous knowledge of the Celtic languages is required for this programme, as students study texts in translation and the programme is taught through the medium of English. However, students may choose to learn Welsh as part of the programme and it is also possible for students who are fluent in Welsh to study their modules entirely through the medium of Welsh (see BA Astudiaethau Celtaidd).

Students will develop an understanding of the distinctive features and linguistic concepts that define ‘Celtic’ as a language family and how this concept was influentially extended to the realms of literature, archaeology, art, music and cultural identity.

Year A Entry

Compulsory

Academic Skills

(20 credits)

An Introduction to the Celtic Languages

(20 credits)

The Early Celts

(20 credits)

An Introduction to Celtic Literatures

(20 credits)

Introduction to Celtic Art

(20 credits)

Welsh Language Skills 1

(20 credits)

Year B Entry

Compulsory

Academic Skills

(20 credits)

An Introduction to the Celtic Languages

(20 credits)

The Early Celts

(20 credits)

An Introduction to Celtic Literatures

(20 credits)

Introduction to Celtic Art

(20 credits)

Welsh Language Skills 1

(20 credits)

Year A Entry

Compulsory

The Celts through the eyes of the Greeks and the Romans

(20 credits)

The Irish Question 1886-1998: from Charles Parnell to the Good Friday Agreement
Medieval Prose in Wales

(20 credits)

Representations of Brittany

(20 credits)

Welsh and Celtic Place-Names

(20 credits)

Welsh Language Skills 2

(20 credits)

Year B Entry

Compulsory

Welsh Medieval Praise Poetry

(20 credits)

Celtic Sanctity and Spirituality: Hagiography and Saints' Cults

(20 credits)

Roman Britain

(20 credits)

True Brits

(20 credits)

From Desert Myths to Sheep Tales: The Cistercians in the Middle Ages

(20 credits)

Cornwall without Cornish

(20 credits)

Year A Entry

Compulsory

Dissertation

(60 credits)

Optional

Celtic Sanctity and Spirituality: Hagiography and Saints' Cults

(20 credits)

Welsh Medieval Praise Poetry

(20 credits)

Roman Britain

(20 credits)

True Brits

(20 credits)

From Desert Myths to Sheep Tales: The Cistercians in the Middle Ages

(20 credits)

Cornwall without Cornish

(20 credits)

Year B Entry

Compulsory

Dissertation

(60 credits)

Optional

The Celts through the eyes of the Greeks and the Romans

(20 credits)

Medieval Prose in Wales

(20 credits)

Representations of Brittany

(20 credits)

The Irish Question 1886-1998: from Charles Parnell to the Good Friday Agreement

(20 credits)

Welsh and Celtic Place-Names

(20 credits)

Welsh Language Skills 2

(20 credits)

Disclaimer

  • We listen to student feedback and insights from industry and from professionals to ensure that course content is high-quality and up-to-date, and that it offers the best possible preparation for your future career or study goals. 

    For this reason, there might be modifications to the content of your course over time, to keep up to date with changes in the subject area or in the sector. If a module is no longer running, we’ll make sure to keep you informed, and work with you to choose a different suitable module.

testimonial

Staff

Our People

You will be taught and supported by a wide range of professional staff and teams here to help you get the university experience you are looking for. Our teaching staff were ranked 2nd in Wales for assessments and feedback (NSS 2023) meaning the comments you get back from your work will help you learn. Our commitment to your learning has seen our students us as Top 10 in the UK for Lecturers and Teaching Quality. Find out more about our academic staff who teach across our courses. 

Further information

  • Grades are important; however, our offers are not solely based on academic results. We are interested in creative people who demonstrate a strong commitment to their chosen subject area and therefore we welcome applications from individuals from a wide range of backgrounds.

    To assess student suitability for their chosen course we normally arrange interviews for all applicants at which your skills, achievements and life experience will be considered as well as your qualifications.

  • The programme will include several of the following types of assessment:

    • essays of 1,000 to 4,000 words in length
    • document analysis
    • book/ journal reviews
    • short reports and reflective journals
    • time tests
    • seen and unseen exams
    • field journals
    • posters
    • group and individual presentations
    • dissertations of 10,000 words
    • wikis
    • commentaries 
    • film evaluations
  • Estimations are made on the assumption that students buy new copies of the books. Students may also choose to spend money on printing drafts of work.

    Students may spend up to £300 per year on books and additional related materials.

    Students are expected to submit two hard copies of their final project, the estimated cost for binding these is £20.

    Optional field trip:
    The Faculty works to ensure that there are a range of field work and field trip options available both locally and internationally. This means students can opt to take either more expensive or less expensive placements. The Faculty subsidises these but the cost each year is dependent on airfare, location, and currency exchange rates. Below are the upper end of expected costs based on where students have currently undertaken placements.

    Field work (depending on where student decides to do field work): approximately £500 to £1,500
    Individual trips: approximately £5 to £50

  • You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available, please visit our Bursaries and Scholarships section.

  • Successful graduates will acquire skills that will lead to a range of possible posts including:

    • teaching
    • the heritage and tourist industry
    • libraries
    • archives and information services
    • local and Welsh assembly government
    • civil service
    • administration
    • proofreading
    • publishing
    • journalism
    • film
    • television
    • media
    • creative arts

    Many of our students progress to postgraduate studies at UWTSD/CAWCS: for example, the MA in Celtic Studies or MPhil and PhD study.

    Learning Welsh and becoming bilingual will equip students to work confidently as part of a bilingual workforce in Wales.

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