Anglo-American University in Prague History of English
| Course Name | History of English |
| Course Code | HIS323 / HIS523 |
| Description | The History of English recounts the surprising and often unexcepted history of its speakers, as it traces the development and the spread of the English language to the modern day. The course sets the stage for the emergence of English from the Indo-European and Germanic languages. It traces its earliest records in the heroic epic of Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon writing. It discusses the Norman Conquest and near demise of English, followed by the resurgence of Middle English in the bawdy tales of Chaucer. The Modern period is explored beginning, with Shakespeare, the age of discovery and colonialism and culminating in English as a global language. English now surpasses all other languages in the number of its speakers and its expanse. We will consider how this has impacted the language, what might be the future of the English language. |
| Learning Outcomes | Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: – Be familiar with the fundamentals of the historical study of language; – Understand the relationship of English to the Indo-European and Germanic language families; – Know the different (Old, Middle, Modern) periods of English; – Explore the interaction of language, history and geography and language change; – Analyze the evolution and features of English as a global language; – Frame a researched project, presented the project in class and in a paper. |
| School | School of Humanities & Social Sciences |
| Level | Bachelor / Master |
| Number of credits (US / ECTS) | 3 US / 6 ECTS |
| Prerequisites | HIS600 |