CLAS 3350

This class was amazing--it is probably the only course offered at UVA with such an in-depth look at Irish and Gaelic cultures. The class was predominantly language based (Old Irish and some Welsh), with Fridays dedicated to Gaelic literature (read in English). Just as a warning, Old Irish is the most difficult language I have ever encountered in my lifetime (and I know 3 ancient languages). However, Professor George is very aware of this and makes sure all his 1 page quizzes are worth 60 points or something equally as high. He gives a ton of partial credit and goes pretty easy on the grading. If you pay attention in class or office hours and do the homework (a few practice sentences reading), you will be absolutely fine. It was a phenomenal class!

Professor George is SO SO intelligent, as well as being simply a great teacher. I was surprised by the depth of his Celtic knowledge, considering it's only a hobby of his. The material was very interesting. We focused a lot more on language than literature, basically learning Old Irish for most of the semester. (However, Prof. George did ask us what we thought of the balance between language and literature at the end of the course, so it might change in future years.) Old Irish is incredibly difficult, but George presented the material in a way that was much more comprehensible than the textbook's. He had high expectations for us, but didn't seem fazed when we were unable to meet them (oftentimes slowing the pace of the class and reviewing old material rather than learning new).