Old Saxon is one of the medieval Germanic languages, and thus it aligns itself with Old English, Old High German, and Old Norse. Numerous business documents have been preserved in Old Saxon, but in college curricula it owes its fame to a poem called HELIAND ?The Savior,? a versified story of the life of Jesus Christ. It is beautiful poetry. From a linguistic point of view Heliand is much easier than the Old English Beowulf or the Old High German Evangelienbuch by Otfrid. One semester is too short for reading the whole poem but long enough for covering the best passages. Since it is impossible to predict who will enroll in the course, it is assumed that some students will have had no previous exposure to any Old Germanic texts. Therefore, the beginning will be slow. But the language of the poem is repetitive, and by November we'll be able to increase the speed very considerably. Those participants to whom Modern German is not quite foreign will soon notice how close Old Saxon is to German.
The course will be organized as a reading group. Since no one comes to Old Saxon who is not interested in it, no tests will be required. Nor are papers envisioned. However, if someone happens to need an extra paper for credit or because his or her interest will be piqued by the subject, such projects will be discussed on an individual basis. The only strict requirement is regular attendance and good preparation for every class. A relatively cheap book is all that the students will have to buy.