We present low resolution , visible light spectra of 41 star clusters in the spiral galaxy M101 , taken with the Gemini/GMOS instrument .
We measure Lick indices for each cluster and compare with BaSTI models to estimate their ages and metallicities .
We also measure the line-of-sight velocities .
We find that 25 of the clusters are fairly young massive clusters ( YMCs ) with ages of hundreds of Myr , and 16 appear to be older , globular clusters ( GCs ) .
There are at least four GCs with best fit ages of \approx 1 - 3 Gyr and eight with best fit ages of \approx 5 - 10 Gyr .
The mean metallicity of the YMCs is [ Fe/H ] \approx - 0.1 and for the GCs is [ Fe/H ] \approx - 0.9 .
We find a near-continuous spread in both age and metallicity for our sample , which may indicate that M101 had a more-or-less continuous history of cluster and star formation .
From the kinematics , we find that the YMCs rotate with the HI gas fairly well , while the GCs do not .
We can not definitively say whether the GCs sampled here lie in an inner halo , thick disk , or bulge/psuedobulge component , although given the very small bulge in M101 , the last seems unlikely .
The kinematics and ages of the YMCs suggest that M101 may have undergone heating of its disk or possibly a continuous merger/accretion history for the galaxy .