HST6601 Approaching the Middle Ages 2022-23

30 credits, Semester one
Module leader 2022-23: Martial Staub

Module summary

This module provides students with a grounding in key themes and debates in current medieval research. Classes will focus on historiographical developments and new methodological approaches to familiar problems, covering topics such as the problems of studying pre-industrial societies, the interpretation of material culture, methods for studying the medieval economy, and the examination of power structures and political culture. Students will also be introduced to technical and methodological problems associated with the effective use and interpretation of pre-modern sources, such as court records, tax records and accounts, chronicles and pamphlets, paintings, drawings and artefacts.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, you will be able to:

Understand current historiographical and methodological debates in medieval history
Communicate and defend an argument about the medieval period to fellow members of the seminar group, situating it within the literature and deploying technical language when necessary and appropriate
Distinguish between and critically evaluate contrasting approaches to the study of medieval history, exhibiting a sense of their development over time, and of the most recent trends in the discipline
Present your conclusions in a fluent written form, demonstrating a mastery of the appropriate bibliographical materials (including use of electronic resources such as the International Medieval Bibliography)
Evaluate and use a range of primary sources from the medieval period, with a critical understanding of genre, and of basic forms of textual analysis
Apply advanced analytical techniques and theoretical approaches to a specific historical source for the medieval period, drawing on those developed within other disciplinary contexts (such as archaeology or linguistics) where required
Contextualise and account for changes and continuities across the history of the medieval period, from late Antiquity to the Renaissance.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be taught in ten two-hour seminar classes. This includes:

1. a series of content-specific seminars, looking at a range of historical topics, issues, and problems that take the student through a particular historical period (in this case, the medieval period), providing both an introduction to the advanced study of the period and the historical and historiographical context from which to undertake practice-based research.

2. a series of source-criticism seminars, each of which will concentrate on a specific type or genre of source material and will both examine particular examples and discuss general interpretative problems.

You will be set preparatory reading in advance for all seminars and will be expected to share your knowledge of historiographical developments, debate controversial topics and listen and respond to the views of others in a structured environment.

In addition, you will attend regular individual tutorials, in which you will identify topics for written papers, develop your reading around these topics, and discuss the structure and content of your written work. Feedback on submitted work is again given in individual tutorials.

Assessment methods

Assessment type - % of final mark

Essay (4000 words) - 80%
Engagement and participation - 20%

You will complete a 4000 word essay and an engagement and participation exercise based on engagement in the learning activities and environment for the module. The essay will relate to at least one of the key concepts or themes of the module. It should demonstrate an advanced understanding of and critical engagement with current historiography, and advanced skills in the use of sources.

The engagement and participation exercise will be set by the module convenor and may assess your overall participation across the module (for example assessing your preparedness and participation) or may involve specific short tasks (for example presentations, reflective seminar diaries, contributions to discussion forums or collaborative documents).

You will also complete a formative assessment in advance of the final essay (LOs 1,3,4,5,6,7).

Additional learning and teaching information

Selected reading:

Robert Bartlett, The Making of Europe: conquest, colonization and cultural change, 950 – 1350 (London 1993)
Peter Brown, The World of Late Antiquity, AD 150–750 (London 1971)
Peter Brown, The Rise of Western Christendom: triumph and diversity, AD 200–1000 (Oxford 2003) 2nd edition
R.H.C. Davis, A History of Medieval Europe: from Constantine to St Louis (London 1957)
Richard Fletcher, The Conversion of Europe: from paganism to Christianity, 371–1386 AD (London 1998)
Maurice Keen, The Pelican History of Medieval Europe (Harmondsworth 1969)
Peter Linehan and Janet L. Nelson (eds), The Medieval World (London 2001)
R.I. Moore, The Formation of a Persecuting Society: authority and deviance in Western Europe, 950–1250 (Oxford 2006) 2nd edition
R.W. Southern, The Making of the Middle Ages (London 1953)
Julia M.H. Smith, Europe After Rome: a new cultural history 500–1000 (Oxford 2005)
Charles West, Reframing the Feudal Revolution: political and social transformation between Marne and Moselle, c. 800 to c. 1100 (Cambridge 2013)
Chris Wickham, The Inheritance of Rome: a history of Europe from 400 to 1000 (London 2009)

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