HI2100 Europe c.1250-1500: Religion, Death and Culture

Module Organiser: Dr. David Ditchburn
Duration: Michaelmas Term
Contact hours: 2 lectures per week and 6 seminars over the course of the term
Weighting: 10 ECTS
Assessment: 20% essay, 80% examination

Description: Between 1250 and 1500 Christendom was afflicted by war, plague and religious dissent. These developments had a profound impact on the religious unities and certainties of earlier centuries. This course offers a thematic survey of religious, social and cultural developments in the later medieval west, as Europe emerged from Christendom. Lectures and tutorials focus on the role and impact of religion in later medieval society, on social structures (such as the significance if marriage and family) and on the culture of this vibrant yet troubled era.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

• Outline chronologically an explain key developments in the religious, social and cultural history of later medieval Europe
• Discuss the central importance of religion to European society in the later middle ages
• Search for, and critically appraise, relevant literature
• Undertake an extended analysis of select contemporary sources in translation
• Communicate analysis and argument in written and verbal format