Medieval and Early Modern Studies combines the disciplines of Archaeology, English Literature, History and Theology to encourage a deep and rounded understanding of the distant past. The aim is to familiarize you with the different approaches scholars have taken to the pre­ modern period and in Year 1 you will study various aspects of this through a series of case studies. In Years 2 and 3 you will be free to choose relevant modules across the subjects of Archaeology, English Literature, History and Theology. An equally wide range of modules are available in your final year, as well as completing a piece of independent research in a topic of your choosing.

Work experience

All students will take the School of Humanities’ ‘Applied Humanities’ employability module in the second year which affords the opportunity for work placement and experience.

Core modules

Year 1

Approaches to the Medieval and Early Modern Studies 1: Theories and Perspectives (20 credits)

This module will introduce you to the different disciplinary perspectives that scholars have taken in studying the pre­modern past. As well as the core disciplines of Archaeology, English Literature, History and Theology, it will examine the approaches of art historians, political scientists, social anthropologists and, more recently, pyschologists and cognitive neuroscientists to the history and culture of the medieval and early modern periods.

Approaches to the Medieval and Early Modern Studies 2: Medieval and Early Modern Canterbury and its World (20 credits)

This module will look at how the different disciplinary approaches outlined in the ‘Theories and Perspectives’ module have been applied in practice by scholars wishing to understand various aspects of pre­ modern Canterbury and the men and women who lived in, worked in or visited the city.

Year 2

Applied Humanities: Employability in Practice (20 credits)

This module will introduce Humanities students to a range of work­ related skills such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, decision­making, initiative, and creativity. In doing so, we see this module as enhancing students’ awareness of the work environment, thus improving students’ employability and self­awareness of their individual career planning. We work with a range of local partners to provide placement opportunities for students studying this module.

More details can be found on this page. 

Text and Sources for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (20 credits)

This module will look at the various types of primary sources – archival, literary, material and environmental – that medievalists and early modernists use to understand past cultures. It will examine the practical challenges that face scholars in accessing this material, as well as the ways in which attitudes towards the remnants of the past have shaped scholarly practice. A number of case studies from a national and international perspective will be used to illustrate these themes.

Year 3

Independent Study – 8,000­-10,000 ­word research dissertation (40 credits)

In this module, you will undertake a formal, long­form independent dissertation project, entailing detailed analysis of primary and secondary sources, one­to­one supervision with a qualified member of staff, and significant independent study. You will submit a topic proposal in the spring of your second year, and consult with staff from then onwards about the nature and scope of your chosen research area.

Likely optional modules

Year 1

Europe in the Age of the Vikings (20 credits)

In this module, you will be introduced to Europe in the age of the Vikings. It will examine the historiographical and popular (mis)conceptions of the Vikings and place them in their broader historical and cultural context in Scandinavia and beyond.

Kings Queens and Conquerors in Medieval Europe (20 credits)

In this module, you will be introduced to the fascinating and colourful world of the kings, queens and conquerors who ruled medieval Europe between c. 750 and c. 1250. Focusing primarily on England, France and Germany, you will engage with a range of key themes including medieval kingship, the Vikings, the Church and conversion, monasticism and queenship.

Renaissance, Reformation and Revolution in the Early Modern World (20 credits)

In this module, you will be introduced to the major social, political, religious and economic developments which occurred across a broad expanse in Western Europe during the period 1450­-1750. Topics covered include the Reformation, Humanism and the Renaissance, the printing press, colonial expansion, the Ottoman Empire, poverty, witchcraft, print, war, women and the Enlightenment. Above all, this module aims to help you forge connections and contrasts between these facets of the past.

Texts and Contexts I: Medieval to 18th Century (20 credits)

This module introduces you to medieval and early modern literatures. It aims to introduce you to some of the important themes, ideas, and genres within each period, and to situate these within the English literary tradition in its wider contexts. You will develop critical and historical skills for close reading and broader analysis.

Year 2

Castles in Medieval Society (20 credits)

In this module, you will come to appreciate how castles are one of the most visible and imposing reminders of our medieval past. The ruins we see now are the result of dynamic changes in society, culture, politics and architecture. This module therefore investigates castles in their medieval context using archaeological evidence, the landscape and standing buildings alongside written documents. It will consider how castles were viewed in medieval society and chart the evolution of castle studies in the modern era.

The Crusades, c.1095-­1229 (20 credits)

In this module, you will study the history of the crusading movement from its origins in the 1090s to the end of the sixth crusade. Along the way, you will explore major themes and debates, including, for example, the forces and influences that gave rise to the Crusades; the motives of crusaders; the causes, course and consequences of a series of Crusades; the Islamic response to the Crusades; the development of the crusader states; and the portrayal of the Crusades in film.

Anarchy, Law, War and Tyranny: Angevin England, 1128-­1216 (20 credits)

In this module, you will study the history of England under the Angevin kings (Henry II, Richard the Lionheart and John) who governed a vast collection of cross­Channel territories. Key topics include the ‘Anarchy’ of King Stephen’s reign (by way of background), the forging of the Angevin Empire under Henry II, Henry II’s fateful quarrel with Archbishop Thomas Becket, King Richard’s role in the Third Crusade and the disasters of John’s reign.

The Age of the Tudors, 1485­-1603 (20 credits)

In this module, you will study the political history of England and its neighbouring realms from the end of the Wars of the Roses through to the Reformations of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Tying together political history with contemporary political theories, the module considers the major political events of all the Tudor reigns and the roles of major institutions such as Parliament and the Church.

The Military Revolution: War and the Making of the Modern World, c.1500-1800 (20 credits)

This module considers the effect of military change, both technological and cultural – the so-called ‘Military Revolution’ – on the formation of modern states in Europe and, crucially, the way in which these changes shaped Europeans’ interactions with the non-European world. The modules considers the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the rise of Great Britain as a maritime power, and dynastic and religious war in Europe, as well as the American and French revolutions.

Women, Power and Patronage in Elizabethan England, 1558-1603 (20 credits)

The module aims to equip students with a critical understanding of key themes for the study of women’s lives in Elizabethan England. This was a period when rule by women was a hotly contested issue and the arguments for and against Elizabeth I’s accession to the throne continued throughout her reign. The debates about women’s ability to exercise independent agency were also mirrored at other levels in society from the aristocratic to the very poor. The lives of women were governed by traditional laws and precepts, but were also influenced by radical changes introduced by the Reformation, the rise of print culture and increased educational provision The module will enable students to develop an appreciation of differing historical interpretations of these topics and to engage with a range of sources for the study of women’s lives in late Tudor England.

Sex, Deviance and Death in the Sixteenth Century (20 credits)

In this module, you will be introduced to a variety of sixteenth century primary sources and shown how to work with sixteenth century texts and artefacts which which should deepen your knowledge of sixteenth century English history and its sources. Key topics include print culture, health, witchcraft, heresy, gender, and the role of women in sixteenth century England.

Life & Death in Medieval Europe (20 credits)

This module will introduce you to the archaeology and history of north­ west Europe c.900­-1348 AD. This was a period of great change across all areas of life; encompassing the formation of states, the foundation of new forms of religious life, agricultural and technological change, and periods of disease. In this module you explore these themes through a range of source material including artefacts, cemeteries, agrarian and urban landscapes, narrative histories, administrative sources, and the built environment.

Elizabethan Theatre (20 credits)

This module focuses on the theatre of the 1580s and 1590s, a dynamic period that saw the establishment of the theatre as an entertainment industry and the development of playwriting on an unprecedented scale. In the course of our study you will investigate texts from the major genres of the Elizabethan stage: comedies, tragedies and histories, including subgenres such as revenge tragedy and romantic comedy. In addition to a close analysis of the module texts, you will also learn about the conventions and techniques used by Elizabethan playwrights and actors.

Jacobean Theatre (20 credits)

This module focuses on drama written during the reign of King James VI & I, between 1603 and 1625. The Jacobean period was an exceptional time for drama; writers such as William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson and John Webster were at the height of their careers, the theatre provided an immensely popular and prolific entertainment industry and playwriting was developing into new and exciting directions. You will investigate plays from the major genres of the Jacobean stage: comedies, tragedies and histories, including subgenres such as citizen comedy and baroque revenge tragedy. In addition to close analysis of the module texts, you will also study the conventions and techniques used by Jacobean playwrights and actors.

Radicalisation and Retreat: Political Landscapes in Early Modern (20 credits)

Literature This module invites you to use your critical skills and your awareness of your own culture and take ‘the long view’ of certain current political issues. In 1633, William Prynne, a puritan with views that we might interpret as extremist, described the plays performed in the public theatres as ‘Sinfull, heathenish, lewde, ungodly spectacles, and most pernicious corruptions.’ This and other conflicting visions of Britishness were played out both rhetorically on the printed page and were physically fought for in an extraordinarily turbulent period that witnessed civil war, the execution of the monarch and the temporary instigation of an experimental form of republican government. On this module you will study the ways in which poets such as Ben Jonson, Robert Herrick, Richard Lovelace, Andrew Marvell, John Milton and Lord Rochester responded to national vision(s) of British­ness and engaged with issues such as religious extremism, national security and civil liberties.

Eighteenth Century Fiction: Bunyan to Smollett (20 credits)

This module supplies a showcase for a remarkably rich range of novels, allowing you to sample the work not just of Bunyan and Smollett themselves but of several other novelists also active between 1678 and 1771. It promotes reflection upon the historical rhythms that connect novels separated in time perhaps by several decades, and upon the ways in which novelists echo or transform the themes and emphases of their predecessors; and it pays careful and sustained attention to the various styles of telling, and different ways of seeing, that the novel as a genre accommodates.

Early Church: Doctrine, Asceticism, Mysticism (20 credits)

This module aims to introduce students to selected areas of Christian doctrine and practice in the important period following the conversion of Constantine (312-­13) to the Council of Chalcedon (451). Students will be introduced to the historic controversies concerning the doctrines of the Trinity and the Person of Christ, and key church leaders and theologians of the period. The formulation of doctrines will be related to key contextual themes, asceticism and mysticism.

Year 3

From Norsemen to Normans: Pirates and Princes (20 credits)

Historians have long been fascinated by the Normans due to the quantity and quality of the historical writing that celebrates their achievements and their magnificent architecture. Although 1066 is a date that looms large in British history, the Normans also settled in other areas of Europe. Rollo, a Viking raider, became count of Rouen after he was granted land in northern France by the French king Charles the Simple. This module considers how Rollo, ancestor of William the Conqueror, and his immediate successors were able to establish themselves in Normandy and how they founded one of the strongest principalities in France by the eleventh century.

King Stephen, Empress Matilda and the Anarchy: The Anglo­ Norman Dominions, 1120-­54 (20 credits)

In this module, you will study some of the major aspects of the civil war between King Stephen (reigned 1135­1154) and the Empress Matilda, a period often described as ‘the Anarchy’. Themes explored include the causes and consequences of the civil war; the fate of English power in Northumbria and Normandy; the role of the Church and disputes over the election to bishoprics; the activities, loyalties and ambitions of major barons; and the forces and influences that helped to restore peace.

Queens, Maidens and Dowagers: Women in Medieval England (20 credits)

In this module, which draws on chronicles, letters and records, you will reflect on the diverse nature of women’s experiences in medieval England. The module investigates the roles open to queens, aristocratic ladies, peasant women, townswomen, anchoresses and nuns in an era when women were widely regarded as the weaker of the two sexes. Topics covered typically include the impact of the Norman Conquest on women, queenship, royal daughters, estate and household management, religious devotion, and women at work.

From Richard II to The Wars of the Roses: Politics and Society, 1377­-1509 (20 credits)

In this module, you will study the history of England during the fifteenth century, particularly the causes, course and consequences of the civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. It assesses the crisis of kingship occasioned by the Lancastrian revolution of 1399 and the characters of the men who sat upon the English throne in that period. Political turmoil in England is set against the context of social and cultural change throughout late medieval Europe.

The Crown and the Republic: The British Civil Wars 1625-1660 (20 credits)

The aims of the module are to consider the causes and consequences of the breakdown of royal authority during the reign of Charles I. This was an unprecedented period of civil war, which led to the brief abolition of both the monarchy and the House of Lords and which was followed by republican rule. It affected the civilian populations across the British Isles with an estimated 100,000 deaths caused by fighting and disease within the rival armies. Themes to be studied include the role of the Crown in the three kingdoms, the influence of Parliaments in Ireland, Scotland and England, the militarisation of society, 17th century forms of republicanism, religious dissent and the treatment of the war wounded and their families.

The Stuart State: Britain, 1603-­1714 (20 credits)

In this module students will study the development of the Stuart State through civil war and revolution, and consider the roles of the Monarchy, Parliament and the Church in seventeenth century politics. Key topics include the reign of Charles I, the causes and impact of the English Civil Wars, the Cromwellian Protectorate and the Restoration. The legacies of civil war will be examined in the formation of political parties and the regime change of 1688-9.

Poverty, Prostitution, Plague: The Problems of English Society, 1600­-1800 (20 credits)

In this module students will study the social and cultural history of three powerful ‘problems’ central to life in England, c. 1600-­1800. The module examines the history of welfare, sexual cultures, and medicine in a bid to recover the lived experiences of a broad majority of England’s population. Key topics include: early modern mental illness, transgressive sexuality, roguery and counterculture, and the English poor laws.

Power, Splendour and Diplomacy: The Early Modern Courts of Europe (20 credits)

This module aims to equip students with a coherent, detailed knowledge and systematic understanding of the principal ideas, approaches and debates that inform historians currently researching early modern court history. Students will be introduced to a comparative history of European courts, principally but not exclusively against the background of the 17th century. Students will be introduced to a variety of historical approaches, including art history, architectural history, history of collecting, and music history.

Topics in Renaissance Literature and Culture (20 credits)

This module invites you to take a different approach to the study of literature by focusing on book production and book ownership. It asks questions like, “Who read Shakespeare’s Sonnets anyway?” and “What else did they read?” and sometimes, “Did these readers venture into print themselves?” It looks at writers who courted a book­buying public and those who preferred the intimacy of circulating their work in hand­ written manuscripts. Authors frequently studied on this module include Sir Philip Sidney, William Shakespeare, and John Donne, but attention will also be given to women writers and to the book collections and writing habits of the ‘not famous.’

Topics in Shakespeare and Shakespeare’s Background (20 credits)

This module aims to encourage you to analyse Shakespearean texts in their historical and cultural contexts. The content of the module will vary according to the ‘topic’ selected for study. For example, the particular focus could be on “Shakespeare’s Afterlives”: responses to and rewritings of Shakespeare's plays by his contemporaries and by later generations. In addition to the plays themselves you will study, among other things, late seventeenth­ and eighteenth­century rewritings, the handling of Shakespearean themes in (post­)modern novels and Shakespeare in performance (theatre and film).

Satire 1693-­1759 (20 credits)

This module brings together a range of rich and rewarding texts which in conjunction one with another should conduce to an appropriately ‘joined­up’ understanding of satire in the period under consideration. At the chronological centre of the period, we have the high­water mark of eighteenth­century satire, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. Around Swift the module arranges a glittering constellation of fellow satirists: John Gay, Henry Fielding, Charlotte Lennox, Samuel Johnson, and – by special invitation – Voltaire (studied in English translation, of course). Most of the time we shall be reading prose rather than verse (which sidelines Alexander Pope); but satire is generically volatile and crosses all of the period’s major literary ‘kinds,’ entwining itself potentially with all forms of artistic production. So the material prescribed for study on this module is remarkably diverse. With that diversity goes a genuine excitement, since the energies of satire are frequently destabilising and work in a dissident direction. This is comedy whose interest is on the dangerous edge of things.

Classical Christian Mysticism (20 credits)

This module aims to enable students to critically assess the development of the Christian mystical tradition. Students will develop their historical and theological skills by studying its origins in the synthesis of Platonist and Christian ideas, its evolution in the patristic period, and its subsequent development and consolidation in the medieval and late medieval periods.

The Christian Reformation (20 credits)

This module aims to foster a critical understanding of the theologies developed by selected theologians during the Christian Reformations of the 1500s. Students will be introduced to the historic religious controversies of the period, plus key church leaders and theologians. Students will consider the processes of continuity and change in Christian life and thought, and practice critical evaluation of different theological positions.

This course offers a pathway into Medieval and Early Modern Studies at postgraduate level and many universities both in the UK and abroad offer postgraduate taught and research degrees in the Medieval/Early Modern Studies. Employers value the skills that a Medieval/Early Modern Studies graduate brings with them, including the ability to discern the vital from the less important in a mass of data, to analyse and think critically, to problem solve, and to express themselves lucidly and cogently both on paper and orally. Graduates in the Humanities have gone on to work in a wide variety of areas including print and television journalism, business and management, industry, advertising, law, armed forces, local government, archives administration, public administration, finance, education, museums, heritage and leisure.

Fees

Tuition Fees for 2020/21 have not yet been finalised. Course webpages will be updated with Tuition Fee information once these have been agreed.

• Read advice about funding your degree
• See information about the financial support available for undergraduate studies
• If you would like information about paying your fees, please contact finance@canterbury.ac.uk
• For specific fee queries, please contact fees@canterbury.ac.uk

Additional course costs

Although we aim to minimise any additional costs to students over and above the course tuition fee, there will be some additional costs which students are expected to meet.

Costs applicable to all students

General principle policy

The University’s general principles policy for additional course fees are set out here

Teaching

You will typically be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical workshops, and one-to-one tutorials. You will typically have between 9-12 contact hours per week, though your actual hours will depend on the optional modules you select.

Lectures will introduce you to periods, themes, and important ideas, often in larger groups.

Seminars in smaller groups will enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures and independent study, whilst workshops will often focus on the practicalities of textual analysis and writing.

In individual tutorials you will have one-to-one meetings with tutors to discuss plans for your assignments, and to receive feedback on your work.

Independent learning

Humanities subjects enable you to develop skills in independent reading, research, analysis, and writing. When you are not attending lectures, seminars, workshops, or tutorials, you will continue to learn through independent study.

Typically, this will involve reading primary texts, and critical and contextual books and journal articles. You will undertake research in the library and online, preparing for seminars and other study opportunities, and for assignments and examinations.

Your module tutors will give you reading and other tasks to complete in preparation for time spent in class.

If you are taking the Final Year Individual Study module in your third year, which is compulsory for Single-Honours students, you will undertake independent research. This will be supervised by a member of the teaching team, who will meet with you regularly to help develop and guide your project.

Overall workload

Your overall workload typically consists of between 9 and 12 contact hours each week. You will undertake 15-18 hours independent learning and assessment activity. In addition, there may be field trips.

Academic input

The Medieval and Early Modern Studies programme team consists of highly qualified academics with research expertise and publications in various fields, and many of whom hold teaching qualifications. All members of our programme team are research-active scholars with extensive experience in delivering research-informed teaching.

You can find out more about the current teaching on our Meet the Team webpage. You should note members of the teaching team might change.

Postgraduate students sometimes assist in teaching and assessing some modules. However, our permanent programme team teach the vast majority of lectures and seminars.

Assessment

Assessment is by a combination of coursework assignments and end­of-module exams. The former range from short critical skills assignments to longer academic essays and, in the final year, an opportunity for individual study based on your research interests. Some module options are course work only (i.e. no exam), some involve a ‘takeaway’ exam, and others involve assessment via work on online discussion boards. This wide variety of assessment methods is designed to help you extend your knowledge, deepen your understanding, and develop your skills in research, analysis, debate and writing.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework

The balance of assessment by coursework and examination will always depend on the balance of optional modules you choose, but typically exams would constitute no more than a third of your assessment. It is possible to choose modules that are entirely assessed by coursework.

You will receive feedback on all assessments undertaken by coursework, and feedback on examinations is available on request from module leaders. In addition to written feedback supplied for all assessments undertaken by coursework, you may also take advantage of the opportunity to discuss your work with your module tutor. We will normally provide you with feedback within 15 working days of submission for coursework assignments.

While the Medieval and Early Modern Studies does not in itself require anything in the way of specialist facilities, other than access to a wide range of online resources and a well­stocked library, it is worth pointing out that the Canterbury campus is modern, attractive and up to date in its teaching and learning resources, and that these broad ‘facilities’ help generate an on campus atmosphere that is both friendly and conducive to study.

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