This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Postgraduate Handbook 2007-2008 (archived)
Module HIST59830: Power and Ethnicity in Medieval Europe
Department: History
HIST59830: Power and Ethnicity in Medieval Europe
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 4 | 30 | Available in 2007/2008 | Durham |
Pre-requisites
- None
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combinations
- None
Aims
- To enable students to evaluate the importance of conceptions of ethnicity and nationality in the political life and political culture of Medieval Europe and to gain a detailed understanding of the relationship between the imagining of ethnicity and the exercise of power.
Content
- The components of ethnicity and nationality in medieval thought, and medieval views on their relationship with power.
- The varieties of medieval political organisation (strong and weak kingdoms, frontier societies, etc.) and the different courses of development of concepts of ethnicity within them.
- The role of litereary models (e.g., the Old Testament, classical antiquity, barbarian traditions) in shaping medieval thoughts about ethnicity.
- The size and composition of the social groups reached by conceptions of ethnicity, and the capacity of such ideas to act as a source of cohesion and mobilisation among different groups.
- Changes in the character of ethnic and national thought, and in their relationship with political power, over the course of the Middle Ages.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
Subject-specific Skills
Key Skills
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Individual tutorials
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorials | 9 | Weekly | 1 hour | 9 | |
| Preparation and Reading | 291 | ||||
| Total | 300 |
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 100% | Essay | 5000 words | 100% |
Formative Assessment
There is no seperate formative assessment, but at least one initial draft of the summative essay will be handed in for comment. The tutor will provide regular oral feedback on work in progress.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.