Module HIST1401: New Heaven, New Earth: Latin Christendom and the World, 1000-1300

Department: History

HIST1401: New Heaven, New Earth: Latin Christendom and the World, 1000-1300

Prerequisites

• Normally an A or B grade in A-Level History, or an acceptable equivalent (e.g. in terms of Scottish Highers or IB)

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To introduce students to key themes and developments in western Europe during a period of fundamental importance for the formation of European society, thought and culture.
• To illuminate the role played in these developments by the varied contacts and interactions which took place during this period between western Europeans and other peoples, cultures and regions of the world.

Content

• The range of interactions - religious, intellectual, cultural, commercial, and political - which took place during the period between western Europeans and other peoples, cultures and regions; their impact upon the ways in which western Europeans understood and organised their own society.
• The changing shape and organisation of western Europe itself in a period marked by population growth, the extension of settlement and cultivation, and the emergence of new kinds of political formation and social relationship.
• The emergence in the period of a more sharply defined and organised western European religious community, focused on the Catholic Church; the implications of this development for relations with other peoples, religions and forms of Christianity.
• The role of intellectual and cultural developments and exchanges in shaping the ways in which western Europeans came in this period to understand themselves, their own society and the wider world.

Learning Outcomes

• The range of interactions - religious, intellectual, cultural, commercial, and political - which took place during the period between western Europeans and other peoples, cultures and regions; their impact upon the ways in which western Europeans understood and organised their own society.
• The changing shape and organisation of western Europe itself in a period marked by population growth, the extension of settlement and cultivation, and the emergence of new kinds of political formation and social relationship.
• The emergence in the period of a more sharply defined and organised western European religious community, focused on the Catholic Church; the implications of this development for relations with other peoples, religions and forms of Christianity.
• The role of intellectual and cultural developments and exchanges in shaping the ways in which western Europeans came in this period to understand themselves, their own society and the wider world.

• Subject specific skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/History/ugrads/ModuleProformaMap/;

• Key skills for this module can be viewed at:http://www.dur.ac.uk/History/ugrads/ModuleProformaMap/

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Student learning is facilitated by a combination of:
• lectures to set the foundations for further study and to provide the basis for the acquisition of subject specific knowledge. Lectures provide a broad framework which defines individual module content, introducing students to themes, debates and interpretations. In this environment, students are given the opportunity to develop skills in listening, selective note-taking and reflection;
• seminars to allow students to present and critically reflect upon the acquired subject-specific knowledge, methodologies and theories, and to identify and debate a range of issues and differing opinions. The seminar is the forum in which students are given the opportunity to communicate ideas, jointly exploring themes and arguments. Seminars are structured to develop understanding and designed to maximise student participation related to prior independent preparation. Seminars give students the opportunity to develop oral communication skills, encourage critical and tolerant approaches to reasoned argument and historical discussion, build the students' ability to marshal historical evidence, and facilitate the development of the ability to summarise historical arguments, think in a rapidly changing environment and communicate in a persuasive and articulate manner, whilst recognising the value of working with others and, occasionally, towards shared goals. The seminar will also be the primary forum for developing students skills in reading and criticizing primary sources.
• Assessment:
• Unseen Examinations test students' ability to work under pressure under timed conditions, to prepare for examinations and direct their own programme of revision and learning, and develop key time management skills. The unseen examination gives students the opportunity to develop relevant life skills such as the ability to produce coherent, reasoned and supported arguments under pressure. Students will be examined on subject specific knowledge;
• The summative essay remains a central component of assessment in history, due to the integrative high-order skills it develops. It allows students the opportunity to recognise, represent and critically reflect upon ideas, concepts and problems; students can demonstrate awareness of, and the ability to use and evaluate, a diverse range of resources and identify, represent and debate a range of subject-specific issues and opinions. Through the essay, students can synthesise information, adopt critical appraisals and develop reasoned argument based on individual research; they should be able to communicate ideas in writing, with clarity and coherence; and to show the ability to integrate and critically assess material from a wide range of sources.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One short essay of 1500 words focused on primary source analysis (for delivery in Term 1, one per student per seminar). Students will also prepare one or more short assignments for oral presentation. Summative essay submitted in Term 2 also has formative purposes.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University