Module HIST2521: From Vikings to Crusaders: the Formation of the Scandinavian Kingdoms, c. 900-1200

Department: History

HIST2521: From Vikings to Crusaders: the Formation of the Scandinavian Kingdoms, c. 900-1200

Prerequisites

• • A pass mark in at least ONE level one module in History.

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To introduce students to the political, social, religious and cultural history of Scandinavia in the high middle ages.
• To engage students with a source material surviving from Scandinavia in the high middle ages including literary and legal sources.
• To explore the relationship between religion and politics and the process of state formation in Scandinavia in the high middle ages.

Content

• In the period between around 900 and 1200, Scandinavia underwent a remarkable transformation. Norse paganism gave way to Christianity. Peaceful contacts with the rest of Europe increased. Latin literacy arrived, and with it documentary culture and political bureaucracy. Royal government became increasingly centralised. The Scandinavians, as a German chronicler had it, were ‘adjust[ing] themselves to other nations’ (Arnold of Lübeck). But there were limits to the ‘Europeanisation’ of Scandinavia. Provincial jurisdictions remained relatively independent from central government. Political culture was still remarkably violent: kings were murdered or killed in battle to a degree unparalleled elsewhere in the West. Viking raids of previous centuries were rivalled in intensity and violence by the exploitative, missionary warfare in the southern and eastern Baltic, the so-called Northern Crusades. In this module we will explore the formation of the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and their journey from loose confederations ruled by pirate-kings to Christian monarchies which participated enthusiastically in the religious, military, and intellectual culture of Western Europe.

Learning Outcomes

• A deeper understanding of the interaction between religion and politics (church and state) in northern Europe in the central middle ages.
• An awareness of key themes such as state formation, ‘Europeanisation’, literate government, and Christian holy war in the central middle ages.
• An ability to appreciate and evaluate a variety of sources, ranging from the great sagas to law codes and charters.

• Subject specific skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/history.internal/local/ModuleProformaMap/

• Key skills for this module can be viewed http://www.dur.ac.uk/history.internal/local/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 the following teaching methods:
• 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.
• 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;
• Summative essays remain a central component of assessment in history, due to the integrative high-order skills they develop. Essays allow 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 or more short assignments submitted in writing or delivered orally in a group seminar context.

■ 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