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MAMedieval Studies

More information

royalholloway.ac.uk/..edieval-studies.aspx 

Overview

Interested? To learn more about this study programme, entry requirements and application process, please contact one of our consultants in a country nearest to you.

Programme structure

Core modules
Medieval Narratives
This module explores traditions and forms of narrative in the light of historical record and medieval and modern critical approaches. Texts will be chosen to illustrate the development and relationships between the various narrative genres of the period, in Old and Middle English and also in French and Italian (non-English and Old English texts may be read in translation).

Medieval London – Society and Literature
In this module you will develop an understanding of the history of the city of London during the period when it was the administrative, judicial, social and intellectual capital of the realm. You will look at how people an communities in the medieval past dealt with the social problems and conflicts of urban living, examining the different approaches taken by historians, archaeologists and literary scholars. You will consider a wide range of historical and literary texts, and also secondary literature illustrative of London during a particularly important period.

Optional modules
In addition to these mandatory course units there are a number of optional course units available during your degree studies. The following is a selection of optional course units that are likely to be available. Please note that although the College will keep changes to a minimum, new units may be offered or existing units may be withdrawn, for example, in response to a change in staff. Applicants will be informed if any significant changes need to be made.

Arthurian Literature and Tradition in England
This module examines the development of Arthurian literature and legend across four centuries and three languages. Beginning with Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, it focuses on the different ways in which Arthur’s reign was represented and understood in the Middle Ages.

Byzantium and The First Crusade
In this module you will develop an understanding of the response of the rulers of the Byzantine Empire to the First Crusade and to the establishment of the Latin East. You will look at the background of the empire as it was in the middle of the eleventh century, its relations with the Latin West and the accession and reign of Alexios I Komnenos from 1081 to 1118. You will examine the lead-up to and events of the crusade considering a range of Byzantine and Western source materials in translation in order to determine how the Byzantines viewed the crusaders, including what they considered their aims to be, what policies they adopted towards them, and what mistakes were made in dealing with this unprecedented phenomenon.

Byzantium and the Fourth Crusade
In this module you will develop an understanding of the events surrounding the capture and sacking of Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine empire, in April 1204. Starting in 1180, you will look at events in context of relations between the Byzantines and previous crusades and assess how key developments such as the usurpation of Andronicus I, the Third Crusade, and the empire’s internal weakness contributed to its ultimate downfall. You will examine the events of 1198 to 1204, considering accounts left by contemporaries and eyewitnesses (both Byzantine and Western) and why an expedition that set out with the intention of recovering Jerusalem from Islam ended up pillaging the greatest city in the Christian world.

The English Reformation and its Medieval Background
In this module you will develop an understanding of the basic problems and prejudices that have beset Reformation history. You will look at difficulties encountered when using sources to illuminate religious belief and behaviour, considering work done in the 1530s and 1540s and the social and political conditions of the fifteenth century. You will examine the role of monasteries and colleges in pre-Reformation institutional religion, and the role of orthodox and heretical indivduals in context of the changes that were to come in the sixteenth century. You will consider events such as the monastic and collegiate dissolutions, the Pilgrimage of Grace, and the mid Tudor rebellions, evaluating the impact that religion played in both binding society and causing rifts within the social fabric, and the impact of politics on belief, and vice versa.

Introductory Latin for Medievalists
In this module you will be given specific training in the reading of medieval documents. You will look at simple texts in classical Latin and learn how to parse all five declensions and indicative verbs. You will examine a range of documents in basic medieval Latin such as wills, deeds and accounts and translate two medieval passages plus an unseen passage.

Further Latin for Medievalists
In this module you will further enhance your linguistic training in Latin. You will develop comprehensive grammatical knowledge including all declensions of nouns and moods of verbs, with specific training in a range of documents in medieval Latin, including wills, deeds, and chronicles. You will carry out a series of translations of medieval material.

Literature of Medieval London
This module invites you to read and discuss a wide range of late medieval texts in relation to the city of London. You will interrogate the way that London, its inhabitants and its institutions are represented in medieval literature, from the court at Westminster to the pulpit at St Paul’s, the ‘lewed ermytes’ of Cornhill and the inns of Southwark. You will read Middle English texts in glossed editions, and Latin texts in modern English translations.

Career opportunities

The Departments of English and History have an impressive record for placing graduates in academic jobs and in prominent position outside academia.

Former students from English have been appointed to university posts in Edinburgh, Sussex and Leeds, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the National University of Ireland.

Our History alumni have gone on to work in university departments across the country, from Durham to Winchester, and across the world, from Swansea to Taipei.

Apply now! Fall semester 2023/24
Application period has ended
Notes
Please see the university profile or contact us for the deadlines that apply to you
Apply now! Fall semester 2023/24
Application period has ended
Notes
Please see the university profile or contact us for the deadlines that apply to you