Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Assignment 2000 Words | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Open exam 2000 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Assignment 2000 Words | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Open Exam 2000 Words | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of religious and social history in medieval England and Wales
Demonstrate an understanding of different historical debates and interpretations relating to cathedrals
Critically evaluate primary source material relating to cathedrals
Brief description
The module will consider medieval cathedrals in terms of the society which built and used them. It will focus on how and by whom they were staffed, run, and funded; and who visited them and why. The interrelationship between form and function, and particularly how the latter sometimes necessitated changes to the former, will be another underlying theme.
Aims
This module aims to provide an insight into the life of medieval cathedrals, from the men (and a few women) who staffed them, to the pilgrims who flocked to shrines within them. All cathedrals in medieval England and Wales were located in an urban settlement, ranging from the very small to great cities, and this module aims to introduce students to the varied and sometimes fraught relationships between secular and scared, and overlapping spheres of administration and influence.
Content
2. Paying for piety: who funded cathedrals, how, and why
3. Secular and monastic. The staffing of cathedrals
4. Turbulent priests. Cathedrals and their bishop
5. Close relations? Cathedrals and their cities
6. Pilgrims and tourists: who visited cathedrals, and why?
7. Negotiating spaces in cathedrals
8. ‘Don’t shoot the pigeons’: the misuse of cathedrals
9. Antiquarian and academic approaches to cathedrals
10. Overview: Pillars of the earth?
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Communication | Written communication skills will be developed through the coursework; skills in oral presentation will be developed in seminars but are not formally assessed. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Students will be advised on how to improve research and communication skills through the individual tutorial providing feedback on submitted coursework. |
| Information Technology | Students will be encouraged to locate suitable material on the web and to apply it appropriately to their own work. Students will also be expected to word-process their work and make use of Blackboard. These skills will not be formally assessed. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Students will develop a range of transferable skills, including time management and communication skills, which may help them identify their personal strengths as they consider potential career paths |
| Problem solving | Students are expected to note and respond to historical problems which arise as part of the study of this subject area and to undertake suitable research for seminars and essays. |
| Research skills | Students will develop their research skills by reading a range of texts and evaluating their usefulness in preparation for the coursework and the written examination |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students will develop an in-depth understanding of the political context of the reign of Edward II. |
| Team work | Students will be expected to play an active part in group activities (e.g. short group presentations in seminars) and to learn to evaluate their own contribution to such activities. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6