Monsters, Women and Jews: Medieval Art and Social Rejection (P01073)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : ACE-P-P01073

This course will explore medieval ideas about the foreign, strange, unknown, underclass, inferior, 'pagan', and undesirable from the point of view of the Western European Christian majority. During the Middle Ages, these traits were believed embodied by specific social constituencies, both real and imaginary, such as women, Jews, demons, Wild Folk, and the enigmatic Monstrous Races. The module will examine characterizations of these types as expressed in works of art produced c.1000-c.1500 primarily in the British Isles and in Northern Europe (France, Germany, Flanders). These will include illuminated manuscripts, world maps, stained glass, sculpture, wall painting, tapestry, and liturgical objects. Discussion will focus on the relationships between visual culture, inherited classical traditions, medieval theology, and social history. Theoretical concepts to be examined include alterity and monstrosity.

Artistic media that will form the focus of discussion will include illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, sculpture, and tapestry. Emphasis will be on artistic production in England and in northern Europe ( France, Germany, Flanders). While analytical focus will be on the twelfth through the fourteenth centuries, it will be necessary to examine works of art produced across a broader chronological sweep in order to understand the different stages in the development of pejorative imagery, including the continued popularity of this imagery during the Early Modern period.

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

History of Art, (School of Arts, Culture and Environment, Schedule A)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

? Additional Class Information : Semester 1 or 2, Th at times to be arranged

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The aims of this course are:

- to identify and to outline the development of a negative pictorial system applied frequently to portrayals of a variety of rejected social groups during the Middle Ages
- to explain the role of pictorial imagery in broader medieval propaganda campaigns
- to examine different modern theories relevant to ideas of rejection, otherness, monstrosity, and marginalisation observable in medieval visual culture

Assessment Information

Principal means of assessment is a 4,000 word essay. In addition each candidate's performance will be monitored through the presentation of seminar material.