The Sources of Medieval History (P01728)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : HCA-P-SouMedHis

This course is designed to provide an introduction to advanced historical study of the medieval period and an overview of the range of surviving source material for medieval historians, and of the social contexts in which it was produced.

Indicative Course Content
Week 1: Introduction to the principal categories of surviving evidence, and the social contexts in which they were produced.
Week 2: Practical Skills: Codicology, Diplomatic, and Palaeography
Week 3: Insular Texts of the Early Middle Ages
Week 4: Carolingian manuscripts
Week 5: Recording the past: Annals, Chronicles, and Histories (c. 1000-1300)
Week 6: Letters, Charters, Writs and Deeds
Week 7: Visit to the NLS
Week 8: Records of government: surveys, fiscal, and legal records
Week 9: Records of communities: towns, ecclesiastical institutions
Week 10: The later Middle Ages: Scottish records as a case study
Week 11: Non-written sources: Stone monuments, the Bayeux Tapestry, heraldry
Week 12: Round up session

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Postgraduate (School of History and Classics), (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2)

? Contact Teaching Time : 1 hour(s) 50 minutes per week for 10 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
19/09/2007	13:30	15:30			William

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Wednesday	16:10	18:00	Central

? Additional Class Information : Classes to be held in WRB308

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, students will have an enhanced knowledge of the principal types of source material surviving from the medieval centuries and of the challenges of historical interpretation. Students will be encouraged to relate their work towards their specialist options and dissertation topics, and to deepen their knowledge of the relevant sources. They should also be able to offer informed analysis of selected manuscript sources and display competence in their comprehension.

Assessment Information

Students will be required to submit one essay of no less than 2,500 words, to be handed in on the last Monday of the semester in which the course is run (75 %), and to demonstrate competence in source evaluation by means of a take home paper (25 %).