War and Society in Early Christian Scotland (P01851)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : HCA-P-P01851

Across the West in the early Middle Ages, organized violence was endemic within society, and so remained a major factor in giving society its shape and character. Early Christian Scotland is not just a case in point: here, the patterns of evidence are such that the study of warfare is one of scholars' best avenues for understanding the societies involved. This directed reading course explores the realities and attitudes surrounding violence in Scotland in the period c.400-c.800, with emphasis upon the primary sources, as well as what military history (broadly defined) can reveal about society. It seeks to provide students with a detailed appreciation of the Scottish evidence, but also the capacity to contextualize Scotland within the broader field of warfare and society in non-state and pre-modern societies.

Entry Requirements

none

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 : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, it is intended that students will have:
• produced a sound and competent essay to Masters standards, in accordance with the Common Marking Scale;
• demonstrated, by way of essay and in-class participation, specialist knowledge and understanding of the social role of violence in Early Christian Scotland;
• demonstrated, by way of essay, a sufficient degree of expertise in the subject to undertake a Masters dissertation in a related area;
• demonstrated the following transferable skills: independent gathering of relevant evidence pertaining to a posed problem; critical consideration of evidence in order to arrive at sound conclusions; evaluating the work of others, including peers; presenting evaluations and conclusions clearly in both written and oral form; independent management of personal timetable, workload and other priorities in order to meet established deadlines.