Postgraduate Course: Chivalry and its mythologies in the European Middle Ages (ELCC11003)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | European Languages and Cultures - Common Courses |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Instruction will take the form of ten two-hour seminars, mostly student led, analysing the problematics of the inscription of chivalry in literary and historiographical texts to provide both a synchronic view of the structures of the phenomenon and a diachronic view of its evolution from ca AD 1100 to ca AD 1500. It should enable students to develop an appreciation of the evolution of the institutions and culture of chivalric society across 400 years, encouraging them to compare different types of literary and artistic source material and to relate these to social, political and religious history of the period.
The course takes as its main sources for study epic, romance and chronicle texts from Spain, France and England. It will look at the origins and development of knighthood in its relationship to feudalism, monarchy, the Church and other socio-political structures. It will investigate the ceremonials of chivalry (knighting, tournaments and jousts), the contribution of chivalry to the phenomenon of courtly love, and its relationship to mysticism and the crusading movement. The main focus of the course will be the complex relationships between history, society and text.
No previous study of the European Middle Ages is required, although previous study of some period of European literature and culture is desirable.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Purchase of set texts |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2011/12 Flexible, Available to all students (SV1)
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WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| No Classes have been defined for this Course |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| By the end of the course students will be able to show an appreciation of the evolution of the institutions and culture of chivalric society across 400 years; the ability to compare different types of literary and artistic source material and to relate these to social, political and religious history of the period; the ability to develop personal perspectives on the primary material and to evolve sound critical judgements in the light of a broad range of secondary material drawn from diverse scholarly disciplines. |
Assessment Information
| One 4,000 word essay to be submitted week 11 |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Middle Ages; Epic Romance; Chivalry; Knighthood |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Philip Bennett
Tel: (0131 6)50 8413
Email: philip.bennett@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Catherine Mcdonald
Tel: (0131 6)51 1822
Email: Catherine.McDonald@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh - 16 January 2012 6:00 am
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