Postgraduate Course: The Lords of the Isles: Clan Donald, c.1336 - c.1545 (ODL) (PGHC11404)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course explores the origins, development and eventual demise of one of the most powerful and distinctive aristocratic lordships active in Britain and Ireland in the late medieval period. The Clan Donald Lords of the Isles have been characterised not just as great regional magnates, but as the political and cultural representatives of Gaelic Scotland, engaged in a long struggle against the supposedly 'anglicising' influences of the Scottish crown.
Throughout the course we will outline the way in which our understanding of the history of the Lordship has been built up in the modern era and question how accurate a view it gives of the ambitions and aims of the leaders of Clan Donald in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. We will work through a combination of contemporary sources such as late medieval Scottish chronicles and Gaelic poetry in translation, and seek to map out how these events may have been manipulated and changed in later historiography, to fit in to an 'idea' of Gaelic Scotland. The aim of the course is to expose myths and get closer to the historical reality of what life was like in the Hebrides at the time, and the way in which Lordship was exercised over this far-flung, maritime empire. |
| Course description |
Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: The origins of Clan Donald and the 'winning of the West'
Week 3: Clan Donald in the Wars of Independence
Week 4: The rise of Clan Donald: The career of John of Islay
Week 5: The Lordship of the Isles, Harlaw and the earldom of Ross
Week 6: The emergence of the 'Highlands'
Week 7: Alexander, lord of the Isles. A lost moment
Week 8: The fall of the house of Sorley. The career of John, last lord of the Isles
Week 9: The Donald Dubh Rebellion
Week 10: The cultural uniqueness of the Lordship of the Isles
Week 11: 'There is no joy without Clan Donald'. Remembering the Lordship
Week 12: Essay submission
Asynchronous forum discussions will include front-loaded screencasts or podcasts of short 10 minute lectures introducing the topics to be discussed over the course of the week's seminar. All primary source material discussed in both synchronous and asynchronous seminars will be provided electronically by the course organiser via Learn.
In addition to this there will be one half-hour virtual office hour slot offered per week, via Skype.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
| Course Start Date |
15/09/2014 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 12,
Online Activities 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One 1,000 word book review (20%) and one 3,000 word essay (80%). The use of two pieces of writing, rather than one, is a change from usual past practice in History, as is the requirement of a book review assignment. It is hoped that the feedback provided from the first assignment will prove useful to the students who will be able to take on board any feedback before undertaking the 3,000 word essay.
Both pieces of work will be submitted via Learn and marked using TurnitIn. Online versions of the postgraduate essay feedback form will be employed on the course. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
After completing the course, students will be able to:
- demonstrate a detailed knowledge of themes and issues connected to the history of the Scotland in the late Middle Ages
- independently identify and pursue research topics in this period of Medieval History
- exhibit an understanding for and an engagement with different conceptual approaches for the study of the Scottish History and Medieval History in general
- engage with the relevant scholarship
- analyse and contextualise primary source material
- arrive at independent, well-argued, well-documented and properly referenced conclusions in their coursework essay
- demonstrate their skills in group discussion, collaborative exercises and oral presentations
- demonstrate their written skills, their analytical and theoretical skills in coursework
- demonstrate their ability to reflect on their reading & research and provide feedback for their peers
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Reading List
| There is a substantial bibliography for this course (full details provided in the course booklet), a good portion of which is available online. This will be supplemented by the purchase of new ebooks and by selected material for e-reserve. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The study of the past gives students a unique understanding of the present that will enable them to succeed in a broad range of careers. The transferable skills gained from this course include:
- understanding of complex issues and how to draw valid conclusions from the past
- ability to analyse the origins and development of historiographical debates on early medieval Scottish history
- a command of bibliographical and library- and/or IT-based online and offline research skills
- a range of skills in reading and textual analysis
- ability to question and problematize evidence; considering the relationship between evidence and interpretation
- understanding ethical dimensions of research and their relevance for human relationships today
- ability to marshal arguments lucidly, coherently and concisely, both orally and in writing
- ability to deliver a paper or a presentation in front of peer audiences
- ability to design and execute pieces of written work and to present them suitably, as evidenced by the final assessment essay of 3,000 words
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| Keywords | Lordship Isles Clan Donald ODL |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Stephen Boardman
Tel: (0131 6)50 4035
Email: Steve.Boardman@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Lindsay Scott
Tel: (0131 6)50 9948
Email: Lindsay.Scott@ed.ac.uk |
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