Undergraduate Course: The Worlds of Orderic Vitalis, 1075 to c. 1140 (HIST10538)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 40 |
ECTS Credits | 20 |
| Summary | The Worlds of Orderic Vitalis (c. 1075-1140), uses the Orderic's Historia Ecclesiastica to explore the history of the Normans and their expansion beyond the duchy of Normandy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Although focused on the Normans, the course will examine broader medieval themes that emerge from a close reading of Orderic's text. |
| Course description |
The Worlds of Orderic Vitalis (c. 1075-1140), uses the eponymous author's Historia Ecclesiastica to explore the history of the Normans and also examine broader medieval themes that emerge. The course is designed to enhance student engagement with medieval source materials, providing instruction in critical analysis of medieval historiography. Students will be encouraged to use Orderic's text to pursue themes that they find interesting in the Historia, by developing their own ideas for the assignments.
The study of History inevitably involves the study of difficult topics that we encourage students to approach in a respectful, scholarly, and sensitive manner. Nevertheless, we remain conscious that some students may wish to prepare themselves for the discussion of difficult topics. In particular, the course organiser has outlined that the following topics may be discussed in this course, whether in class or through required or recommended primary and secondary sources: but not limited to, sexual violence, racial violence; religious intolerance. While this list indicates sensitive topics students are likely to encounter, it is not exhaustive because course organisers cannot entirely predict the directions discussions may take in tutorials or seminars, or through the wider reading that students may conduct for the course.
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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 | Visiting students should have at least 3 History courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course ** |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
400
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 44,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
348 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
4,000 word essay (40%)
1,000 word academic conference poster (20%)
4,000 word essay (40%)
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| Feedback |
Students are expected to discuss their coursework with the Course Organiser at least once prior to submission and are encouraged to do so more often. Meetings can take place with the Course Organiser during their published office hours or by appointment. Students will also receive feedback on their coursework and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand comparative and transnational approaches for the history of the Normans and be able to integrate these historical methodologies within their work.
- Show evidence of acquiring skill in analysing medieval source materials.
- Understand, critically compare and analyse themes arising from a close study of medieval historiography (in English translation).
- Plan, develop and execute substantial pieces of independent research.
- Communicate through oral and written formats, research findings to other members of a seminar.
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Reading List
Albu, Emily. The Normans in Their Histories: Propaganda, Myth and Subversion. Rochester, N.Y: Boydell Press, 2001. Print.
Chibnall, Marjorie. The World of Orderic Vitalis: Norman Monks and Norman Knights. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1997. Print.
Chibnall, Marjorie, The Normans. Oxford: Blackwell, 2007. Web.
Green, Judith A. The Normans: Power, Conquest and Culture in 11th-Century Europe. New Haven; Yale University Press, 2022. Web.
Green, Judith A. The Aristocracy of Norman England. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Print.
Hicks, Leonie V. A Short History of the Normans. London: I.B. Tauris, 2016. Print.
Hingst, Amanda Jane. The Written World: Past and Place in the Work of Orderic Vitalis. Notre Dame, Ind: University of Notre Dame Press, 2009. Print.
Kempshall, M. S. Rhetoric and the Writing of History, 400-1500. Manchester University Press, 2011. Web.
Rozier, Charles C. et al., eds. Orderic Vitalis: Life, Works and Interpretations. Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: The Boydell Press, 2016. Print.
Shopkow, Leah. History and Community: Norman Historical Writing in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries. Washington, D.C: Catholic University of America Press, 1997. Print.
Wolf, Kenneth Baxter. Making History: The Normans and Their Historians in Eleventh-Century Italy. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995. Print.
Yarrow, Simon. Saints and Their Communities: Miracle Stories in Twelfth Century England. 1st ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2006. Web.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
1. Analytical skills through investigating and explaining key themes through a close reading of medieval source materials
2. Exercise personal and intellectual autonomy through designing, planning and gathering relevant evidence for assignments
3. Written and oral communication skills demonstrated in through written assignments and contributions to seminar discussion
4. The ability to analyse, summarize, and communicate the arguments of secondary scholarship, in addition to developing and applying the techniques of critical analysis to medieval source materials.
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr William Aird
Tel: (0131 6)50 9968
Email: waird@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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