The Medieval Reformation: Context (HIH3278)
| Staff | Professor Sarah Hamilton - Convenor |
|---|---|
| Credit Value | 30 |
| ECTS Value | 15 |
| NQF Level | 6 |
| Pre-requisites | At least 90 credits of History at level 1 and/or level 2 |
| Co-requisites | HIH3277 The Medieval Reformation (Sources) |
| Duration of Module | Term 1: 11 weeks; Term 2: 11 weeks; |
Module aims
This module investigates the changes which occurred in how Christianity was delivered to, and practiced by the laity, and the role which the laity played as active agents in promoting such changes, in the European Latin West in the period c.900-c.1215. These years have variously been described as the medieval reformation or even the first European revolution. They are ones in which both the lives of the clergy and those of ordinary lay people were transformed. It will explore the debates in the modern historiography surrounding key issues including the reform of the lives of both priests and monks; the creation of parish communities; saints’ cults, pilgrimage and crusades; and the heretical movements of eleventh and twelfth centuries.
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. Evaluate the different complex themes in the history of the medieval reformation and to assess the importance of the medieval reformation in the development of European history and culture
- 2. Make close specialist evaluation of the key developments within the period, developed through independent study and seminar work
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 3. Analyse the key developments within a particular historical environment
- 4. Focus on and comprehend complex issues
- 5. Understand and deploy relevant historical terminology in a comprehensible manner
- 6. Develop a detailed awareness of the complex reasoning inherent in the discourse of the period
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 7. Conduct independent and autonomous study and group work, including presentation of material for group discussion, developed through the mode of learning
- 8. Digest, select and organise material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument, developed through the mode of assessment
- 9. Present complex arguments orally
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Introduction (to the main developments of the period)
- What do we mean by reform? (ideas of reform and revolution)
- Parish church and local community (policing the local community; foundation of local churches)
- Reform of the pastoral clergy (distinguishing the clergy from the laity: clerical celibacy and other expectations of clerical behaviour; clerical roles in secular life)
- Reform of the regular clergy (monastic and canonical reform; new orders; hermits; nuns)
- Lay piety (public rites; private prayers; confraternities)
- Lay enthusiasm (cult of saints; pilgrimage; crusade)
- Discipline and belief (heretical beliefs; penance and excommunication)
- Lateran IV and conclusions
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 256 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 44 | 22 x 2 hour seminars. |
| Guided independent study | 256 | Reading and preparation for seminars, coursework and presentations |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar discussion | Ongoing through course | 1-7, 9 | Oral feedback from tutor and fellow students |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio of two assignments | 70 | Combined total of 4000 words | 1-8 | Oral and written feedback |
| Assignment | 30 | 2500 words | 1-8 | Oral and written feedback |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio of 2 assignments (totalling 4000 words) | Portfolio of 2 assignments (totalling 4000 words) | 1-8 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Written assignment (2500 words) | Written assignment (2500 words) | 1-8 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- John Arnold, Belief and Unbelief in Medieval Europe (London: Hodder Arnold, 2005).
- Brenda Bolton, The Medieval Reformation (London: Edward Arnold, 1983).
- Giles Constable, The Reformation of the Twelfth Century (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1996).
- Kathleen G. Cushing, Reform and the Papacy in the Eleventh Century: Spirituality and Social Change (Manchester: Manchester UP, 2005).
- Heinrich Fichtenau, Living in the Tenth Century: Mentalities and Social Order (Chicago: Chicago UP, 1991).
- Sarah Hamilton, Church and People in the Medieval West (Routledge: Abingdon, 2013).
- R. I. Moore, The First European Revolution c.970-1215 (Oxford: Blackwell, 2000).
- André Vauchez, The Laity in the Middle Ages: Religious Beliefs and Devotional Practices (London: University of Notre Dame Press, 1993).
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Available as distance learning?
No
Origin date
10/03/2011
Last revision date
24/02/2022