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MAS4541 - Current issues in medieval studies with focus on history 2

Course content

In the last decades, the crusades have become an important area of scholarship in medieval studies. This has partly to do with the shift of focus from the warfare and settlements in the Holy Land, to the impact the crusading movement had on the lives and thoughts in the Western world. Crusades have been connected to the formation of a Christian and European identity in a period when Europe both economically and culturally started to expand towards the east.
Little has been done on this subject in Scandinavia, mainly on the Denmark as a frontier society against heathens in the Baltics. Less have been written in the case of Norway and Sweden, but we will discuss the motivations of the crusaders and the uses of crusading ideology on the basis of primary sources.

Learning outcomes

The aim of this course is to give an introduction to the current issues in crusading studies and its possible relevance to Scandinavian political culture in the Middle Ages.

Admission

Students must be admitted to the master’s programme Nordic Viking and Medieval Culture, the master’s programme in History, or an international student exchange programme.

The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisites

The course builds on previous knowledge equivalent to a bachelor’s degree with a major within a discipline that covers the Viking period or the European Middle Ages.

Teaching

The teaching will to a great extent take the form of seminars and/or individual tutorials. Teaching may be carried out on a regular basis throughout the whole semester or in more intensive blocks, with periods of self study in between. In addition, students are expected to follow activities taking place under the auspices of research projects: seminars, conferences and guest lectures. Students are also supposed to contribute with their own presentations and to respond to each other’s work.

Teaching takes place throughout the semester.

Criteria for access to teaching resources

A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, contingent on available capacity.

Exam information

The student’s work will be assessed on the basis of a semester assignment. The subject of the assignment will be agreed between the student and the teacher. The assignment shall comprise 10 pages of approximately 2,300 keystrokes excluding spaces.

Language of examination

The language of examination is Norwegian. You can apply to the administrators of the course to be given the exam text in English. It is possible to submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Assessment and grading

Course grades are awarded on a descending scale using alphabetic grades from A to E for passes and F for fail. Read more about the grading system .

Explanations and appeals

Students can request an explanation of their grades, and can also appeal against their grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals

Possibility of make-up exams and re-takes

You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam .

Exam options for students with special needs

Students may apply for access to alternative exam resources or exam forms on the basis of chronic illness and/or special needs that create a marked disadvantage to other students in the exam situation. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.

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