HIS2129 – Topics in Early Medieval Culture

This course aims to familiarise students with a number of topics pertaining to early medieval cultural history, such as magic, gender, political culture, ritual, cult of saints, visual art, literacy, orality, and manuscript culture. Some of them have been focusing points of ardent academic discussion in the past two decades. The course will therefore not only overview those selected topics of early medieval cultural history but also introduce students to on-going theoretical debates in that field - such as the nature and role of early medieval rituals and the interplay between literary texts and other media, between word and image, and between literacy and orality. Students will also learn to read relevant academic literature critically and to participate in related oral discussions in English.

Central to the course will be the term paper. Throughout the term, students will develop their term paper and learn how to work with primary sources and relevant academic literature for the purpose of writing an academic paper. The course, therefore, seeks to familiarise students with the research writing process.

The course is intended for students with a working knowledge of English, who have already taken introductory survey courses in medieval history and are familiar with the factual and chronological framework of European history between c.300 to c.1000.

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

A good ability to read and communicate in English is required for this course.

A minimum of 30 credits in humanities or social sciences is recommended.

The course will be taught in the form of twelve two-hour seminars, consisting of discussions, exercises, and group work. The students will also discuss the development of their research portfolio throughout the term. Students are expected to attend all classes and read the assigned literature for each class.

Compulsory assignment: During the semester, all students will develop a research portfolio that will serve as the foundation for the final term paper. The portfolio is designed to help students formulate research questions, establish a framework, and conduct source analysis for the term paper. Submission of the completed portfolio is required in order to qualify for the final examination. More information on the content of the portfolio will be given in class and Canvas.

The course is taught in English, but students can submit written assignments in Norwegian if they prefer.

Resources and information in this course will be provided via Canvas.