Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Working with non-textual sources has long been a key component of archaeological and art historical approaches to premodern studies. Since the material turn, visual and material approaches have become central to all disciplines involved in premodern studies, including history, literature and performance. This interdisciplinary module will enable students to acquire the necessary skills for the analysis of premodern visual and material sources, and consider their application in historical, literary and cultural studies. It introduces practical methodologies and develops skills in material culture studies, museum studies, art history, heritage and archaeology, including close looking, object handling, LIDAR, Aerial Photo analysis and map analysis. Students will learn how to navigate collections and databases holding premodern materials such as earthenware, architecture, portable antiquities, paintings, books and decorative arts, as well as large scale databases (e.g. Kent HER). They will develop understanding of terminologies pertaining to different fields as well as acquire skills in research techniques across material and visual sources. Finally, as a group we will evaluate how things can make us question traditional historical narratives, which are often based on the texts elites produced. The module objectives will be achieved through workshops, site visits and handling sessions in addition to campus-based lecture-seminars.

This module provides the essential preparation in the core skills of Latin and Palaeography necessary for a medievalist or early modernist to undertake dissertation work at MA level. Across the Middle Ages and into the early modern period, in Western Europe as a whole, Latin was the most frequently used language for written texts; those texts circulated for centuries primarily in handwritten form, and continued to do so after print became available in the second half of the fifteenth century. Mastering a facility in working with both Latin and unfamiliarity scripts is, therefore, a crucial part of graduate training. This module ensures that each student is equipped to be able to decipher and critically evaluate their primary sources in order to be able to undertake original research. The Latin studied is focussed on that used in the medieval and early modern world, with an emphasis on understanding it as a living language, changing between different communities of use. Similarly, the manuscripts studied range across more than a millennium and students are encouraged both to place these material products in their cultural contexts and to appreciate how advanced skills allow scholars to explicate and explore those contexts.

From the commencement of your MA you will be asked to start thinking about a proposed topic for a dissertation. You are advised to talk to members of staff about your topic before a suitable supervisor is assigned.

Canterbury was not simply one among many European pre-modern cities – it had an unparalleled international significance as the location of Becket’s shrine for over 350 years. We will examine the city’s history from the coming of Augustine and the beginnings of Roman Christianity in England to the restoration of the monarchy after the Civil War, setting this within the context of the development of pre-modern urban society. Together we will evaluate this key period in Canterbury’s history and the development of its heritage to enable students to produce their own critical understanding of pre-modern urban society within the specific context of Canterbury. It will empower you to undertake your own research project and enhance your own historical and critical skill set.

This module traces premodern histories of race and ethnicity, asking students to critically evaluate the shifting meanings of race in premodern constructions of selfhood or identity, and in premodern societies and cultures across a range of periods and geographies. We will encounter texts - including but not limited to accounts of travel, colonial encounters, drama, poems and historical documents - that demonstrate the shaping of racial/ethnic identity in terms of both the construction of Others but also of Whiteness. We will draw upon important recent scholarship in premodern critical race theory and postcolonial theory in order to interpret how premodern texts perpetuated, challenged, explored and criticised notions of race.

The premodern world was one hugely preoccupied with impending doom. The fabric of the Middle Ages- its art, its architecture, its drama and its literary culture more generally, record reminders of bodily death, and of the ultimate end of humanity’s earthly history, with the coming of Doomsday- final judgement of the living and the dead. In this course we will look at a variety of ‘sacred arts’ and equip students with an interdisciplinary approach to this greatest preoccupation of the creative arts in the premodern period.

What is the digital future for our study of the past? What tools, resources, and platforms are available to convert information, images, and objects from the past into a digital format, and what is in the pipeline for future development? Most importantly, what skills are necessary for such work, and how can we best prepare for the future of historical research? In this module, that explores the past, present, and future of digital humanities research, you will learn about practices and methods surrounding the management and preservation of data for posterity. In doing so, you will learn key concepts about accessibility, searchability, limitations, copyright, future-proofing, and inter-operability, and think through issues arising from user experience. The module will appeal to anyone interested in heritage, digital experiences, gaming, virtual reality, encoding, and library and archival training, though no prior experience in these areas is required.

This module builds on the training all MEMS students will have received in the first two terms, and is designed for those who intended either to go on to doctoral study or to enter a profession in which greater expertise in the core skills of Latin and palaeography are expected. It both deepens and broadens knowledge. On the one hand, it ensures students have exposure to a range of extended Latin texts from across the Middle Ages and the early modern period. These help students to appreciate the nuances of usage within different geographical and disciplinary traditions, as well as change across the centuries. On the other hand, the module refines students’ palaeographical training by providing a fuller appreciation of codicology and the cultural context of manuscript production, both in the Middle Ages and in the era of what has been dubbed ‘print culture’. They will be encouraged to become confident in the handling of the physical items, making the most of the material evidence these books can provide.