MA Medieval Studies

Core Modules

Research Methods

This module introduces students to a range of research methods used within medieval studies and focuses on active engagement with the processes of gathering, evaluating and analysing data of various sorts. Students will be guided through the process of using archives and will also have the opportunity to explore a variety of other sources. Students will also gain familiarity with, and be able to evaluate, different approaches to the analysis and interpretation of historical and literary data and to identify the necessary ethical dimensions to study in medieval studies will develop an understanding of research ethics. Where possible sessions will be held jointly with the MA in Historical Studies, to help to develop a coherent and supportive departmental postgraduate community and to allow students taking the MA in Medieval Studies to gain experience of sources ostensibly outside their period but which may be of use to them when dealing with, for example, antiquarian records.

Palaeography and Diplomatic: reading and understanding medieval documents

The module will provide an introduction to an essential skill for medievalists. It will teach the practical techiques of reading medieval documents and engaging with them in their original form, including the use of standard abbreviation forms in documents, the use of standard phrasing in administrative documents and the development of this practice in large administrations (including royal and ecclesiastical chanceries). Within a supportive context students will be able to develop their reading skills and consider the issues surrounding detailed transcription of documents and limited editing. It will also introduce students to standard practice in document description of literary manuscripts as well as documentary sources and to the development of both literary and administrative hands in this period and enable them to evaluate critically secondary literature on the development of hands, medieval administrative practice and the spread of manuscripts.

The majority of the documents used will be in English but one class will also teach students to read medieval wills in Latin, assuming that they start with no knowledge of the language at all, using basic grammar and vocabulary and clues from the diplomatic of the documents. This exercise will introduce students to Latin palaeogaphy, with a view to demonstrating that Latin is more approachable than they may assume. To integrate the various elements of the course the documents will be taught thematically and chronologically.

The examples used will where possible be drawn from documents held within Lincoln itself, amongst the medieval papers of the City and of the Cathedral.

Priests and Parishioners

The Church was a fundamental part of life in medieval English Society, providing the background to law and literature and affecting men and women at all levels of society. Its surviving records are wide-ranging, from witness accounts in defamation cases and the records of proceedings against heretics, to inventories of individuals’ belongings at the time of their death and instructions for parish priests on how to hear confessions. Medieval historians working in all aspects of British and European history turn regularly to these sources for information, but their effective use involves understanding the nature of the administrations which first created these documents and their intended use.

This module aims to provide a key to understanding the English Church from the twelfth to the early sixteenth century, its structure, personnel and teaching, considering how changes in its administration are reflected in its documentation and putting that in a European context, where applicable tracing the development of institutions and relationships (particularly those of Church and State) to reflect both political and theological developments. It will also help students learn to use the major sources confidently, exploring the nature, uses and limitations of particular sources and providing the opportunity, wherever possible, to make use of the original sources of the diocese of Lincoln held in the city.

No knowledge of Latin is necessary for this module – all required sources are available in translation.

The Once and Future King: The Legend of King Arthur

The Legend of King Arthur remains one of the most familiar and enduring legends to emerge from the medieval period. From the vast corpus of medieval texts through to his representation in the cinema, the influence of the ideal king and his court of Camelot has extended far beyond national boundaries, and he is often held up as a model of ideal kingship—reaching almost messianic status in the folkloric belief of his imminent return as the once and future king.

Yet, looking more closely at the legend, this model will examine a range of Arthurian texts produced within the Middle Ages and beyond, with a view to deconstructing his image as an ideal ruler and reconsidering him in his cultural context. Was, for instance, Chrétien de Troyes perhaps mocking his status as a covert means of poking fun at a still new Anglo-Norman, post-conquest England? Is there a distorting whiff of nostalgia in Malory’s hagiographic description of a king who united all of England, bearing in mind that his oeuvre was written against the backdrop of a bloody and divisive war? Is Tennyson recalling a period of national tension when he celebrates a German prince by comparing him to an early medieval warlord battling against Saxon invaders, and do such tensions still stand when we discover an all-American Arthur who roots out communist traitors in a Cold War Camelot?

The module will include consideration of the Thornton Romances, the manuscript of the earliest known account of King Arthur’s death, held in Lincoln Cathedral Library.

Cosmos and Chronology

The predominant chronological device in the medieval world was dating by the year of an office, such as a king's reign. The medieval calendar included the annual commemorations of religious and civil events and changes in season, while the past was often organised into epochs, parallel realities, and myth histories drawn from a variety of ancient sources and remodelled to fit with the medieval world view. Medieval cartography, art and architecture made use of the same parallel realities and myth histories to create the rules and geometric conventions governing the depiction and design of physical space. This module uses current historical, cartographical, anthropological and art theories, considering documentary sources, images, buildings and the locality with a particular focus on Lincoln, to explore how changing conceptions of historical time and geographical space impacted on medieval perceptions of the present and its complex relation to the timeless past.

Violence and Virgins: Conquests and reconciliations, c.1066-1167

1066 is one of a handful of historical dates which every English person knows (allegedly). Regardless of whether this is true, most people would still see the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England as important in England’s history, even if they are not quite sure why. This course looks at England in the century after the Conquest, focusing primarily on attitudes to two key themes - violence and virginity, as well as attitudes to what may be seen as their antitheses: peace and sex. Anglo-Norman England saw a remarkable flowering of historical writing, as people tried to make sense of recent events and these historical works incorporate often imaginative attempts to reforge ruptured identities and reconcile disparate factions. We will consider extracts from some of these histories, examining accounts of key events alongside a selection of exemplary and cautionary stories written about or by men and women who either maintained or failed to maintain their virginity.

We will also look at different types of violence and warfare, considering various types of conquests (military, administrative, spiritual, and cultural) and the ways in which they were written and rewritten in monastic histories. At a broader level, we will think about England in the context of Britain and the continent, the validity of gender as a tool of historical analysis, and the uses to which history may be put.

NB. No knowledge of Latin is necessary for this module – all required sources are available in translation.

Medieval Latin Language and Documents

The module will provide an introduction to reading medieval Latin documents from between 1066 and 1500, providing an essential skill for all medievalists within a supportive context and providing students with the confidence to engage directly with original sources. In addition to providing information on basic grammar, the course will provide the opportunity to develop document reading skills from early on, working through a range of different types of documents developing both translation and comprehension skills with documents using more complex grammar as the course progresses. It will also engage with the vocabulary of medieval sources, demonstrating how they develop and build upon each other.

Telling Tales: Medieval English literatures and cultures

There is a remarkably varied and vibrant body of medieval literature. This module gives an opportunity to explore a selection of the "canonical" well-known texts, alongside lesser-known examples of medieval literature. All are fascinating texts in their own right, but they also offer a valuable window into the shifting tastes, aspirations, and anxieties of medieval society. Students will be introduced to a wide variety of genres and to different critical approaches to textual analysis, and will consider key themes of medieval literature, such as desire and spirituality.

Lincoln holds some important literary manuscripts – including the sole extant medieval copies of some texts. Students will be particularly encouraged to engage with these, in the context of their growing understanding of medieval literature and culture. The module will also draw on the traditions of medieval drama within Lincoln to consider performance in a medieval context.

The module therefore gives students the opportunity to explore a diverse selection of genres, texts, and literary methodologies, thereby to gain a sophisticated and theoretically informed understanding of medieval cultures.

In addition to the complete MA, of the two core modules, two options and a dissertation, students can choose to take a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma.

The Postgraduate Certificate is made up of the core 'Research Skills' module and one option from: 'Priests and Parishioners', 'The Once and Future King' and 'Telling Tales'.

The Postgraduate diploma adds to the work of the certificate, including the core module 'Palaeography and Diplomatic' and one option from 'Violence and Virgins'. 'Cosmos and Chronology' and 'Latin Language and Documents'.

The complete MA is made up with the addition of a 15,000-20,000 word dissertation.

Admissions contact

Philippa Hoskin
phoskin@lincoln.ac.uk
+44 (0)1522 886340

For further information about fees, scholarships and bursaries please see our Fees & Funding pages.

Fees and Funding