Course Details in 2028/29 Session

Module Title	LI Power, Society, Politics: Religious Art in Northern Europe, c. 1400-1600
School	Lan, Cult, Art Hist & Music
Department	Art Hist, Cur and Vis Studies
Module Code	09 24247
Module Lead	Elizabeth L’Estrange
Level	Intermediate Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	This module explores the different social and political functions of Christian religious art produced in Northern Europe (France, Germany, Low Countries and England) from the fifteenth to the early seventeenth centuries. It will focus in particular on how artists and patrons responded to the changing religious climate at this time, and how religious works of art like altarpieces, reliquaries, and manuscripts and prints were used as means of constructing of power, politics and social identity, especially in times of instability. Case studies will analyse themes such as: the power and performative nature of images; pilgrimage and relics; healing and the afterlife; religious allegory and secular rulers; religion and social identity; gender, race, and representation; affective piety, the rise of the Reformation and the subsequent Counter Reformation. Students will be encouraged to draw on the collections of the Barber Institute and the Cadbury Research Library. By spanning the shift between the late medieval and early modern periods, this module asks students to examine and problematise broader questions pertaining to the study of periods and categories such as ‘medieval’ and ‘Renaissance’, ‘North’ and ‘South’, and ‘public’ and ‘private’.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Exhibit familiarity with the various social functions of religious art from Northern Europe in the fifteenth to early seventeenth centuries Display a good historical understanding of the religious movements that had an impact on artists and patrons during the period in question Exhibit a critical understanding of the variety of methods, ideas and secondary sources employed to analyse the subject of the module, and be able to apply these to different art objects studied at first hand; Identify appropriate primary visual and written sources and apply the methods, ideas and sources used in the module to the analysis of them Demonstrate skills of research, group discussion, presentation, and teamwork
Assessment	24247-01 : 4000 word essay : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment One 4000 word essay (100%) Method of Reassessment Re-submission of failed component
Other
Reading List