Course Details in 2023/24 Session

Module Title	LC Discovering Medieval Literature A
School	Eng, Drama, & Creative Studies
Department	English Literature
Module Code	09 33548
Module Lead	Phillippa Semper
Level	Certificate Level
Credits	10
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites	LC Discovering Medieval Literature B - (09 33549)
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-80 hours Total: 100 hours
Exclusions
Description	Students will be introduced to some of the earliest writings in English, get hands-on experience of medieval manuscripts, art, and buildings, and discover alternative views and interpretations of the world. Students investigate how medieval writers and artists respond to, represent, and interpret the world. Our starting-point is a visit to the famous mappamundi (map of the world) at Hereford Cathedral. The map introduces us to the themes of this semester: how medieval people imagined their location in the world and the universe; and how they imagined other peoples, locations, animals and the natural world. We will follow up these themes through a wide variety of literary texts, including travel narratives, bestiaries, riddles, and stories of adventure by land and sea. Later in the term we will supplement our literary studies with an external visit, e.g. to the new Staffordshire Hoard Gallery at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to see the mysterious gold objects decorated with images of animals, birds, fish, snakes etc.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of medieval peoples’ early ideas about and interpretations of the world, other peoples, animals and nature; Identify skills in reading texts in the original language supported by glosses and parallel translations; Explore selected literary texts in Old and Middle English and of selected medieval material artefacts.
Assessment	33548-01 : DMLA 1000 Word Essay : Coursework (30%) 33548-02 : DMLB 2000 Word Essay : Coursework (70%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	The assessment for modules 33548 and 33549 is linked. Essay 1,000 words (30%) [normally in Semester 1] Essay 2,000 words (70%) [normally in Semester 2] Reassessment: Re-submission of failed component
Other
Reading List