University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2022/23 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Arts > School of Humanities > Medieval Studies (MA) > Specification
Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.
Programme code | 1HUMS001T |
---|---|
Programme type | Postgraduate Taught Degree |
Programme director(s) |
Benjamin Pohl
|
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
School/department | School of Humanities |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 1 years (full time) |
This section sets out why studying this programme is important, both in terms of inspiring you as an individual and in considering the challenges we face. It describes how this degree programme contributes to:
This programme aims to develop the student’s interest in, and knowledge and understanding of, the history, literature and cultures of the Middle Ages across the known world. Students will acquire specific skills in research, manuscript study (codicology), languages, archives and heritage preservation, which will equip them for further study and/or employment in the heritage industries. They will have the opportunity to undertake a work placement with a cultural/heritage organisation, further expanding their knowledge and understanding of how the medieval centuries are preserved and administered for contemporary scholars and the general public.
Students will also develop their practical research skills and techniques, including research methods, writing skills and the development of research themes and key questions. They will be encouraged to reflect on the transferability of such skills, both as preparation for postgraduate research and for careers outside the academy.
To augment their practical and employability skills, students will acquire a theorised knowledge and understanding of the Middle Ages as a global phenomenon, grounded in issues of race and cultural identity. They will study a wide variety of sources and materials, in different forms and languages, expressing the diverse viewpoints of a range of medieval cultural communities.
Students will also have the opportunity to learn about the medieval past of the city of Bristol and its wider region, particularly its role as an agent of urban growth in Britain and as a trading port with the rest of the known world.
The learning outcome statements shown below for your programme have been developed with reference to relevant national subject benchmarks (where they exist), national qualification descriptors (see the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) and professional body requirements.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies are listed to show how you will be able to achieve and demonstrate the learning outcomes.
This programme provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
---|---|
|
(i) Small-group tutorials (ii) Language workshops (iii) Lectures (iv) Research seminars with student presentations (v) Extended research dissertation (vi) Guest lectures by experts (vii) Work placements with heritage organisations (viii) Field trips to archives, monuments etc. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
(i) Essays (ii) Translation and language assignments/tests (iii) Research presentations (iv) Research-based dissertation/major project (v) Tasks accomplished during work placements (vi) Portfolios |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
---|---|
|
(i) Small-group tutorials (ii) Guided reading and library research (iii) Language workshops (iv) Field trips to archives (v) Study of manuscripts and palaeography (vi) Presentation of papers at graduate conferences (vii) Supervised research projects |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
(i) Essays (ii) Dissertation (iii) Language and palaeography assignments (iv) Oral presentations |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
---|---|
|
(i) Optional work placement in a cultural/heritage organisation. (ii) Involvement with staff research and public engagement. (iii) Dissertation based on student-led research project. (iv) Field trips to archives etc. (v) Language classes. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
(i) Dissertation (ii) Tasks completed during work placement (iii) Essays and presentations |
This section describes what is expected from you at each level of your programme. This illustrates increasing intellectual standards as you progress through the programme. These levels are mapped against the national level descriptors published by the Quality Assurance Agency.
Level M/7 - Postgraduate Certificate |
Students will become familiar with the main areas of Medieval Studies, especially history, literature, the study of Latin and manuscript production. They will undertake units of study in these areas and be able to demonstrate a basic competence through essays, a language assignment and oral presentation. |
---|---|
Level M/7 - Postgraduate Diploma |
Students will develop their understanding of the Middle Ages through more detailed and specialised research in specific areas, including history, literature, textual analysis, language and cultural studies. They will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the Global Middle Ages and to develop their own research interests through a study of primary sources. They will be able to undertake independent research projects through their essays and oral presentations and will be encouraged to participate in relevant graduate conferences. |
Level M/7 - Postgraduate Masters |
Students at this level will be expected to demonstrate a multi-layered understanding of the Middle Ages and its cultural products and concerns, including issues of race and identity. They will be familiar with contemporary approaches to Medieval Studies including various theoretical and practical aspects of modern scholarship. They will be able to conduct an independent extended research project under the supervision of a member of staff, demonstrated by means of the dissertation. They are also expected to have some understanding of modern heritage industries and public engagement with the medieval past. |
For information on the admissions requirements for this programme please see details in the postgraduate prospectus at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/postgraduate/ or contact the relevant academic department.
The focus of the programme is on the acquisition of practical and transferable skills for professional medievalists including language, palaeography, early book history, and archival research. Students on the MA will have the opportunity, in one of their Stage Two option blocks (see above), to take an optional placement module with a heritage organisation in the Bristol region. This placement unit is credit-bearing (20 credits = 200hrs, incl. time in the workplace (1day/week), 1 x 1-hour seminar/week, preparation and reflective assignments) and therefore the placement itself is unpaid. Whilst every effort will be made to accommodate students’ preferences, a specific hosting organisation cannot always be guaranteed. For international students in particular, the availability of the placement option will be subject to their individual visa requirements/restrictions. Interested partners include Glastonbury Abbey, Downside Abbey, Hereford Cathedral Library, and Bristol City Records. The programme will also feature guest seminars by visiting experts and an annual graduate conference organised by the students themselves. At the beginning of the placement, a memorandum of understanding will be drawn up (to be signed by the student, the hosting organisation and the unit director) to set out mutual expectations and commitments. At the end of the placement, the organisation will provide an end-of-placement report that the unit director will collate and communicate to the student as part of their formative feedback.
There will also be an expectation that students attend at least four Centre for Medieval Studies Research Seminars across the academic year, and these should be timetabled centrally so all students are aware of when and where they take place. Students will also be encouraged to submit a critical report (in the style of a book review, max. 1,000 words) on one of the seminars they attended, on which they will receive feedback aimed at developing their skills in peer-based criticism.
Programme Director: Dr Benjamin Pohl, Department of History (benjamin.pohl@bristol.ac.uk)
Academic Lead: Prof Helen Fulton, Department of English (helen.fulton@bristol.ac.uk)
Co-Director of the Centre for Medieval Studies and Graduate Education Director - Arts: Dr Leah Tether, Department of English (leah.tether@bristol.ac.uk)
This programme is also available to study part-time over two years. Students must pass all units in TB1 in order to progress to the Diploma
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Research Skills for Medievalists | AFACM1001 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Introduction to Medieval Latin | AFACM0013 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
History of the Book | AFACM0012 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Dissertation/Practice-led Project (Medieval Studies) | AFACM0010 | 60 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Choose 60 CP of optional units from the list below | ||||
Placement (Medieval Studies) | AFACM0011 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
The History of Christianity: Core Texts | THRSM0001 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Sex, Marriage, and Deviance in the Medieval and Early Modern Eras | THRSM0109 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Cultural Heritage of the Built Environment | ARCHM0084 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Chaucer and Chaucerians | ENGLM0078 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Arthurian Literature | ENGLM0079 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Rewriting the Bible | ENGLM0069 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Old English Language and Literature | ENGLM0080 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
The History of the Language of English Literature | ENGLM0081 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Rewriting the Bible | ENGLM0069 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
The Apocalypse in Culture and Society (1000-1500) | HISTM0032 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Students can take 20 credits at level 5 or 6, any further credits not at M level need to be taken in connection with Personal Optional Units; | ||||
Personal Option Unit 1 | HUMSM0003 | 20 | Optional | TB-1,TB-2 |
Personal Option Unit 2 | HUMSM0004 | 20 | Optional | TB-1,TB-2 |
The Italian City: Medieval and Early Modern Cultures | MODL30020 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Boccaccio's Decameron | ITAL30063 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Dante: Purgatorio and Paradiso | ITAL30059 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Historical Linguistics | MODL20017 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Religious Art (Reflective Art History Unit) | HART30008 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
180 |
The pass mark set by the University for any level 7(M) unit is 50 out of 100.
For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.
All taught masters programmes, unless exempted by Senate, must allow the opportunity for students to exit from the programme with a postgraduate diploma or certificate.
To be awarded a postgraduate diploma, students must have successfully completed 120 credit points, of which 90 must be at level M/7.
To be awarded a postgraduate certificate, students must have successfully completed 60 credit points, of which 40 must be at level M/7.
An award with Merit or Distinction is permitted for postgraduate taught masters, diplomas and certificates, where these are specifically named entry-level qualifications. An award with Merit or Distinction is not permitted for exit awards where students are required to exit the programme on academic grounds but is permitted in designated programmes (as set out in the programme specification) where students choose to withdraw from the intended programme but otherwise achieve the necessary credit points for the exit award.
The classification of the award in relation to the final programme mark is as follows:
Award with Distinction*: at least 65 out of 100 for the taught component overall and, for masters awards, at least 70 out of 100 for the dissertation. **Faculties retain discretion to increase these thresholds.
Award with Merit*: at least 60 out of 100 for the taught component overall and, for masters awards, at least 60 out of 100 for the dissertation. Faculties retain discretion to increase these thresholds.
* The MA in Law has separate regulations for awarding distinction and merit.
** For the award of Distinction, the Faculty of Engineering requires at least 70 out of 100 for the taught component overall and, for masters awards, at least 70 out of 100 for the dissertation.
All taught masters programmes, unless exempted by Senate, must allow the opportunity for students to choose, or be required, to leave at the postgraduate diploma or certificate stage.
To be awarded a postgraduate diploma, students must have successfully completed 120 credit points, of which 90 must be at level M/7.
To be awarded a postgraduate certificate, students must have successfully completed 60 credit points, of which 40 must be at level M/7.
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.
University of Bristol,
Senate House,
Tyndall Avenue,
Bristol, BS8 1TH, UK
Tel: +44 (0)117 928 9000