| Unit name | Crusading Cultures |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HIST20133 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Parsons |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
The crusades were a military, religious, and geopolitical phenomenon which has had long-lasting and controversial consequences, not just for Europe and the Near East, but also the wider world. From 1095 until the end of the Middle Ages and beyond, many thousands of Latin Christians waged war, engaged in pilgrimage, and conquered territory to expand Christendom and recapture the holy places, and their families and communities supported them economically and logistically through taxation and patronage of the military orders. In the Levant and the Islamic world, parallel processes of holy war and jihad were animating the faithful. What was it about the cultures of the medieval Mediterranean and Northern Europe which, for centuries, caused men, women, and even children to travel huge distances, enact brutal warfare, and die for their faith? What were the societal characteristics of the settlements of ‘crusaders’ which sprung up in the Middle East, but also further afield—in the Baltic, Spain, Greece, and North Africa? Were the contacts between diverse cultures always marked by antagonism and conflict, rather than integration and assimilation? The answers to all these questions lie in an appreciation of the ‘crusading cultures’ of the Central Middle Ages. Within this course, we trace the impact & origins of crusading ideas within aspects of medieval culture, including art, religion, warfare, gender politics, multiculturalism, and colonialism.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Like all units in History, our medieval and early modern optional units will equip students with core historical skills such as primary source analysis, historiographical analysis, and with key theories, methodologies, and concepts. The assessment for this unit will complement the 'Rethinking History' unit as well as develop your skills in oral presentation.
An overview of content:
An aspect of Europe’s historic engagement with the wider world that has had lasting and controversial consequences is the Crusades. What was it about how the culture of the Christian West had developed up to the eleventh century that for centuries thereafter large numbers of men, women and children from the region were prepared to travel huge distances to fight religious wars? From the Baltic to the Middle East and North Africa and from southern Spain to the Balkans some of these Westerners established permanent settlements which existed side-by-side with peoples whose view of the world was radically different from their own. What were the cultural characteristics of these crusading colonies and how did these develop over time? The answers to these questions lie in an appreciation of the changing nature of thinking in the West from the Viking Age onwards about politics, the family, artistic culture, religion, warfare, education, and the individual.
How will you be different as a result of this unit?
Medieval and early modern optional units will enhance your capacity to build arguments with primary sources, properly located within appropriate theories, concepts, methods, and historiographies. They will develop your skills and confidence working with longer chronologies and delivering your ideas orally.
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Classes will involve a combination of class discussion, investigative activities, and practical activities. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis. This will be further supported with drop-in sessions.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
There are no formative assignments.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
10-minute Individual Presentation (25%) [ILOs 1, 3, 6]
2-hour Unseen Examination (75%) [ILOs 1-5]
When assessment does not go to plan:
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HIST20133).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
