HIST42430: Power and Society in the Late Middle Ages

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• To gain:
• (i) an advanced understanding of the central aspects of late medieval political culture through study of the interaction of power and society; and
• (ii) the capacity to discuss comparatively the character and development of political formations and concepts in different parts of western continental Europe and the British Isles.

• What were the sources of power in the late middle ages? And how and by whom was power exercised? This module focuses on political power and explores the interaction of power, authority, institutions and structures of rule with ideas, assumptions, and discourses within a range of political and constitutional settings, such as kingdoms, lordships, regions, cities and city-states. One of the principal themes of the module is the way in which power was communicated, legitimised, negotiated, and (and on occasion, violently) contested and challenged. It will examine the interaction between power and society; structures of authority; channels of power; the lineaments of political community and the vocabularies and modes of political discourse. There will also be the opportunity to examine the development and character of various types of political public and the role of public opinion.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Advanced knowledge and understanding of central elements in late medieval political culture
• A sophisticated grasp of contemporary and on-going debates around the subject of pre-modern European political culture.

Subject-specific Skills:

• http://www.dur.ac.uk/history.internal/local/PGModuleProformaMap/

Key Skills:

• http://www.dur.ac.uk/history.internal/local/PGModuleProformaMap/

• Student learning is facilitated by a range of teaching methods.
• Seminars and Group Discussion require students to reflect on and discuss: their prior knowledge and experience; set reading of secondary and, where appropriate, primary readings; information provided during the session. They provide a forum in which to assess and comment critically on the findings of others, defend their conclusions in a reasoned setting, and advance their knowledge and understanding of late medieval political culture.
• Structured reading requires students to focus on set materials integral to the knowledge and understanding of the module. It specifically enables the acquisition of detailed knowledge and skills which will be discussed in other areas of the teaching and learning experience.
• Assessment is by means of a 5000 word essay which requires the acquisition and application of advanced knowledge and understanding of aspects of late medieval political culture. Essays require a sustained and coherent argument in defence of a hypothesis, and must be presented in a clearly written and structured form, and with appropriate apparatus.

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