To offer students a chance to explore medieval culture, in its own terms and in relation to post-medieval and modern western culture, including considerations of the relationships between medieval and modern across literature and images (pictures, cartoon, film). In doing so students are also encouraged to break down boundaries imposed by later conceptualisations between medieval genres and between such concepts as religious and secular, dream and waking, imagined and real, human and animal/monster.   To help students to read and study medieval texts culturally and linguistically (both in the original language and through translations, as appropriate).

(LO1) By the end of the module, students should be able to demonstrate familiarity with medieval forms of English language and read texts written in Middle English with some confidence.

(LO2) Over the course of the module students should acquire the capacity to read and discuss certain medieval models of experience and visualisation and relate these to modern attitudes and so be able to discuss critical and theoretical perspectives on literature, images and culture in the context of medieval studies.

(LO3) By the end of the module students should have attained knowledge of a variety of medieval literary genres and be able to discuss the reception of medieval literature in post-medieval cultures.

(S1) Problem solving skills.

(S2) Organisational skills.

(S3) Working in groups and teams - Listening skills.

(S4) Communication (oral, written and visual) - Presentation skills - written.

(S5) Cultural awareness.

(S6) Use of Middle English and Oxford English dictionaries both online and in print.

(S7) Literary critical skills.

(S8) Time management.

Topics considered include medieval conceptualisations of time and space; reading Middle English and issues surrounding translation of older texts into contemporary English; the establishment and challenging of categories such as real, imagined, human; the concept of the Middle Ages or use of ‘medieval’ as a concept in modern images or productions. In addition specific time is spent looking at reading texts in Middle English and translating passages into Modern English. Tutorials concentrate on specific texts including some of Langland's Piers Plowman and Chaucer's Dream Poems as well as Beowulf (in modern translation) and normally the play Everyman.

This module will be taught by 1 x weekly 1-hour tutorial with small group (F2F or online, as can be accommodated), and 2 x weekly 1-hour remote online workshops with whole cohort.

Students will also be encouraged to work in groups discussing texts and strategies or views on topics such as translation, scansion and word-choice which inform their individual submissions for the text exercise.