• Offered by School of History
  • ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • Course subject History
  • Areas of interest History

The death of Charlemagne in 814 ushered in a period critical to the formation of medieval Europe. From the ninth to the thirteenth centuries, Europe experienced significant migration of peoples and witnessed the emergence of enduring political, legal and social institutions.  At the same time, divisions between and consolidation of religious institutions took place alongside the flourishing of dynamic intellectual and cultural centres, while expanding horizons to the north, south and east of Europe led to both productive and violent exchanges with peoples and places beyond the continental mainland.

This course will examine the shaping of medieval Europe between c. 850 and 1300 from the twin perspectives of cultures and conflicts. To consider the important role these interlinked facets of medieval life played in shaping the European world, this course will explore a range of topics, including Viking raids and Norse settlement in Europe; Angevins and empire; crusades; Church-State conflicts; heresies and religious persecution; Mediterranean cultures; intellectual renaissances; artistic developments; and Mongol invasions. By assessing cultures and conflicts across Europe in the centuries after the reign of Charlemagne, this course will introduce students to political structures, social systems and cultural values that shaped medieval Europe and would have a lasting impact on the centuries to come.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

  1. Identify and critically discuss key social, political, and cultural events/structures shaping medieval Europe
  2. Evaluate and analyse medieval sources for and scholarly debates about key events/structures shaping medieval Europe
  3. Conduct research critically engaging with medieval sources and relevant historiography
  4. Formulate logical arguments substantiated with medieval evidence
  5. Express ideas and arguments about medieval Europe effectively and clearly in both written and oral modes of communication

Indicative Assessment

Tutorial and forum participation (10%) – LO 1–2, 4–5
Source analysis, 1000 words (20%) – LO  1–4
Topical essay, 2000 words (35%) – LO 1–5
Final (synoptic) essay, 2000 words (35%) – LO 1–5

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Workload

130 hours of total student learning time made up from:

a) 36 hours of face-to-fact contact, to be distributed between lectures and workshops across 12 weeks (3 hours/week).
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.

Requisite and Incompatibility

To enrol in this course you must have completed 36 units of ANU courses towards a degree, or with the permission of the convenor. You are not able to enrol in this course if you have previously completed HIST6243 (the PG course).

Preliminary Reading

Medieval History - General Introductions
Arnold, John A., What is Medieval History? (Cambridge: Polity, 2008)
Bull, Marcus,  Thinking Medieval: An Introduction to the Study of the Middle Ages (Houndmills: Palgrave, 2005); ANU e-bk

Medieval History - Introduction to period
Bartlett, Robert , The Making of Europe: Conquest, Colonization and Cultural Change, 950-1350 (London: Penguin, 1993)

Majors

Minors

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
1
Unit value:
6 units

If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.  Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2018 $2820
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2018 $4320
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

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The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

Second Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
9377 22 Jul 2019 29 Jul 2019 31 Aug 2019 25 Oct 2019 In Person N/A

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