Medieval Cultures (MA) - 2010/2011 entry
Why study this course at Birkbeck?
- Draws upon the strengths of literature, art, history and archaeology to explore the social, cultural and intellectual life of medieval Europe.
- Conveniently located for the British Museum, the British Library and a range of specialist research centres.
The Middle Ages is a period particularly suited to interdisciplinary study. This programme's core course takes a number of important themes (such as sanctity, gender, political culture) and examines them from interdisciplinary perspectives. A choice of options permits more detailed examination of particular themes, and the dissertation allows you to pursue a topic of your choice in depth.
What will I be studying?
The compulsory core course in the autumn term covers a variety of topics which are grouped around particular themes such as the body, nationhood and ethnicity and lay piety, love and marriage, and sainthood. In the summer term there is also a research skills course which develops the skill necessary for interdisciplinary analysis.
Three options (each of one term) must be taken. There are some interdisciplinary options available, but also modules focusing on one disciplinary approach. Options currently include:
- Classical Thought and its Medieval Legacy
- Communities in Conflict – Land, Law and Lordship in the Early Middle Ages
- Heresy in the Middle Ages (1000–1300)
- Medieval Narratives: 1200–1500
- Memory and History in the Middle Ages (700–1200)
- Middle English Prose
- Rebellion, Tyranny and Dissent (England 1380–1430)
- Religion and the State (200–600 AD)
- Ricardian England
- The English Bible 1380–1611
- The Medieval Mediterranean.
Please note: not all options are offered each year. You should confirm module availability before enrolling.
Supplementary courses in Latin and palaeography will be made available, as will training in some medieval vernacular languages. All texts used on the core course and options will, however, be available in translation.
Dissertation.
Find out more about these modules.
Study resources
The British Museum and the British Library are just a few minutes’ walk away, as are other specialist research centres such as the Warburg Institute, the Institute of Historical Research, the Institute of English Studies, and the Institute of Archaeology. The combined library resources of these institutions are phenomenal for medievalists, and several of them also run regular research seminars on topics of interest to our programme.
Make your application
You can apply online from the link below.
What can I go on to do?
If you are interested in further research, we offer an MPhil/PhD in English.
Our graduates also go on to careers as researchers, as archivists, in museums and galleries, in education, or as journalists.
