Program Overview

Introduction to the Medieval World Unit

The Medieval World unit introduces students to historical strategies for interpreting a broad sweep of historical societies and cultures from 400 to 1500. This period was marked by profound global change and exchanges, including the destruction wrought by the Crusades and the Black Death, the beauty of soaring cathedrals, and the development of new knowledge through voyages and trade along the Silk Road.

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

The unit aims to allow students to interpret and assess historical and scholarly debates, consider how historical knowledge is constructed, and how ideas about the medieval past influence our modern world. Students will learn to analyze materials from across the period and different world cultures to understand historical trajectories and politics, economics, religion, society, and culture in societies around the globe.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this unit, students will be able to:

1. Develop an understanding of the contours of the social, cultural, economic, religious, and political history of the medieval world and how ideas about this period influence the modern world.
2. Identify the key scholarly approaches and debates in understanding the history and culture of societies in the period.
3. Use and appropriately reference a variety of primary and secondary sources relevant to the history of the period to develop an evidence-based historical narrative or argument.
4. Communicate clearly in written and/or oral form following academic integrity guidelines for original work.

Unit Content

Topics covered in the unit include:

• Co-existence and interdependency between regions, cultures, and religions
• Global and inter-regional conflicts, including religious conflicts
• The search for love and beauty: art, poetry, music, and architecture
• The development of political institutions and complex states
• Genders and sexualities
• A connected world: trade, disease, communication
• Beliefs: institutions and experiences
• The role played in our modern lives by portrayals of the medieval past
• Skills in finding, reading, and analyzing primary and secondary sources

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

The unit assessments are designed to introduce students to historical strategies for understanding how to interpret a broad sweep of historical societies and cultures from 400 to 1500. Assessments include:

1. Medieval World History Quizzes: Demonstrating mastery of unit content and applying analytical skills to debates about the medieval past.
2. Medieval World Cultures and Societies Discussion Posts: Researching and constructing discussion posts evaluating competing scholarly perspectives about medieval cultures and societies.
3. Research Essay: Demonstrating self-directed research skills to locate and use primary and secondary materials appropriate to the study of the medieval world and communicating clearly in written form to construct an evidence-based historical argument.

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

The unit can be taught in on-campus, multimode, or online scheduled modes, enabling a self-paced learning approach as well as opportunities for collaborative learning. Lectures provide basic content knowledge and present methodologies for interpreting source material. Tutorials offer a peer-to-peer learning environment for discussing and debating issues raised in lectures and readings.

Representative Texts and References

Key texts and references for the unit include works by Ahmed, Cobb, Fauvelle, Green, Hansen, Lewis, Linehan, Nelson, Karras, Rosenwein, and Wickham, covering topics such as Muslim rule in medieval India, the Crusades, the Silk Road, pandemic disease, and the history of the Middle Ages.

Locations and Credit Points

The unit is available in Melbourne and Online, with 10 credit points.