Chaucer and His Contemporaries
| Module title | Chaucer and His Contemporaries |
|---|---|
| Module code | EAS2071 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Professor Eddie Jones () |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 45 |
|---|
Module description
This module introduces you to late medieval English literature. You will have the chance to explore some exceptionally inclusive poetic imaginations and a world of devotion, brutality, exclusion, chivalry, urbanity, misogyny, piety, courtly sophistication, sharp minds and some very bodily bodies.
We will look at religious and secular, and courtly and popular traditions, and themes such as 'courtly love', that adores women and puts them on a pedestal, arguably the better to ignore them; the constructions of femininity and masculinity in a Christian chivalric culture; the ways in which a tension-riven society went about presenting a harmonious vision of itself; and a Christianity that approached its God with a mixture of familiarity and awe. The module is split more or less equally between the works of Chaucer and the anonymous literature of the late Middle Ages.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module aims to provide an introduction to the literature of the late Middle Ages in England.
The syllabus is split more or less equally between the works of Chaucer and the anonymous literature of the late Middle Ages. You will also consider the particular nuances of Middle English as a vehicle for literary expression and explore late-medieval culture.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate informed appreciation of specific medieval authors and texts
- 2. Demonstrate an appreciation of the stage of the language known as Middle English
- 3. Demonstrate an informed appreciation of the relation between medieval literature and important historical and intellectual developments of the time
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Demonstrate an ability to analyse the literature of an earlier era and to relate its concerns and its modes of expression to its historical context
- 5. Demonstrate an ability to interrelate texts and discourses specific to their own discipline with issues in the wider context of cultural and intellectual history
- 6. Demonstrate an ability to understand and analyse relevant theoretical ideas, and to apply these ideas to literary texts
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Through essay-writing, demonstrate appropriate research and bibliographic skills, a capacity to construct a coherent, substantiated argument and a capacity to write clear and correct prose
- 8. Through research for discussion and essays, demonstrate proficiency in information retrieval and analysis
- 9. Through research, discussion, and essay writing demonstrate a capacity to question assumptions, to distinguish between fact and opinion, and to critically reflect on their own learning process
- 10. Through sitting their final examination, demonstrate proficiency in the use of memory and in the development, organisation, and expression of ideas under pressure of time
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Love lyrics, sacred and profane
- The body of Christ
- Romance
- Mandeville, The Book of Marvels and Travels
- Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
- The Cloud of Unknowing
- Pearl
- Malory’s stories of Arthur
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 260 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 11 | Lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 22 | Seminars |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 5 | Canterbury Tales reading workshops |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 2 | Revision workshop |
| Guided independent study | 33 | Discussion group preparation and meetings |
| Guided independent study | 70 | Seminar preparation (individual) |
| Guided independent study | 157 | Reading, research and essay preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group critical commentary video essay | 7 minutes + 200 words | 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9 | Oral feedback with opportunity for tutorial follow-up. |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | 45 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 45 | 2000 words | 1-9 | Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up. |
| Examination | 45 | 2 hours | 1-7, 10 | Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up. |
| Module participation | 10 | Continuous | 1-6, 8-9 | Oral Feedback with opportunity for office hours follow-up |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay (2000 words) | 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9 | 1-9 | Referral/deferral period |
| Examination (2 hours) | Examination (2 hours) | 1-7, 10 | Referral/deferral period |
| Module participation | Repeat study or mitigation | 1-6, 8-9 | Referral/deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Core Reading:
- Pearl: A New Verse Translation, trans. Simon Armitage (Liveright, Norton, 2016). This has the Middle English in parallel text.
- Sir John Mandeville, The Book of Marvels and Travels, trans. Anthony Bale (Oxford World's Classics, 2012)
- Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, ed. P. J. C. Field (Boydell and Brewer, 2017), single vol. paperback edn
- The Cloud of Unknowing, trans. A. C. Spearing (Penguin, 2001)
- Geoffrey Chaucer, The Riverside Chaucer, ed. L. D. Benson, 3rd edn (Oxford University Press, 1987)
Secondary Reading:
- M. Turner, ed., A Handbook of Middle English Studies (Blackwell, 2013)
- M. Turner, Chaucer: A European Life (Princeton UP, 2019)J.A. Burrow and T. Turville-Petre, A Book of Middle English (Blackwell, 2005)
- F. Grady, ed., _The Cambridge Companion to The Canterbury Tales (Cambridge UP, 2020)
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None
|
| Module co-requisites | None
|
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/10/2011 |
| Last revision date | 13/01/2023 |
