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The Other Renaissance: Religion, Knowledge, and Power in the Twelfth Century

Module description

The period between the late eleventh and early thirteenth centuries saw seismic shifts in European politics, society, and culture, which were reflected in the revival of urban centres, the emergence of new religious movements, the growth of schools and universities, and the flowering of both Latin and vernacular literatures. The scale and significance of these changes, particularly those in the intellectual sphere, led Charles Homer Haskins to designate this period the ‘Twelfth-Century Renaissance’ – a description that continues to be challenged and modified. This module asks you to examine the documentary, literary, and material evidence in order to enter the debate: what exactly were these changes and how are they related to each other? Is 'renaissance' an accurate or useful term to describe them? And what was the price of this ‘progress’?

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module explores the transformation of European society, religion, and culture over the course of the long twelfth century. The start of the module will focus on the broader political and social contexts of change. We will then concentrate on the cultural response to these developments as expressed through religious movements (including reformed monasticism and popular heresy), intellectual ferment (including the growth of schools and the impact of Greek and Arabic scientific texts), and new modes of literary and artistic production (including vernacular romances and the transition from Romanesque to Gothic in art and architecture).

You will need effective communication and analytical skills, oral and written, to complete many of your modules and in a job after you graduate.  This module aims to help you develop your skills in researching, interpreting, and analysing both primary and secondary material, and in reporting on your work.  It provides you with an opportunity to explore an area of history in more depth, and helps you to develop the depth of understanding you will require to study more specialised areas of history.  It will also give you an opportunity to work in a team on a group presentation.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the key developments in the history of Europe from c.1050-1220.
• 2. Summarise and evaluate different historiographic perspectives relating to the concept of renaissance in the Middle Ages.
• 3. Critically evaluate the key social, religious, intellectual, and cultural trends relating to the history of Europe from c.1050-1220.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Analyse the key developments in a complex historical environment.
• 5. To handle profoundly different approaches to history in a deeply contested area.
• 6. To understand and deploy complex historical terminology in a comprehensible manner.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Select, organise and analyse material for written work and oral presentations of different prescribed lengths and formats.
• 8. Present complex arguments orally.
• 9. Present an argument in a written form in a clear and organised manner, with appropriate use of correct English.
• 10. Through the essay development process, reflect critically on your own work, to respond constructively to feedback, and to implement suggestions and to improve work on this basis.

Syllabus plan

Precise content will vary year-to-year, but at least some of the following themes will be covered in lectures and seminars over the course of the module:

• ‘Renaissance’
• The Self and Others
• New Religious Movements
• Intercultural Exchange
• The Schools
• The Legal Revival
• Religious Reforms
• Courtly Culture
• Art and Architecture
• A Persecuting Society

The lectures will provide a general outline of topics, events and historiography as a foundation for independent reading and thought. A number of the lectures will also be used as skills workshops and will deal with critical reading, academic writing, and preparing group presentations. The seminars will offer a forum for in-depth analysis of selected primary source materials and broader discussion of the topics.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

The re-assessment consists of a 2500-word essay or written assignment, as in the original assessment, but replaces participation in the presentation with a 750 word written script that could be delivered in such a presentation.

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

• Robert Bartlett, The Making of Europe: Conquest, Colonization and Cultural Change, 950-1350  (London, 1994)
• Robert L. Benson and Giles Constable (eds), Renaissance and Renewal in the Twelfth Century (Oxford, 1982)
• Charles Homer Haskins, The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century (Cambridge, MA, 1927)
• R. I. Moore, The Formation of a Persecuting Society: Authority and Deviance in Western Europe 950-1250, 2^nd edn(Oxford, 2007)
• Thomas F. X. Noble and John van Engen (eds), European Transformations: The Long Twelfth Century (Notre Dame, 2012)
• R. N. Swanson, The Twelfth-Century Renaissance (Manchester, 1999)

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• Internet Medieval Sourcebook, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.asp

Key words search

Renaissance; Middle Ages; Medieval; Religious movements; Monasticism; Heresy; Learning; Reform; Romance; Architecture; Persecution