From Charlemagne to Game of Thrones: The Middle Ages Then and Now

• • A week-by-week guide to the topics you will explore in this subject will be provided in your study materials.

You must have successfully completed the following subject(s) before starting this subject:

• MAQ-MHIX1001-Forging the West: A World History of Europe, 1215-1788

Others

Pre-requisite: 40cp at 1000 level or above OR (10cp in HIST or MHIS or MHIX units) NCCW (2020 and onwards) MHIS2007 From Charlemagne to Game of Thrones: The Middle Ages Then and Now

Additional requirements

• Other requirements -

  Students who have an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion under Macquarie University's Academic Progression Policy are not permitted to enrol in OUA units offered by Macquarie University. Students with an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion who have enrolled in units through OUA will be withdrawn.

The 'medieval' is everywhere in our 'modern' age, both in culture and in our institutions. The University and the Parliament are medieval institutional inventions, for example. Our popular culture is imbued with myths bequeathed by the Middle Ages, from Robin Hood to Jedi Knights. And yet, the term 'medieval' is hurled as an insult to anyone thought to be backwards or ignorant. Following Tarantino, brutal punishment can be defined as getting medieval. This unit will look at both the real Middle Ages, as a historical period, as well as its representations in our own culture. In particular, we will look at the political history of Latin Christendom, in order to understand the rise of kingdoms and the papacy during the Middle Ages. Simultaneously, students will encounter medievalism in our own time. We will match our discussion of the 'real' Middle Ages with awareness of the 'fantasy' Middle Ages in which our imaginations so often reside.

• Ongoing Quizzes (30%)
• Short-Answer Take-Home Test (40%)
• Review Article (30%)

For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).