From Charlemagne to Game of Thrones: The Middle Ages Then and Now
UndergraduateMAQ-MHIX20072025
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 20 July 2025
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Start dates
- 28 July 2025
- Price from
- $2,160
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
From Charlemagne to Game of Thrones: The Middle Ages Then and Now
About this subject
On successful completion of this subject, you will be able to:
- Identify and define medieval archetypes, such as the Knight, the Lady, and, the Cleric
- Locate and explain varying instances of medievalism over time, from the early-modern period to the current day
- Develop a critical appreciation of the ideological implications of periodisation, particularly as pertaining to the terms medieval and modern
- Engage with and interpret different genres of medievalism, particularly quest narratives, chivalric romance, and, farce.
- A week-by-week guide to the topics you will explore in this subject will be provided in your study materials.
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%)
- Take-Home Test (40%)
- Review Article (30%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Prior study
You must have successfully completed the following subject(s) before starting this subject:
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.
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
UndergraduateMAQ-ART-DEG
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