Enrolments for 2021 have closed.
From Charlemagne to Game of Thrones: The Middle Ages Then and Now
Undergraduate | MAQ-MHIX2007 | 2021
Course information for 2021 intake View information for 2024 course intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 18 weeks
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 periodization, particularly as pertaining to the terms medieval and modern
- Engage with and interpret difference genres of medievalism, particularly quest narratives, chivalric romance, and, farce. Students will consider the implications of racial medievalist imaginaries, particularly as related to current politics
- Week 1: What and where are the Middle Ages Now - an Introduction to Medievalism
- Week 2: Fantasy and Game of Thrones - who's Middle Ages?
- Week 3: Tolkien, World Building and Race
- Week 4: Joan of Arc - French Nationaism and Feminism
- Week 5: Harry Potter and Childhood - medievalising magic
- Week 6: Arthurian Humor - The Pythons
- Week 7: Reading Week
- Week 8: Robin Hood, the Forest, and the Freedom
- Week 9: Maid Marian - Sequins and Swords
- Week 10: Chivalry, Knights and Masculinity
- Weeks 11 and 12: Student Presentations (to be submitted online by OUA students)
- Week 13: Revision
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).
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- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 10
Entry requirements
Prior study
You must have successfully completed the following subject(s) before starting this subject:
one of
- MAQ-MHIX1001-Forging the West: A World History of Europe, 1215-1788
- MAQ-POIX1010-Australian Politics in Global Context
Others
Pre-requisite 40cp at 1000 level or above OR (10cp in HIST or MHIS or POL or POIR or MHIX or POIX 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.
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