The Vikings
UndergraduateMUR-HIS2132026
Course information for 2026 intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 19 July 2026
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 15 weeks
- Start dates
- 27 July 2026
- Price from
- $2,176
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
The Vikings
About this subject
At the completion of this subject students will be able to:
- Interpret the impact of the Vikings on the “post-Roman” world of the Middle Ages, including the ideologies, themes, cultures and events that gave rise to their power, and explain their enduring social, political, cultural and economic legacy.
- Identify, interpret and use appropriate primary and secondary sources in the completion of a research project.
- Critically analyse historical evidence and scholarship, demonstrating an awareness of different conceptual approaches and how interpretations of the past might differ.
- Demonstrate articulate communication skills by constructing evidence-based arguments in audio, digital, oral and/or written form.
- Demonstrate technical proficiency in the conventions of the discipline.
- The Children of Ash and Elm: Introduction to the Unit and the ‘Viking Phenomenon’.
- The Eve of the Viking: A Northern People in a Post-Rome Age.
- Kingdoms and Kinship: Viking Society and Community.
- In Death as in Life: Burials, Goods and the Remains of Life.
- The Song of the Valkyrie: Women and Gender Relations of the Viking Age.
- Yggdrasil by Name: The Gods, Midgard, and Viking Cosmology.
- The White Christ: Christianity and the Contest of Faith.
- The Fury of the Northmen: Early Raids and Violent Confrontations.
- Global Encounters: Trade, Commerce and Conflict.
- The Edge of the Earth: Migration, Exploration, and the Vinland Sagas.
- The Question of Valhalla: Death, Mortality, and the Afterlife.
- A Tale Half Told: The Many Ends of the Viking Age and a Misused Legacy?
Axes, shields, blood, and Valhalla: this is how ‘the Vikings’ tend to live in popular memory. While violent raids and daring expeditions are undoubtedly part of their history, the story of ‘the Vikings’ is much richer. The Vikings were exporters of ideas, beliefs, technologies, trade and social practice as they reached across Europe from the 8th to the 11th centuries. Yet even now, we struggle to fully understand their world. In this unit, we examine archaeological evidence and debate historical sources to determine the degree to which the Vikings were agents of—and affected by—change.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport.
- Viking Burial Report (35%)
- Student-lead Source Discussion/Portfolio (20%)
- Major Research Project (45%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Others
To enrol in this subject, you must have passed a minimum of 12 credit points at 100-level (first year level).
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
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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