In the Autumn and Spring teaching periods, you will take a number of courses (with the option to take instruction in Latin) that explore major themes in western medieval culture and are intended to equip you with the key skills of the medieval historian. Teaching is research-led; classes focus on a range of sources, both literary and visual.
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HI6094 (10 credits): Historical Contexts for Medievalists discusses fundamental turning points and transformations in the history and culture of medieval Western Europe; it consists of seminars and site visits.
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HI6090 (10 credits): The Insular World in Text and Image discusses selected sources of fundamental importance for understanding the medieval history and culture of the Insular world; it consists of seminars.
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HI6091 (10 credits): Skills for Medieval Historians explores and evaluates historical sources available to medieval historians and enhances students' employability and transferable skills through practice-based teaching; the module consists of seminars, group work on the online exhibition, and a masterclass.
You will have the opportunity to take an introductory Latin course (LT6001), or a Latin project (LT6005). If you decide not to take Latin, you can choose from a number of selected options in consultation with your Supervisor and the MA coordinator.
The taught modules in the MA are evenly spread across both the Autumn and Spring semesters, enabling you to balance your work commitments across the academic year and to leave Semester 3 for your research and the writing of your thesis.
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The introductory module, Historical Contexts for Medievalists (HI6094) provides you with a solid grounding in this field, and the foundation for the more specialised modules to follow.
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Skills for Medieval Historians (HI6091) is taught as a lecture/workshop series. This module involves work in the university’s Special Collections and culminates in the creation of an online exhibition. You can explore some of these exhibitions on the UCC library’s River-side portal.
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Introduction to Latin (LT6001) is taught in three one-hour classes per week throughout both semesters and is offered by the Department of Classics at UCC.
In the taught History modules, you are assessed by coursework involving the writing of an essay and the delivery of oral presentations. The Latin module is examined by continuous assessment and by an end-of-year exam. You will also complete a minor dissertation (20,000 words maximum) based on your own research of a topic of particular interest to you.
The MA programme has a credit weighting of 90 credits, divided equally between coursework (45 credits) and minor dissertation (45 credits).
