Taught by seminars, site visits and museum sessions, this module introduces students to life in medieval and renaissance London. The central themes of royal power, gender, marginality, the Black Death and popular revolt, will be studied in class and in the streets of London. Students will visit key monuments of medieval London (such as Westminster Abbey), trace the path of rebels in 1381, or handle medieval and early modern artifacts in the Museum of London. Sites, monuments, topography, and artifacts will lead to a new understanding of politics, devotional practices, trade and family life. This module enables students to develop professional networks, and foster an understanding of multi-disciplinary approaches. Through their work with curators, palaeontologists, and historians, students evaluate approaches to past objects from various disciplinary perspectives, and demonstrate how historical research can be applied in the environment of museum studies, public engagement, and object analysis. Please note that this module involves class visits to various locations in London. When timetabling, please allow yourself an hour's travel time either side of the class.
