Module HTH-3112:
Reformation & Counter-Reforma.
Module Facts
Run by School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences
20.000 Credits or 10.000 ECTS Credits
Semester 2
Organiser: Prof Tony Claydon
Overall aims and purpose
strong textThe sixteenth century saw significant changes in European history, as large parts of the continent broke away from the Roman catholic religion, and as the catholic church responded to this challenge with religious reforms of its own. This course aims to introduce students to the history of these changes, as well as to equip them to assess the debates surrouniding their origins, progress and consequences. As both the reformation and counter-reformation were political and social events as well as religious ones, the course will challenge students to assess the role of faith in European culture and to reflect on the relationship between ecclesiastical history and other branches of the discipline.
Course content
The nature of the late medieval region; Luther's teaching; the early spread of the Reformation in town; the Peasants war; radical reformation and protestant divisions; the reformation in kingdoms and principalities; Calvinism and its association with revolt; the origins and nature of the counter-reformation; comparison of sixteenth century protestantism and catholicism.
Assessment Criteria
threshold
Threshold students (D- and D) will have done only a minimum of reading, and their work will often be based partly on lecture notes and/or basic textbooks. They will demonstrate in their written assessments some knowledge of at least parts of the relevant field, and will make at least partially-successful attempts to frame an argument which engages with historical controversies, but they will fail to discuss some large and vital aspects of a topic; and/or deploy only some relevant material but partly fail to combine it into a coherent whole; and/or deploy some evidence to support individual points but often fail to do so and/or show difficulty weighing evidence (thereby relying on unsuitable or irrelevant evidence when making a point). Alternatively or additionally, the presentation of the work might also be poor, with bad grammar and/or punctuation, careless typos and spelling errors, and a lack of effective and correct referencing. Students in the next band up (C- to C+) will demonstrate a satisfactory range of achievement or depth of knowledge of most parts of the module, and will make successful, if occasionally inconsistent, attempts to develop those skills appropriate to the study of History at undergraduate level. In the case of the written assessments, the answers will attempt to focus on the question, although might drift into narrative, and will show some evidence of solid reading and research. The argument might lose direction and might not be adequately clear at the bottom of this category. Written work will be presented reasonably well with only limited errors in grammar, punctuation, and referencing, and not to the extent that they obscure meaning.
good
Good students (B- to B+) will demonstrate a solid level of achievement and depth of knowledge in all the criteria in the C- to C+ range, and will in addition exhibit constructive engagement with different types of historical writing and historiographical interpretation. Ideas will be communicated effectively and written work will include a good range of sources/reading and demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues and of the existing interpretations expressed in a well-structured, relevant, and focused argument. Students at the top end of this band will engage with and critique the ideas that they come across, and synthesise the various interpretations they find to reach their own considered conclusions. Written work will be correctly presented with references and bibliography where appropriate.
excellent
Excellent students (A- and above) will show strong achievement across all the criteria combined with particularly impressive depths of knowledge and/or subtlety of analysis. In written work, they will support their arguments with a wealth of relevant detail/examples. They will also demonstrate an acute awareness of the relevant historiography and give an account of why the conclusions reached are important within a particular historical debate. They may show a particularly subtle approach to possible objections, nuancing their argument in the light of counter-examples, or producing an interesting synthesis of various contrasting positions. Overall, the standards of content, argument, and analysis expected will be consistently superior to top upper-second work. Standards of presentation will also be high.
Learning outcomes
-
Relate religious history to social, cultural and political history
-
Analyse individual pieces of primary historical evidence very closely- particularly setting them in context and explaining their significance
-
Present clear historical arguments in the form of examination answers and source analysis, and back these with appropriate evidence.
-
Judge between historical arguments about sixteenth century religion (including current historiographic positions).
-
Demonstrate an in depth knowledge of key aspects of the European reformation and the catholic response.
Assessment Methods
Type | Name | Description | Weight |
---|---|---|---|
ESSAY | Essay - source analysis | An essay analysing a key primary document from the origins and early course of the reformation |
50.00 |
EXAM | Exam - with questions seen beforehand | An exam - 2 hours, 2 answers, analysing the overarching course of European religious history in the C16th |
50.00 |
Teaching and Learning Strategy
Hours | ||
---|---|---|
Lecture | 16 lectures to outline the events of, and the historical debates around, religious history in the sixteenth century |
16 |
Private study | Private study - guided by lectures and course bibliography |
176 |
Seminar | Eight hour long seminars to discuss debates surrounding sixteenth century political history - and to discuss close analysis of individual texts. |
8 |
Transferable skills
- Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
- Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
- Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
- Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
- Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
- Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
- Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
Subject specific skills
- problem solving to develop solutions to understand the past
- understanding the complexity of change over time; in specific contexts and chronologies
- being sensitive to the differences, or the "otherness" of the past, and the difficulty to using it as a guide to present or future action
- producing logical and structured arguments supported by relevant evidence
- planning, designing, executing and documenting a programme of research, working independently
- marshalling and critically appraising other people's arguments, including listening and questioning
- demonstrating an innovative approach, creativity, collaboration and risk taking
- preparing effective written communications for different readerships
- making critical and effective use of information retrieval skills using paper-based and electronic resources
- critical evaluation of one's own and others' opinions
Resources
Reading list
R.MacKenney, Sixteenth century Europe: expansion and conflict (1991) Dairmaid MacCulloch, Reformation: Europe’s house divided, 1490-1700 (2004 – Penguin ed) Euan Cameron: The European reformation (1991) C. Scott Dixon, The reformation in Germany (2002) Carter Lindberg, The European reformations (1996) Andrew Pettegree ed., The refomation world (2000)
Courses including this module
Compulsory in courses:
- V1V9: BA History with Archaeology with International Experience year 4 (BA/HAIE)
- V1V4: BA History with Archaeology year 3 (BA/HAR)
- VVV2: BA Philosophy and Religion and Welsh History year 3 (BA/PRWH)
- VP23: BA Welsh History and Film Studies year 3 (BA/WHFS)
- VW2H: BA Welsh History and Music year 3 (BA/WHMU)
- LVH2: BA Welsh History/Sociology year 3 (BA/WHS)
Optional in courses:
- 3QV1: BA History and English Literature year 3 (BA/ELH)
- P3V1: BA Film Studies and History year 3 (BA/FSH)
- V100: BA History year 3 (BA/H)
- V103: BA History and Archaeology year 3 (BA/HA)
- VV41: BA Herit, Archae & Hist year 3 (BA/HAH)
- VV42: BA Heritage, Archaeology & History with International Exp year 4 (BA/HAHIE)
- MVX1: BA History/Criminology year 3 (BA/HCR)
- LV11: BA History/Economics year 3 (BA/HEC)
- V10F: BA History [with Foundation Year] year 3 (BA/HF)
- RV11: BA History/French year 4 (BA/HFR)
- V1W6: BA History with Film Studies year 3 (BA/HFS)
- V1W7: BA History with Film Studies with International Experience year 4 (BA/HFSIE)
- RV21: BA History/German year 4 (BA/HG)
- 8B03: BA History (with International Experience) year 4 (BA/HIE)
- RV31: BA History/Italian year 4 (BA/HIT)
- RV32: BA History and Italian (with International Experience) year 3 (BA/HITIE)
- V1P5: BA History with Journalism year 3 (BA/HJ)
- 8S11: BA History with Journalism (with International Experience) year 3 (BA/HJIE)
- VW13: BA History and Music year 3 (BA/HMU)
- VW14: BA History and Music with International Experience year 3 (BA/HMUIE)
- RV41: BA History/Spanish year 4 (BA/HSP)
- LVJ1: BA Cymdeithaseg/Hanes year 3 (BA/HSW)
- V140: BA Modern & Contemporary History year 3 (BA/MCH)
- V130: BA Mediaeval and Early Modern His year 3 (BA/MEMH)
- WV33: Music & Hist & Welsh Hist (IE) year 4 (BA/MHIE)
- VVV1: BA Philosophy and Religion and History year 3 (BA/PRH)
- LV31: BA Sociology/History year 3 (BA/SH)
- LV41: BA Social Policy/History year 3 (BA/SPH)
- LVK1: BA Polisi Cymdeithasol/Hanes year 3 (BA/SPWH)
- QV51: BA Cymraeg/History year 3 (BA/WH)
- V1VK: BA Welsh History with Archaeology year 3 (BA/WHA)
- V104: BA Welsh History and Archaeology year 3 (BA/WHAR)
- VV12: BA Welsh History/History year 3 (BA/WHH)
- M1V1: LLB Law with History year 3 (LLB/LH)
- M1V2: LLB Law with History (International Experience) year 3 (LLB/LHI)
- V401: MArts Archaeology year 3 (MARTS/ARCH)
- V102: MArts History with International Experience year 3 (MARTS/HIE)
- V101: MArts History year 3 (MARTS/HIST)