Explore UCD

UCD Home >

ARCH30530

Academic Year 2026/2027

Early Medieval Ireland and Beyond: Social Identity and Belonging AD 400-1100 (ARCH30530)

Subject:
Archaeology
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Archaeology
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Professor Aidan O'Sullivan
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

What was it like to be a person in early medieval Ireland, and in northwest Europe, AD 400-1100? Who did you think you were, and to what communities did you feel you belonged? How did you use buildings, landscapes and things to create and re-negotiate your social identities of ethnicity, kinship, gender, age and social status? What was it like to be a king in early medieval Ireland, and how did you use performance, and material possessions to signal power, status and ancestry? What was it like to be a man, woman or child in a homestead in early medieval Ireland, and how did you experience the world? What was it like to be a young woman working at a quern or making a meal, or a craftsperson working in a Viking town, or a trader sailing your boat along the European sea lanes? What was it like to be an early medieval Irish monk on an island in the Atlantic, facing out into the abyss of hell across the ocean? This module will explore peoples' lives - from birth, through life experiences, to death and their ideas of the afterlife - in the early Middle Ages in Ireland and beyond. We will use evidence from archaeological excavations of houses, dress and costume, artefactual studies of objects and things, burial archaeology, historical sources, experimental archaeology and archaeological sciences to explore how alike and different these people were from us, and what this tells us about our own humanity.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of the module, students will:

-be familiar with different aspects of social identity in early medieval Ireland and Europe, particularly ethnicity, kinship, gender and social status.

-have a developed sense of the potential and challenges in using archaeological evidence for buildings, landscapes and material culture in the investigation and interpretation of early medieval social identities in Ireland and beyond.

-be able to reflect on, discuss, and develop their own ideas on how people in the past used, and in the present use, material culture to establish, negotiate and perform social identities of gender, status, ethnicity, religion, amongst others

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Competent

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Competent

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 1

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

16
Seminar (or Webinar)

8
Specified Learning Activities

26
Autonomous Student Learning

50
Total

100

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures, workshops and practical tasks relating to early medieval societies, including

Active/task-based learning; peer and group discussion; lectures; critical writing; reflective learning; enquiry & problem-based learning; debates.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
ARCH30760 - Early Medieval Ireland and Bey


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Exam (In-person): Exam on chosen topic End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
50
 No
Individual Project: Project on selected aspect of early medieval social identity Week 9 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
50
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

UCD School of Archaeology use standard feedback sheets for all modules. Your feedback is provided on this form - the form also contains feed forward details - this will help you think about how you could improve your approach in future assignments

Name Role
Ms Angela McAteer Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Brendan O'Neill Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Fri 13:00 - 13:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 12:00 - 12:50
Print this page
Fill in the following details:
Enter the body of your query here.

From time to time UCD would like to send you further information that we feel, based on your enquiry, would be of interest to you.