Learning Outcomes:
• Introduction to University-Level Study: Develop foundational skills in researching, writing, and presenting ideas, essential for your academic success at UCD and in your future career.
• Exposure to Diverse Methodologies: Gain insight into various methodological approaches and techniques used by scholars across different disciplines, including history, languages, music, and art.
• Appreciation of Interdisciplinarity: Understand the advantages and challenges of interdisciplinary study, enhancing your ability to integrate diverse perspectives and methods.
• Confidence in Academic Engagement: Build confidence in asking questions, debating different perspectives, and presenting well-reasoned arguments in both written and oral forms
Indicative Module Content:
Welcome
Introduction to the course and its objectives.
Renaissance and Reformation: France in Flux
Examination of the social, political, and religious transformations in France during the Renaissance and Reformation periods.
Massacre I – Radical Clerics and Unsettled Communities | Blood Wedding
Exploration of the role of radical clerics and the impact on communities, with a focus on the "Blood Wedding."
Massacre II – The Psychology of Religious Violence | Gendered Violence
Analysis of the psychological aspects of religious violence and its gendered dimensions.
Massacre III – Making Sense of Suffering | Christopher Marlowe’s The Massacre at Paris (1593) | Memorialisation
Discussion on interpreting suffering, featuring Christopher Marlowe’s play and the concept of memorialisation.
Women Writers and the Construction of Memory in Fourteenth to Sixteenth-Century France
Study of how women writers contributed to the construction of memory during this period.
Reading Week
Time allocated for independent reading and study.
Monuments vs Memorials: Remembering and Forgetting Genocide in Namibia
Joint seminar with Global History on the themes of monuments, memorials, and the collective memory of genocide.
The Continual Rediscovery of Antiquity
Exploration of how antiquity has been continuously rediscovered and reinterpreted over time.
Books in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Century – A Hands-On Introduction
Practical session on the books of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Students are encouraged to bring a pencil and paper.
Essay Clinic/Advice
Session dedicated to providing guidance and advice on essay writing and coursework.