HIS32740 Pagans, Priests and Martyrs: Conversion to Christianity in Medieval Ireland

Academic Year 2020/2021

The Christian conversion of the Medieval West was a protracted and complicated process that lasted for centuries and saw the creation of new social, religious and political structures. Lying on the edge of the known world the Irish were never part of the Roman Empire but through increased contact were influenced by the changes that affected their neighbours. Christianity is arguably the most significant of these changes - it altered the Irish landscape and society and crucially affected Irish interactions with the outside world.
This module investigates the channels through which Christianity reached the island; it asks why and how Irish people responded to it, and considers the implications of the religious transformation for the population. Students will be introduced to the most recent research on the topic, drawing from a rich body of primary source material from the archaeological and literary record. Throughout the module students will consider the malleable nature of conversion, Christianisation and Christian acculturation, and develop an appreciation of the belief systems and structures through which the religion developed on the island.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this module you will have:
• An appreciation of the major changes that occurred in Ireland in the early medieval period
• Familiarity with the various sources available for this time
• Knowledge of the evolution of Christianity in the medieval period
• Developed skills of critical analysis and interpretation in relation to historical debates and primary sources
• Developed writing and communication skills through class and assessed work

Indicative Module Content:

Indicative Module Schedule:

1. Conversion in the Medieval West

2. The Earliest Irish Christians

3. St Patrick

4. Pagans & Christians

5. Changing Landscapes: Christian Foundations & Federations

6. The Easter Controversy

7. Rules & Regulations: Early Irish Monasticism

8. The Cult of the Saints I: Patrick & Armagh

9. The Cult of the Saints II: Brigit & Kildare

10. The Triumph of Christianity?

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

11
Seminar (or Webinar)

22
Specified Learning Activities

95
Autonomous Student Learning

95
Total

223
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module will be delivered through lectures and seminars. Each week students will be given the opportunity to reflect on and develop knowledge of the designated theme through discussion groups and critical analysis of primary evidence. Through the module students will engage in group work, individual task-based learning, presentations and debates. Written assignments will develop independent learning as well as skills of critical reflection and written fluency. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Project: End of semester 3,000 word research project Week 12 n/a Graded No

40
Assignment: Mid-term assignment Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

30
Portfolio: Portfolio Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

30

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Both written and oral feedback will be provided on an ongoing basis over the semester. Feedback on written submissions will be provided through written comments and given in person; drop-in feedback clinics will be available throughout the semester.

Core Secondary Reading:

DOWNHAM, C. Medieval Ireland (Liverpool, 2017)
CHARLES-EDWARDS, T. (ed.), After Rome (Oxford, 2003)
-------, Early Christian Ireland (Cambridge, 2000)
EDWARDS, N., The Archaeology of Early Medieval Ireland (London, 1990)
FLECHNER, R. &, M. NÍ MHAONAIGH (eds.), The Introduction of Christianity into the Early Medieval Insular World: Converting the Isles I (Turnhout, 2016)
-------, Transforming Landscapes of Belief in the Early Medieval Insular World and Beyond: Converting the Isles II (Turnhout, 2017)
MEENS, R., Penance in Medieval Europe, 600-1200 (Cambridge, 2014)
Ó CARRAGÁIN, T., Churches in Early Medieval Ireland, (London, 2010)
Ó CRÓINÍN, D., Early Medieval Ireland 400-1200, (London, 2017)

Primary Sources:

BIELER, L. (ed.), The Patrician Texts in the Book of Armagh, SLH, vol. 10 (Dublin 1979, reprinted 2000)
CONNOLLY, S. and J.M. PICARD, ‘Cogitosus’ Life of St. Brigit’, Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 117 (1987), 5–27
CONNOLLY, S., ‘Vita Prima Sanctae Brigitae: background and historical value’. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 119 (1989), 5–49
O’LOUGHLIN, T. (trans.), St. Patrick: The Man and His Works, (London, 1999)

Electronic Resources:

Dictionary of Irish biography (Cambridge, 2009): http://dib.cambridge.org [access via UCD library cat.]
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, 2004): http://www.oxforddnb.com [access via UCD library cat.]
The St Patrick’s Confessio Hyperstack (A. Harvey and F. Fisher eds) (Dublin, 2011), www.confessio.ie