Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university.

Learning outcomes

After passing the course, the student will be able to

• Describe and compare various modes of communication in the period c. 1350-1600, for example in manuscripts, printed books, and oral and visual culture.
• Analyse access to hand-crafted communication such as manuscripts and images.
• Critically discuss the impact of printing on the spread of ideas and society at large.
• Analyse changes in literacy.
• Independently analyse different kinds of primary source materials and relate them to prevous research.

Content

Throughout the Middle Ages, information spread in various ways - official news spread both in oral and written form while the church communicated through many forms of media, in ceremonies and otherwise. During the fifteenth century, written communication was made easier thanks to developments in printing, however, many medieval modes of communication continued to be in use. In this course you will gain knowledge about modes of communication in the medieval and early modern era. You will study both manuscripts and early printed books, discuss how information spread, the impact of printing, as well as changes in literacy. The focus is on the time period c. 1350-1600.

Instruction

The course will consist of lectures and seminars.

Assessment

Assessment will be based upon written and oral assignments. Students that have missed a small number of mandatory assignments may complete them by the end of the term at the latest. If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.