Undergraduates at the Centre for Medieval Studies
As with most universities around the country, Exeter does not offer a specific undergraduate programme dedicated solely to medieval studies. Instead, medieval-facing modules are a core part of many of the undergraduate degree programmes offered by our Departments, and students have the option to specialise in areas that interest them as they progress through their degrees. Students will frequently arrive at Exeter with no prior experience of studying the Middle Ages, and will find themselves several years later choosing largely — or even exclusively — medieval modules for their final year.
If you’re a current undergraduate student at Exeter with an interest in the medieval world, you are warmly invited to get involved in any of the Centre’s activities. Please contact Levi Roach to be added to the Centre’s main mailing list, which will allow you to receive regular updates on upcoming events.
Modules on the medieval world are available in Departments across the University, taught by members of the Centre. While each module is based in a single Department, many of them have no specific pre-requisites, and are open to students studying other subjects (as part of what Exeter calls modularity).
In the academic year 2024-25, there are over 20 modules running which are primarily medieval-focused in scope, across a variety of departments. Use the accordions below to explore the range of modules on offer. Each module code is made up of a subject prefix (such as 'HIH' for History and 'MLS' for Modern Languages / Spanish) and a four-digit code; in each case, the first number of the code indicates the level (first-year, second-year, or final-year) at which the module can be studied.
The first-year module ARA1036 (Histories of the Middle East, 600-1800 CE) draws extensively on medieval sources in its approach to the history of the region. At final-year level, ARA3197 (The Arabian Nights: Perception and Reception) takes as its focus this collection of tales from the Islamic Golden Age.
Medieval-focused modules running in Archaeology and History in 2024-25 include:
- HIH1421: Understanding the Medieval and Early Modern World
- HIH1053: Gender and Sexuality in the Middle Ages
- HIH1501: The Viking Phenomenon
- HIH1612: Renaissance Florence, 1300 - 1500
- ARC2118 / ARC3118: Lords to Lepers: Medieval Social Worlds
- ARC2135 / ARC3135: Trading Places, Towns, Royal Palaces and Fortifications: Early Medieval Centres in Europe
- HIH2208A: Medieval Paris
- HIH2587: The Other Renaissance: Religion, Knowledge and Power in the Twelfth Century
- HIH2590: An Age of Iron? Europe in the Tenth Century
- HIH2591: Philip Augustus and the Making of France, 1180-1223
- HIH3412: The Age of Aethelred ‘the Unready’
Modules with two codes can be studied at either second- or third-year level. Medieval subjects can also be explored 'independent study' modules such as HIH2237 (Doing History in the Digital Age) and HIH3005 (General Third-Year Dissertation).
English medieval modules include:
- EAS1035: Beginnings: English Literature Before 1800
- EAS2071: Chaucer and His Contemporaries
- EAS3182: Encountering the Other in Medieval Literature
- EAS3228: Romance from Chaucer to Shakespeare
The Dissertation (EAS3003) allows students to focus on a medieval topic of their own choosing in depth.
Dedicated modules on medieval topics run across French and Spanish:
- MLF2069: East is East? Cross-Cultural Encounters in Medieval French Literature
- MLS2044: How to be a Knight: Political Lessons from Medieval Spain
- MLS3072: Unlawful Sex: Sexualities on Trial in Medieval Spain
In addition, medieval topics form an important part of survey and comparative modules at all levels, including MLF1017 ('The Making of Modern France'), MLF1018 ('Introduction to the Short Story in French'), MLG1017 ('Turning Points in German History, 1200-2000'), MLF2012 ('Evolution of the French Language'), SML3041 ('Green Matters in Modern Languages and Cultures'). The Dissertation (SML3015) and Extended Dissertation (SML3030) provide opportunities to develop your own independent interest in premodern languages, literatures, and cultures.