Course Catalogue

View Specification Document | Reading List

The way we access manuscripts and understand their 'materiality' is dramatically changing in the 21st century, in ways that are important for historians and for the general public. This course introduces students to the historical significance of manuscripts and their place in today's world (especially, but not exclusively, medieval manuscripts). It considers the different physical forms of early manuscripts across the globe, the current methodologies used to analyse the material features of manuscripts (their structure and scribes), and how we interact with manuscripts today, whether in libraries and archives, through social media, as digital images, or via online editions.

10x two-hour workshops over 10 weeks as scheduled in MyCampus. This is one of the Honours options in History and may not run every year.

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into History, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation.

None

None

Secondary literature review (1500 words) -- 40%

Manuscript evaluation portfolio (2500 words) -- 60%

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course aims to:

■ Examine, through discussion and written work, the value of manuscripts today for historians and for the general public.

■ Recognise the variety of manuscript forms found across different periods and different parts of the world.

■ Apply technical methodologies to analyse a manuscript's material features.

■ Engage with and evaluate the scholarly field of manuscript studies and its recent development.

■ Critically evaluate the ways in which manuscripts are presented, both digitally and in print.

■ Undertake independent analysis of a selection of manuscripts, developing skills essential to future independent research projects.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Describe and contrast different kinds of manuscripts from different times and places.

■ Apply technical methodologies to manuscripts in order to analyse their material features.

■ Evaluate and discuss aspects of the scholarly field of manuscript studies.

■ Critically evaluate editions of manuscripts and their texts.

■ Critically evaluate digital representations of manuscripts, especially digital images.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.