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Capture of Jean II

Power and Influence in the Medieval World

CALL FOR PAPERS: Borderlines XVIII: Power and Influence in the Medieval and Early Modern World

We are pleased to announce the call for papers for Borderlines XVIII: Power and Influence in the Medieval and Early Modern World. This conference will be held in University College Cork, 4-6 April 2014. Proposals for both papers and panels are welcomed from postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in the fields of both Medieval and Early Modern studies. This interdisciplinary postgraduate conference is kindly funded by the School of History, the School of English, the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences Graduate School, and the Forum for Medieval and Renaissance Studies in Ireland

The theme of this year’s conference will focus on the concepts of power and influence. From political thought to literary authority, the matters of power and influence, in both the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, form a consistent presence. Their function and interpretation vary and when examining the issue of power, Foucault’s statement that “power must be analysed as something which circulates, or rather as something which only functions in the form of a chain” provides us with the starting point where we can explore the influences of power on these earlier societies.

This conference will explore and extend current perceptions of the roles of power and influence in both Medieval and Early Modern settings and invites papers that address the social, historical, literary, religious and cultural significance of these roles. We welcome papers from researchers in the fields of Anthropology, Archaeology, Codicology, Drama, Digital Humanities, Folklore, History, History of Art, Geography, Languages, Literature, Music, Paleography, Philosophy and Theology. Topics may include (but are not limited to):

• Political power and its structure
• Class system

• Physical power: combat and warfare

• Lack of power and issues of liminality

• Gender roles

• Authority in religion and religious groups

• Power: its presence and absence in society
• Literary authority

• Commerce and economics

• Place and territory

• Depictions of power and powerlessness in art and literature

Abstracts of 250 words plus a short biography for a 20-minute paper are welcomed from postgraduates (MA, PhD and Postdoctoral students), as are proposals for panels, and should be submitted by Friday 31 January 2014 to borderlinesxviii@gmail.com.

Website for Borderlines Conferences

528th Battle of Bosworth Anniversary

10.000 wish to learn about Richard III

Online course taught by scholars who brought King to light receives over 10,000 sign-ups

A new course offered for free by the University of Leicester in association with FutureLearn builds a picture of the England that Richard III inhabited in the 15th century—and comes from the scholars in archaeology, history and literature who helped uncover the monarch, whose remains were found underneath a car-park in Leicester in 2012. Over 10,000 people signed up to the first release of the course, and interest in the course has been so high that similar numbers are expected for the second release.

The course, which is already fully booked, will explore a time that saw huge upheavals, including savage dynastic warfare, shifting allegiances among a powerful aristocracy, and significant depopulation. Students will also learn about how workers become more prosperous as wages rose, and how introduction of printing transformed access to literacy and books.

Richard III
The earliest surviving portrait of Richard III

The six week course, starting on the 25th of November, will cover a different feature of Richard III’s England each week, including:

  • The Wars of the Roses and medieval warfare
  • The lives of farmers and peasants
  • Books, literacy and the arrival of print
  • Death and commemoration
  • Medieval food
  • How historians and archaeologists wove together the story of Richard III’s journey to Bosworth and burial in Leicester.

They are no entry requirements, but the course will be taught by leading academics in the field. It will entail about two hours of study a week.

“We think we’ve developed a course that will really enhance your interest and understanding of the period,” said Deirdre O’ Sullivan, Lecturer in Medieval Archaeology in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History. “As well as the way in which scholars go about identifying the questions that need to answered and bringing evidence to bear on them. There are many controversies about the period and we hope that by the end of the course you will armed with enough knowledge to formulate your own views of the credibility, or otherwise, of some of the theories around.”

The course is a MOOC—a Massive Open Online Course, delivered online to enable anyone to enjoy learning—wherever they are, and whether they are enrolled at university or not. They are offered in association with Futurelearn, which is owned by the Open University and currently launched in beta form.

FutureLearn, set up in December 2012, offers free MOOCs in partnership with 23 UK universities and three international institutions, along with the British Museum, British Library and British Council.

This MOOC is the first such course offered at the University.

“At Leicester we’ve got a lot of experience in delivering distance learning courses”, said Deirdre O’Sullivan, “We run a full set of programmes at master’s and undergraduate level, and we’ve been doing this for a long time, so we think we understand the needs of distance learning students.”

Please note that all places are currently filled on this release of the course. Applications for the next release are open; the next course will start in midsummer 2014.

SEE MORE:

See video with a presentation of the course here

These Fragments

These Fragments. Stray thoughts on the Archaeology of Early Medieval Dress and jewellery

These Fragments is a blog written by Toby Martin, who has recently acquired a post as a postdoctoral junior research fellow at the University of Oxford. The title of the project is “Origins of a European Community. Creating identity and Networkd with dress in Post-Roman Europe”