Death and Devotion: The Art of Death across the Middle Ages



Overview

Have you ever wondered how medieval people expressed their understanding of mortality and the afterlife through art and architecture? Join us on a journey where we will unravel the intimate relationship between art, death, and devotion in the Middle Ages. Discover the profound symbolism found on tomb sculptures and architecture and the intricate beauty of devotional objects. 

We will examine objects from across Western Europe and the Mediterranean. You will gain insights into the cultural, religious, and philosophical contexts that shaped these works, enriching your understanding of medieval visual and material cultures.

Programme details

Courses starts: 4 October 2024

N.B. There will be no class on Friday 18th October

Week 1: Sacred Commodities: Saints and Relics

Week 2: The 'very special dead': The Saint and the Shrine

Week 3: Enshrining the Sacred: Reliquaries

Week 4: Monumental depictions of the Last Judgement

Week 5: Indulgences and Intercession for the Dead

Week 6: Locus sanctus: Tombs, Burials, and the Politics of the Body

Week 7: Visualising the End of Time: The Book of Revelation in Illuminated Manuscripts

Week 8: Passion Piety and the Death of Christ

Week 9: Imago Mortis: Death and Private Devotion

Week 10: The Macabre

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £30 fee. 

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education, you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee. 

 

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Róisín Astell

Dr Róisín Astell is a medieval art historian who specialises in illuminated manuscripts. She completed her PhD at the University of Kent’s Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies. Róisín is a graduate of the Universities of York and Oxford. She has taught at the Universities of Oxford, York, Edinburgh, and UCL.

Course aims

To provide an in-depth understanding of how medieval societies expressed their perceptions of mortality and the afterlife through art and architecture, fostering a comprehensive appreciation of medieval visual and material cultures.

Course Objectives:

  • Equip students with the skills to critically assess and interpret medieval art in relation to its cultural, religious, and philosophical dimensions.

  • Understand the historical, theological, and art historical perspectives to contextualise the artistic expressions of death and devotion in medieval Europe across various regions.

  • Be able to analyse and interpret a diverse array of historical sources, including visual evidence and written documentary sources.

  • To engage critically through close visual observation and analysis of medieval objects to understand the role of materiality within their creation and function.

Teaching methods

Each session will be structured as a one-hour recorded lecture, complemented by a one-hour live online discussion session. This live session will promote an active and collaborative learning experience, through live tuition, discussions, exercises, and group activities. This approach will help students to consolidate what they have learned and provide opportunities for students to express their individual responses to the material.

 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be expected to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the cultural, religious, and philosophical contexts that shaped medieval art's portrayals of death and devotion.
  2. Understand the close relationship between the medieval concepts of death and devotion. 
  3. Analyse and interpret a variety of medieval works of art, recognising the symbolic meanings and artistic intentions behind them.
  4. Critically evaluate the influence of different regions and time periods on the development of the visual culture of death in the Middle Ages.
  5. Develop personal insights and a nuanced appreciation for medieval art, enhancing their scholarly and personal perspectives on historical interpretation.

Assessment methods

Students will choose one of two options:

Option A: Two 750-word analyses of an object, chosen from a list provided.  Students will be invited to submit, for formative assessment, a 500-word plan for their first analysis.

Or

Option B: One 1500-word essay, chosen from a list of topics provided, or on a topic of the student's own choice that has been approved by the tutor. Students will be invited to submit, for formative assessment, a 500-word essay plan and bibliography.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

We will close for enrolments 14 days prior to the start date to allow us to complete the course set up. We will email you at that time (14 days before the course begins) with further information and joining instructions. As always, students will want to check spam and junk folders during this period to ensure that these emails are received.

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

Level and demands

No previous knowledge of Art History or of the Middle Ages is required to take this course.

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support