Geoffrey Chaucer and the medieval world

Learning outcomes:

This course has been designed to enable you to:

• Develop knowledge and an understanding of medieval literature within its cultural and historical context
• Show awareness of critical and theoretical approaches to literature from the period
• Develop keener close reading skills, particularly when engaging with texts in Medieval English
• Articulate and discuss the broader concepts of the course and the relationships between the texts

Course sessions:

1. Chivalry and courtly love (The Knight’s Prologue and Tale)
1.1 Introduction to the Canterbury Tales
1.2 Chivalry and courtly love in the medieval world

In this session we will focus on the Canterbury Tales’ first prologue and tale, told by the Knight, in which central questions relating to love, women and freedom are introduced. There will also be a general introduction to the structure and context of Chaucer’s work to ensure that the material is accessible to those coming to the Canterbury Tales (or medieval English) for the first time. 

2. Sex and social class (The Miller’s Prologue and Tale)
2.1 Class and social structures in medieval England
2.2 Sex and the countryside

Building on the previous session, we will turn our attention to the tale that follows the Knight, told (uninvited) by the Miller. This session will introduce the important and complex ways in which the pilgrims respond to one another in their storytelling, as well as providing some social context for those students new to the period. 

3. Female independence and “auctoritee” (The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale)
3.1 Arthurian literature and the pagan past
3.2 Medieval misogyny and what women want? 

The Wife of Bath is one of Chaucer’s most famous creations and her prologue and tale has stimulated a long critical discussion around medieval misogyny (or feminism?). In addition to this, the tale itself is set within an Arthurian context, allowing for an introduction to this popular strand of medieval writing. 

4. Tragic failures (The Monk's Prologue and Tale)
4.1 Chaucer’s sources and his connections with Italy
4.2 Pity and emotion in response to Dante’s Inferno 

Chaucer’s Monk’s Tale includes a prominent translation from Dante’s Inferno, and the Italian poet is also mentioned by name in the Wife of Bath’s tale. This session will explore some of the sources for Chaucer’s writing, emphasising in particular the significance of Italian vernacular writing to Chaucer’s poetic practice. 

5. Death and the root of all evil (The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale)
5.1 The impact of the Black Death on medieval Europe 
5.2 The making and breaking of Chaucer's company? 

This final session focuses on the Black Death, which swept across Europe throughout the course of the fourteenth century. This cataclysmic event had a huge impact on medieval society and is mentioned explicitly by the Pardoner, who then proceeds to offer a moral tale that identifies greed as the route of all evil. This session will also explore some of the religious disputes in Chaucer’s time that foreshadow the trauma of the reformation. 

Non-credit bearing

Please note that our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning courses are non-credit bearing.

Certificate of Participation

A certificate of participation will be sent to you electronically within a week of your Summer Festival course(s) finishing.

Welcome week: Before the course starts

Courses are delivered online via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). A week before your course starts you will receive an email from our Teaching & Learning (TEL) team confirming your VLE login details. Once you have logged into the VLE, you should:

• Access the ‘Course Information’ and ‘Welcome to the course’ areas.
• Carry out any technical checks, including video checks.
• View the VLE ’Online course tour’ and familiarise yourself with your learning environment.
• Watch the Course Director’s welcome video.
• Introduce yourself to the Course Director and other students using the general forum.
• Access and carry out any pre-reading or activities for the course provided in the ‘Welcome to the course’ area.

Study week: Course delivery, video content and study time

• You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded course videos.
• Course videos will be released on a daily basis, Monday to Friday.
• We suggest that you set aside around 1.5 hours each day to watch the course videos, view course materials and resources and complete any related reading, activities and discussions in the daily forums. This does not need to be done in one sitting, you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish.

At the end of the course

• Content for each course will remain available on the VLE for 5 weeks after the course has finished
• Course forums will close for postings on the Monday after the course, but existing messages will still be visible for 5 weeks after the course has finished
• You will receive a certificate of participation via email within a week of your course finishing

Pre-recorded course videos

Courses include one or two videos per day, these are designed by the Course Director to help you address different aspects of the main topic. All of our course videos are subtitled.

Course discussion forums

There will also be the opportunity to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director on the discussion forums. Your Course Director will launch a number of discussions on the daily forums and will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis. You are encouraged to actively take part in these discussions to get the most out of the course and to add to your overall enjoyment.

Resources, reading lists and activities

During the course and up until 5 weeks after the course has finished you will have access to a number of learning resources which may include links to websites, readings and research papers. These are provided by the Course Director to support the teaching and will be available on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

You may wish to consider these additional related courses on offer in the Festival:

If you are able to study more than one course or for more than one week, you may wish to consider streams of related course subjects.  There will be many other options – this is just an illustration of possible course combinations:

And don’t forget to watch the series of talks included in your course booking (usually charged at £50). Further details and a link to access the talks will be sent to you a week before the Festival starts.

Booking a course

To book a Festival course please click the Book Now button at the top of the course page. You will be taken to our secure bookings portal where you can set up an account using your email address, and pay for your course by credit or debit card.

All of our courses are limited to 50 places, in order to allow students and Course Directors the opportunity for interaction via the discussion forums on the VLE.

Bookings will remain open until midnight the day before the course starts. If your preferred course is full at the time of booking you can add yourself to a waiting list. You will be notified, by email, if a place becomes available. We recommend that you book early to avoid missing out.

Please note that if you book a place the weekend before a course starts, it may take up to 48 hours to process your application and notify you of your VLE log in details. You may therefore not have access until the end of the second day of the course, but can go back and review sessions which have already been released.

‘How to book a course’ video

Our short video below talks you through the necessary steps to register and create an account before booking on to your chosen course(s) via our secure payment portal.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read and understood our Booking terms and conditions

Talks

As part of our Summer Festival we will also be offering a series of talks showcasing the variety of subjects on offer here at the University, as well as research, global current affairs and a range of other topics.

By booking a Summer Festival course, you automatically qualify for free access to these talks (usually charged at £50). Further details and a link to access the talks will be sent to you a week before the Festival starts.