HCA2000 : Sacred words and dirty deeds: Thriving in Late Antiquity
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Professor Rob Collins
- Lecturer: Professor Mark Jackson, Dr Louise Rayne, Dr Nicola Clarke, Dr Marta Garcia Morcillo, Dr Simon Corcoran, Professor James Gerrard
- Owning School: History, Classics and Archaeology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The aim of this module is to develop an understanding of the historical era known as Late Antiquity through the range of sources and evidence available, and drawing on the wide and impressive range of specialist research and staffing available across the School of History, Classics & Archaeology.
Late Antiquity, circa 284-750, was a period of substantial transformation across Europe, North Africa and the Near East. The period can be characterised by key themes and historical narratives, all of which are fundamental to the subsequent formation of 'the West'. By introducing students to a diverse range of evidence, key sources and methods for gathering that evidence, and the different appearances of Late Antiquity across a range of geographies, students will achieve an interdisciplinary understanding of this fascinating period of history. Framing the learning through the lens of Late Antiquity, spanning the traditional chronological categories of Roman and Medieval, and geographic separation of East and West, students will build better skills to evaluate traditional interpretations and epistemologies the past in terms of chronologies, regional divisions, orientations, and disciplinary boundaries.
Outline Of Syllabus
This module will draw on a wide range of expertise across Archaeology, Classics and History to create a learning programme that is both substantive and detailed. Detailed coverage of topics and specific case studies will vary depending on staff availability, but these will include:
1. A narrative overview of the period, which includes the demise of the Western Roman Empire, the continuation of the Eastern Roman & Byzantine state, the formation and demise of Sassanid Persia, expansion and dominance of Christianity across much of Europe, and the spread of Islam across North Africa and the Near East;
2. Those that rule - emperors/emperesses, kings/queens, and chiefs
3. Legal frameworks
4. Those that fight - soldiers and warriors
5. Those that pray and their religions - saints, prophets, and priests of Christianity and Islam
6. Economic frameworks
7. Trade and technology
8. Landscapes of change
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 65 | 1:00 | 65:00 | For two summative assessment components |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 11 | 3:00 | 33:00 | Three hours preparation time per seminar |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 22 | 2:00 | 44:00 | Two hours reading preparation per lecture |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 25 | 1:00 | 25:00 | General consolidation activities (eg. reviewing notes and readings) |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures will be provided by experts and will introduce topics and core knowledge and outline knowledge that students are expected to acquire and to think about.
Seminars are intended to consolidate students’ learning and enhance their understanding, by (1) providing an opportunity to review the week’s lecture and lecture materials and its set reading materials, and to discuss any questions that students have about them, but more importantly (2) providing an opportunity for creative work, in group discussion and debate that engages in comparative history, comparing the different societies/regions that the lecturers have introduced and that the students have read about.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poster | 2 | M | 30 | Academic-style poster on key piece of evidence/source for Late Antiquity, estimated at 750 words |
| Essay | 2 | A | 70 | A 2,250 word essay, chosen from a list provide by module contributors that critically addresses a key debate |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Assessments are intended to measure progress against learning and skills outcomes.
The academic poster provides a means by which the student can demonstrate familiarity and understanding of a key form of evidence for historical enquiry (demonstrating learning outcomes) through good visual and written communication (demonstrating skills outcomes). As a mid-module assessment, this will build student confidence in dealing with diverse evidence working toward the final assessment.
The essay provides an expanded space for the student to demonstrate through writing (skills outcomes) a critical understanding of the period of Late Antiquity by focusing on a key debate within a particular theme in the period (learning outcomes).
Both assessments provide opportunities to also demonstrate interdisciplinary learning, knowledge, and understanding.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- HCA2000's Timetable