HI255-15 Religion and Religious Change in England
Introductory description
This 30 CATS undergraduate second-year option module explores the social, cultural and political context of religion in England between the late-fifteenth and mid-sixteenth centuries. It builds on the knowledge of early modern Europe acquired through the early modern core module, and complements other departmental options on aspects of society and culture in early modern Germany, France and Britain. It provides a sound foundation for students going on to take final-year options in early modern English social or cultural history.
Module aims
This option introduces students to a range of important themes in the field of late medieval and early modern English religion, not so much from a theological, as from a social and cultural perspective. Its main focus is the impact of the early Reformation (under Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I) on religious belief and practice in England, though it approaches this from the long view of the later fifteenth century. The module commences with a detailed examination of strengths and weaknesses in late medieval Catholicism, focusing both on institutions (clergy, monasteries) and on structures of belief (saints, sacraments, purgatory). The significance of unorthodox religion, Lollardy and early Protestantism, is explored and related to the reform policies of the Tudor monarchy. Equal attention is devoted to those who opposed and to those supported the religious changes of the sixteenth century, and throughout there is a particular focus on parishes, and parish churches, as centres of religious culture and social organisation.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
TERM 1
WEEK 1
LECTURE: THE LAITY AND THE PRE-REFORMATION PARISH
SEMINAR: INTRODUCTION
WEEK 2
LECTURE: PIETY AND PRACTICE
SEMINAR: PARISHES, PRIESTS AND PEOPLE
WEEK 3
LECTURE: PURGATORY AND THE DEAD
SEMINAR: ELITE AND POPULAR RELIGION
WEEK 4
LECTURE: THE RELIGIOUS ORDERS
SEMINAR: THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
WEEK 5
LECTURE: THE LOLLARD COMMUNITY
SEMINAR: THE RELIGIOUS ORDERS
WEEK 6
NO LECTURE OR SEMINAR: READING WEEK
WEEK 7
LECTURE: THE EARLY EVANGELICAL MOVEMENT, 1520-1532
SEMINAR: LOLLARDS
WEEK 8
LECTURE: LOLLARDY AND THE REFORMATION
SEMINAR: EVANGELICALS
WEEK 9
LECTURE: ORIGINS OF THE ROYAL SUPREMACY
SEMINAR: LOLLARDS AND PROTESTANTS
WEEK 10
LECTURE: THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE ROYAL SUPREMACY
SEMINAR: THE BREAK WITH ROME
TERM 2
WEEK 1
LECTURE: THE RELIGIOUS IMPLICATIONS OF THE BREAK WITH ROME
SEMINAR: ENFORCEMENT AND OPPOSITION
WEEK 2
LECTURE: INTERPRETING THE PILGRIMAGE OF GRACE
SEMINAR: ROYAL SUPREMACY
WEEK 3
LECTURE: THE DISSOLUTION I: MOTIVES AND MEANS
SEMINAR: THE PILGRIMAGE OF GRACE
WEEK 4
LECTURE: THE DISSOLUTION II: THE CONSEQUENCES
SEMINAR: ESSAY WRITING WORKSHOP
WEEK 5
LECTURE: THE HENRICIAN CHANGES AND THE PARISHES
SEMINAR: THE DISSOLUTION OF THE MONASTERIES
WEEK 6
READING WEEK
WEEK 7
LECTURE: THE EDWARDIAN REFORMATION AND THE PARISHES
SEMINAR: LOCAL IMPACT OF REFORM: HENRY
WEEK 8
LECTURE: EDWARDIAN PROTESTANTISM I
SEMINAR: LOCAL IMACT OF REFORM: EDWARD
WEEK 9
LECTURE: EDWARDIAN PROTESTANTISM II
SEMINAR: PERSONALITIES AND POLITICS UNDER EDWARD
WEEK 1O
LECTURE: THE MARIAN REGIME I: CATHOLIC RESTORATION
SEMINAR: POPULAR PROTESTANTISM
TERM 3
WEEK 1
LECTURE: THE MARIAN REGIME II: PERSECUTION
SEMINAR: THE CHURCH UNDER MARY
WEEK 2
LECTURE: NO LECTURE
SEMINAR: THE MARIAN BURNINGS
WEEK 3
REVISION CLASS
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- a) the further development of study, writing and communication skills
- b) a broad knowledge and understanding of why religion mattered in the period and of what it meant to its practitioners
- c) a greater awareness of the connections between religious history, and other branches of historical study, particularly social and political
- d) the development of critical analytical skills through the assessment of historiographical approaches which are frequently at variance with each other
- e) the opportunity, through writing a 3,000 word essay, to develop a greater facility with the skill of extended writing, an improved ability to evaluate critically a range of secondary and (where appropriate) primary sources, as well as an enhanced capacity for individual and self-motivated study.
Indicative reading list
George Bernard, The Late Medieval English Church (New Haven, 2012)
Susan Brigden, London and the Reformation (Oxford, 1989)
Eamon Duffy, The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England 1400-1500 (2nd end, New Haven, 2005)
Christopher Haigh, English Reformations (Oxford 1993)
Anne Hudson, The Premature Reformation: Wycliffite Texts and Lollard History (Oxford, 1988)
Peter Marshall, Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation (New Haven, 2017)
Peter Marshall and A Ryrie (eds), The Beginnings of English Protestantism (Cambridge, 2002)
Christine Peters, Patterns of Piety: Women, Gender and Religion in Late Medieval and Reformation England (Cambridge, 2003)
Diane Watt, Secretaries of God: Women Prophets in Late Medieval and Early Modern England (Cambridge, 1997)
Subject specific skills
a) a broad knowledge and understanding of why religion mattered in the period and of what it meant to its practitioners
c) a greater awareness of the connections between religious history, and other branches of historical study, particularly social and political
Transferable skills
a) the further development of study, writing and communication skills
b) the development of critical analytical skills through the assessment of historiographical approaches which are frequently at variance with each other
c) the opportunity, through writing a 3,000 word essay, to develop a greater facility with the skill of extended writing, an improved ability to evaluate critically a range of secondary and (where appropriate) primary sources, as well as an enhanced capacity for individual and self-motivated study.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 9 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Seminars | 9 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Tutorials | 1 session of 1 hour (1%) |
| Private study | 131 hours (87%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
No private study requirements defined for this module.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A1
| Weighting | Study time | |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1: Oral participation | 10% | |
| Assignment 2: 1000 word essay plan | 40% | |
| Assignment 3: 3,000 word essay | 50% |
Feedback on assessment
- written feedback on essay and exam cover sheets\r\n- student/tutor dialogues in one-to-one tutorials\r\n
There is currently no information about the courses for which this module is core or optional.