Unit name | Ancient and Modern Paganism in Britain (Level I Special Field) |
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Unit code | HIST26002 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | I/5 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Austin |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites | |
School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The practical aim of this unit is to make a concentrated study of what is known of the ancient religions of the island of Britain, and the impact that they have had on the imagination of the British in modern times. It opens by considering the evidence for the religious practices of the Iron Age, goes on to those of the Roman province of Britain, and includes those of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. It then examines the allegations that ancient paganism survived ‘underground’ in the Middle Ages. The final part of the unit is concerned with the impact of the old religions on the modern literary imagination, and the process by which a group of modern pagan traditions appeared in twentieth-century Britain.
It intellectual aim is to train participants in the study of historical phenomena for which primary evidence is prone to differing interpretation, and to enhance their sense of ways in which the historical past is constructed by posterity. They are encouraged to take a broad approach to the subject but are also permitted to specialise in a particular area if they wish.
By the end of the unit students should have:
1 x 2 hour exam