• Check In: July 1-2
• First Day of Class: July 3
• Last Day of Class: July 30
• Check Out: July 31

This course will introduce you to the tactics and strategy of warfare in the Middle Ages, with a concentration on the period between 1150 and 1350. Topics to be investigated will include the rise of European knighthood, the concept of chivalry, feudalism, the Church and warfare, the evolution of shock and missile combat, the significance of castles, the reasons for the failure of the Crusades, the technological innovations in warfare, and the gradual disappearance of knights as a formidable military force in the wake of those innovations. Within the context of the First Scottish War of Independence, we will examine the battles of Stirling Bridge, Falkirk, and Bannockburn. Students will have the opportunity to visit the Royal Armouries at Leeds and participate in a workshop on medieval armor. Other field trips will visit Stirling Castle, the documentation center in Bannockburn, and Doune Castle, a location for the film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Other programs of similar interest:

• Viking Life and Times
• Germany under Hitler’s Third Reich
• Irish Literature and the Environment

Courses

This Program carries a total of 8 units. Enrolled students must take both courses listed. Auditing is not an option.

• Medieval Studies 130A (4 units)
  Special Themes in Medieval Cultures
  Each offering concentrates on an interdisciplinary aspect of medieval culture in the Middle East and Europe: the idea of the hero, mysticism, urban development.  Extensive readings focused on medieval source material.    
  GE credit: ArtHum or SocSci, Div, Wrt
• Medieval Studies 198 (4 units)
  Directed Group Study
  GE credit: none.

Course Requirements

TBA

Required Texts

• Carey, Brian Todd. Warfare in the Medieval World. Pen and Sword, 2006. IBSN: 1844153398
• Lonely Planet Guide Scotland (provided by Summer Abroad)

Field Trips and Activities - subject to change

• Leeds Royal Armouries
• Bannockburn
• Doune Castle
• Stirling Castle

Accommodations

You will stay in Muirhead Flats, four-person apartments provided by the University of Stirling. You will have a single occupancy bedroom equipped with a wash hand basin. Each flat has an open plan kitchen/dining sitting area, and shared bathroom.

Meals

Meals are not provided. Meals can be cooked in the flats or bought at the university cafeteria or any of the nearby restaurants

Fees

Fees for Summer Abroad include the Summer Abroad Program Fee, Course Fee, and Accommodations and Activities Fee. The Accommodations and Activities Fee covers lodging, selected meals (if included), selected field trips, group accidental death & dismemberment and emergency health insurance, select publications, and additional program specific costs. Airfare is not included. All fees are subject to change.