History and Heritage
Autumn Term: October 2011 - December 2011
Spring Term: January 2012 - March 2012
Summer Term: April 2012 - June 2012
Above and Below Stairs in Yorkshire’s Country Houses
Recent television dramas have again brought the world of the landed elite into our homes. These programmes show images that contrast the splendour and exclusive lives of those upstairs, with the harder realities of those below stairs. How true a portrayal are such programmes? In the generation before the Great War the world of the country house and estates was subject to great changes that affected the lives of the people on both sides of the baize door. This course will use some of the rich range of available source materials to help you gain some more critical insights into the world of power and exclusivity portrayed by television dramas.
Keith Brooker BA PhD
Term: Autumn
Day: Monday
Start Date: 10 October 2011
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
The English Civil War and Protectorate (1640-1660)
The Civil War was a unique time in the history of England. It was a war of ideologies primarily between parliament, stocked with Puritans, and Charles I interested in personal rule. Did the differences start with Charles I or were there underlying issues? Did religion factor into the differences between Charles I and Parliament? How did the situation become so explosive and divisive? What was the New Model Army and how did Cromwell become so important to the movement? How did the nature of the Civil War change over time and why did Parliament decide to execute Charles I rather than exiling him? What was life like under Cromwell and why did the Protectorate fail after his death? We will spend eight weeks trying to answer these questions by looking at different perspectives from historians and some contemporary accounts.
Sara Meadows BA MA
Term: Autumn
Day: Tuesday
Start Date: 11 October 2011
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
Titanic Lives
In 1912, the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg and sank, an event that has captured the public imagination, spawning books, films and exhibitions. On the eve of the centenary of the disaster we use a range of historical sources - newspapers, census data, and memoir - to focus on the lives of passengers and crew who had links to Yorkshire, and the North East. Some are prominent public figures such as the campaigning newspaper editor, William Stead; others are lesser known. We examine their backgrounds. Why were they onboard? What can we learn of their lives before the voyage? And what of survivors’ subsequent lives? There will be assistance in developing research skills on the course, which is set in the context of Edwardian Britain. Students are recommended to read The Edwardians: the Remaking of British Society by Paul Thompson (Routledge, 2nd edition, 1992).
Dick Hunter BA
Term: Autumn
Day: Tuesday
Start Date: 11 October 2011
Time: 1.15-3.15pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
By Right or By Might? The Wars of the Roses in the North
The Wars of the Roses were fought on English soil for over forty years and resulted in the decimation of many northern noble families. Starting with Henry IV and his usurpation of Richard II we will examine the century-long consequences of this act; does a king rule by right of inheritance, or by might of battle? Were these civil wars really the result of denied inheritance, or the escalation of local feuds between the Nevilles and Percies in the north of England? How did the Neville policy of inter-marriage with local northern gentry and ‘bastard feudalism’ help create the large armies that fought at Towton in 1461? Were Edward IV and Richard III just pawns in a Neville web of power? Was Richard III really our last northern King? And what part did Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort play in this nasty civil war?
Gillian Waters BA MA PGDip PGCE
Term: Autumn
Day: Wednesday
Start Date: 12 October 2011
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
The ‘Golden Age’ of Islam
Whilst the European period, 450-1490 is considered to be ‘The Dark Ages’, the ‘Vulgar Centuries’ or ‘Obscure Time’, the Islamic period c7th-13th Centuries is often designated their ‘Golden Age’ of cultural and scientific achievement. Its legacy became widespread throughout the Arab world, and eventually further afield after the passing of the ‘Dark Ages’. Tribute to world renowned scholars has recently been acknowledged by the establishment of a new museum in Istanbul dedicated to such scholars, hitherto unknown in the West. Thus, perhaps we are no longer able to hide behind the barriers of political and religious differences. Within the context of this course, we shall both investigate and assess Islam’s legacy of science, mathematics, medicine, general culture and so much more. Of course, we shall not neglect the ‘Dark Ages’ that were to affect the Islamic world, together with the bid for the high ground between the teachings of the Qur’an and progressive scholarship, especially against the background of the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire.
Clifton Stockdale LCP MEd PhD AcDip
Term: Autumn
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 13 October 2011
Time: 1.15-3.15pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
The Making of Post War Britain (1945-1990)
In the decades after the end of the Second World War, Britain experienced a lengthy period of reconstruction and adaptation to new conditions. This course will explore the political, economic and social consequences of this, considering such things as the emergence of the welfare state, the nationalisation of parts of British industry, consensus politics in the 1950s, the role of the trade unions, the youth revolution of the 1960s, educational reforms, the loss of Empire, the growing relationship with Europe, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and the Thatcherite response including privatisation and union laws. Behind these individual topics will be an exploration of larger, contrasting historical views of these decades: was Britain a country in inevitable
Terminal decline, or was it in a long period of transition leading to a revival and successful adaptation to the realities of a changing world?
George Herring BA MA DPhil
Term: Autumn
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 13 October 2011
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
King Arthur: from Legend to Myth
Who was Arthur and did he really exist at all? Of the many 6th Century Arthurs, which one is the Arthur Knight? Where did the Round Table, Excalibur, and Lancelot come from? Who was the Green and why did Gawain have to chop his head off? Why is Pendragon Castle in Cumbria? This day course will examine the evidence for an historical Arthur, the different contenders, and how the story was transmitted and changed into a tale for all times. We will look at how the stories of Arthur were used by successive Medieval and Tudor monarchs such as Edward III, Richard II, Henry VII and Elizabeth I to give support to their rule, and how Victorian poets and 20th Century films have reinterpreted the stories.
Gillian Waters BA MA PGDip PGCE
Term: Autumn
Day: Saturday
Start Date: 26 November 2011
Time: 9.30am-4.30pm
No. of weeks: 1
Full fee: £35.00
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Fully Booked |
Spring Term: January 2012 - March 2012
English and Scottish Relations from James I to The Acts of Union (1603-1707)
When James I of England and (James VI of Scotland) ascended to the English throne, England and Scotland were forced into a complicated relationship as they struggled to be their own nations while sharing one monarch. Was King James I immediately accepted in England and what did he think of being the King of England? Was the Gun Powder Plot a reaction to a perceived weakened King? Did the Stuarts become more English than Scottish? After the Stuart kings were forced to leave England, how did William and Mary gain control over Scotland and what happened at the massacre of Glencoe? What was the Darien Scheme and how did it affect the Acts of Union? During this eight week course, we will try to find answers to the questions using different perspectives by various historians and some contemporary sources.
Sara Meadows BA MA
Term: Spring
Day: Monday
Start Date: 23 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
Railways: an Alternative History in Six Parts
This course will approach the history of Britain’s railways in a non-technical way, covering over 400 years of development. The course aims to give participants an overview of railway history with some local resonance without focusing unduly on the great engineers or the steam era. The sessions will examine the origins of railways, the impact of the Liverpool and Manchester Railways, York’s railway history, North Wales’s contribution to railway development worldwide, and the development of a British cultural icon - the ‘Flying Scotsman’. It will conclude with a look at the origins of what might happen next, at a time when railways are once again being seen as part of the solution to Britain’s transport needs. Suggestions for further reading including books and online resources will be provided.
Robert Gwynne BA PGCE DipM AMA
Term: Spring
Day: Monday
Start Date: 23 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 6 (no class on 13th February 2012)
Full fee: £40.50
The Northern Castle Builders
The Battle of Hastings was only the beginning of the Norman Conquest of England and castles were one of their key weapons in the conquest of the north. This course explores how and why castles were used as part of the long-term conquest of England, starting with the Northern Rebellion and William’s brutal harrying of the north which left families starving for generations. We will also examine how local northern castles and their owners changed from 1066 to 1500, and the ways in which they were used as focal points for rebellion and civil war throughout the Medieval period. Using contemporary sources we will also consider how to effectively attack a castle using siege machines, trebuchets etc. and how and why York’s medieval defences were developed.
Gillian Waters BA MA PGDip PGCE
Term: Spring
Day: Monday
Start Date: 23 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
Wicked Wives and Wayward Daughters: the Mad, Bad and Dangerous Women who Rocked the Eighteenth Century
This course provides a look at the mad, bad and sometimes dangerous-to-know women who challenged 18th Century norms of gender. We will the encounter women who flouted social conventions through their behaviour – from royal mistresses like Nell Gwynn, and her fictional counterpart in Daniel Defoe’s Roxana, to female soldiers such as Hannah Snell. We will also get to know those brave few who directly challenged the place of women in society through their fictional and non-fictional writing – from female novelists like Sarah Scott to early feminists such as Mary Wollstonecraft. We will consider a range of texts, many of which are available for free online, or as reasonably priced paperbacks, from novels and biographies, to poems and plays, to paintings and visual satires. The course aims to amuse and entertain with its titillating tales of uproarious behaviour, but also to take a more serious look at just how much we might owe to the courage and daring of these women.
Jordan Vibert BA MA PhD PGCE
Term: Spring
Day: Monday
Start Date: 23 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
Origins of Modern Britain
At the flick of a switch, light, heat, sound and images are commonplace experiences: communication providers transport people, goods and information from one end of the country to the other within hours or minutes; access to museums, libraries and education is nationwide; clubs, societies and entertainment facilitate all tastes; new towns and cities serve demographic shift and expansion. Headaches and more complex conditions may be treated by relatively new drugs such as aspirin, or by the application of precision-based medical physics - all of this, and much more, we take for granted! 150 years ago, however, much of this was embryonic. Our diverse journey through time will be supported by appropriate audio-visual and published material, such as contemporary newspapers, the sounds of the music hall, the hymnology of the chapels, a magic lantern slide show and objet d’art of the several movements of the period.
Clifton Stockdale LCP MEd PhD AcDip
Term: Spring
Day: Tuesday
Start Date: 24 January 2012
Time: 1.15-3.15pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
The Medieval Monastery: the Local Yorkshire Neighbour
When the upheaval of the Norman Conquest subsided there was an explosion of monastic foundations by the Norman incomers. Between 1066 and 1215 the landscape in Yorkshire became festooned with monastic houses of men and women. This class will look at the social implications of monasteries in the medieval ‘neighbourhoods’ of Yorkshire. What motivated people to found a monastery and subsequent generations to keep supporting the houses? What were the choices and difficulties facing the founders? Who were the monks and nuns? What was the role of the monastic communities in the local Yorkshire society? What were the expectations of the religious men and women and, conversely what were the expectations of local society? How did these religious communities survive economically? Was a monastery considered a ‘good neighbour’ in medieval Yorkshire communities? Simply: ‘how did they do that and why?’
Judith Frost MA PhD
Term: Spring
Day: Tuesday
Start Date: 24 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
A History of Holidaymaking in Britain
The week-long holiday at the seaside is an established part of the English cultural identity, still eagerly anticipated in the age of rapid travel to distant continents. This course explores the genesis of this English obsession investigating its historical origins. Initially the preserve of the wealthy elite taking to the seaside for health and fashion, with the dawn of the railways certain resorts grew to serve a growing popular clientele. The 20th Century saw the extension of this and new ways to holiday, the outdoors movement and cheaper cars popularising rambling, camping and caravanning before the dawn of the package holiday flew families around the globe. A broad survey from 1750-1950, students will use a range of sources, photographs, memoirs, diaries and advertising to examine how holiday activities, accommodation, clothing and travel changed. We will also look at historians’ views of tourism and holidaymaking as an expanding historical field and what it can reveal about broader economic and social developments across this period.
Alexander Medcalf BA MA
Term: Spring
Day: Wednesday
Start Date: 25 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
Crisis and Revolution in England (1678-1688)
In this course we will be looking at the turbulent politics of this period which was dominated by anti-Catholic hysteria culminating in the Glorious Revolution, when the Catholic King, James II was replaced by the Dutch Calvinist William III and his wife, Mary II (the daughter of James). We will investigate the Popish Plot, the Exclusion Crisis, the Monmouth Rebellion and the Glorious Revolution. During our discussions we will read extracts from the Memoirs of Sir John Reresby, Tory MP for York during much of the period. Reresby was at home with national politics but was also a conscientious and knowledgeable (if self-seeking) local MP facing extraordinary difficulties. As we will be looking at the period through his reminiscences we will be focusing on events in England.
Sally Hebron BA PGCE
Term: Spring
Day: Wednesday
Start Date: 25 January 2012
Time: 1.15-3.15pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
Renaissance Italy
This course will explore the world in which the Italian Renaissance was born and flourished. It will consider the relationship between the political, social, economic and religious contexts of the Italian peninsula in the 15th and 16th Centuries, and their role in giving birth to this cultural explosion. The two great republics of Florence and Venice will be examined in some detail; why was Florence the ‘cradle of the Renaissance’, and how did Venice exploit the arts for purposes of political propaganda? Why did the arts also flourish in the small principalities such as Mantua where Mantegna was the court painter, or in Urbino where its duke made it a centre of cultural education? As befits this course, it will be accompanied by a range of audio-visual aids ranging from maps to short documentaries discussing the buildings, paintings, sculpture and music of the period.
George Herring BA MA DPhil
Term: Spring
Day: Wednesday
Start Date: 25 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
The Age of Extremes: an Introduction to Britain’s Twentieth Century
Britain began the 20th Century in the midst of war in South Africa as a country with restricted suffrage, a large empire and a reputation as a leading world power. It ended with a Labour government in power, an ethnically diverse population and diminished international standing. How did it get there? How did it change, and how did it stay the same? This course will examine the political, social, economic and cultural aspects of Britain in the 20th Century. Through the examination of selected key events such as the First and Second World Wars, economic depression in the 1930s, post-war prosperity for the masses and increasing multiculturalism, we will aim to learn more about the change wrought in the turbulent 20th century. We will use a range of sources such as newspaper reports, oral accounts and pamphlets to chart a course through a fascinating period of history.
Laura Price BA MA
Term: Spring
Day: Wednesday
Start Date: 25 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
The Victorian Asylum: Mental Health Provision in York
This course explores life within the walls of the mental health institutions of Victorian York. Examining the treatment of lunatics, safely incarcerated outside of the town, can provide startling insights about the society which excluded them. Investigating diverse aspects of day-to-day life in the hospitals, from admission, diagnosis, and eating to how the hospitals and their patients were perceived by the wider public, this will be an eclectic introduction to a fascinating aspect of York’s history. We will use the three main mental hospitals in York - the York Lunatic Asylum; the North Riding Asylum; and the Friends’ Retreat - for which large amounts of primary source material has survived, to explore life within the walls, and the hospitals’ position within a wider context of Victorian York.
Alexandra Mould BA MA
Term: Spring
Day: Wednesday
Start Date: 25 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 6
Full fee: £40.50
The Viking Age
From vicious raiders to intrepid explorers to the inspiration behind the public persona of heavy metal bands, the Vikings appear to have many different faces. This course looks at the Vikings and the period of history they gave their name to: we will consider who the Vikings were, where they came from, why they emerged and swept across Europe when they did, and what eventually happened to them. We will use a range of primary sources, both textual and archaeological, to chart the spread of the Vikings out of Scandinavia, across Europe and the British Isles into the North Atlantic and as far west as North America. We will look at Viking politics, law, technology, society and culture as we follow the Viking expansion across Europe and its impact on European history.
Pragya Vohra PhD
Term: Spring
Day: Wednesday
Start Date: 25 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
Discovering Medieval Towns
The Middle Ages saw the establishment and growth of many of our present-day towns. A rich variety of documents survive, from charters and court records to wills, which reveal many aspects of medieval town life in Britain. This course will use extracts from these documents, together with other evidence from archaeology and surviving buildings, to explore medieval towns. Towns in the Middle Ages were centres of trade and industry, administration, and religion. We will examine how townspeople lived, how they earned their livings, how they governed themselves, and how they worshipped. We will also try to explain why some towns prospered while others declined. While taking an overview of towns across Britain, we will focus particularly on the growth and development of towns in Yorkshire.
John Lee BA MA PhD
Term: Spring
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 26 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
Egyptology and Museum Collections
This course is ideal for anyone with a non-professional interest in Egyptology or museology who would like to know more about why museum collections, with particular reference to Egyptology, are the way they are. It explores the nature of collecting by examining early ‘Egyptomania’ and how museums acquired many of their artefacts. There will also be the opportunity to assess how museums have displayed and interpreted their Egyptology collections in the past and how this differs in today’s museums. In addition to case studies, there will be the chance to discuss ethical considerations and review the policies and procedures that curators must adhere to in their day-to-day practice. The course tutor has been a curator of Egyptology since 2005 having studied Egyptology, palaeopathology and human archaeology to advanced degree levels.
Gillian Scott BA MSc PhD
Term: Spring
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 26 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 6
Full fee: £40.50
Industrialisation of the Tees Estuary and its ‘Infant Hercules’
The ‘Infant Hercules’, Middlesbrough, never acquired the status of a ‘land of pure delight’, especially for those arriving generally from idyllic rural locations. And if immortality endures, it does so from a very different perspective than that of historic York. Indeed, it is generally enshrined within the memory of those whose vision prevailed at the outset: entrepreneurs such as Bolkow and Vaughan, iron-masters and members of the Pease family - Quaker railway enthusiasts and others at the forefront of early industrial ventures. An introductory lecture will explore the original ‘town plan’, dock area and industrial base: this will be followed by an extra-curricular site visit for those who wish to partake. Thereafter, the progress and diversification of both industry and urbanisation will be traced through the development of estuary activities, including the establishment of 20th Century international organisations such as ICI and major oil companies. Together, with the upbeat economic effects of the last World War, a ‘golden age’ seemed within grasp, but other, darker forces were to precipitate the demise of the area despite post-1976 regeneration schemes.
Clifton Stockdale LCP MEd PhD AcDip
Term: Spring
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 26 January 2012
Time: 10.15am-12.15pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
The First World War
The First World War marked the transition from the modern to the contemporary era, and transformed the political landscape in Britain, Europe and the wider world. Yet, despite its seminal importance, many aspects of the conflict remain sources of misunderstanding and confusion. This course will begin by examining the origins and immediate causes of the war. It will then attempt to explain why it did not, as anticipated, end swiftly with a decisive victory for either side, and how the ensuing campaigns on the Western Front degenerated into a costly war of attrition. The lesser-known campaigns and the naval war will also be carefully considered. Finally, an attempt will be made to analyse Germany’s dramatic collapse in 1918, and the controversial terms of the Paris Peace Settlement of 1919-20.
David Beeston BEd CertEd DMS PhD
Term: Spring
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 26 January 2012
Time: 1.15-3.15pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
The Golden Age of Travel in Britain (1918-1945)
The inter-war period witnessed rapid development in the ways people moved around. A period of expansion for comparatively new technologies such as the aeroplane, motor coach and more affordable and reliable cars, the period also saw the heyday of older technologies such as ships, trains and trams. Assessing a different transport technology each week, students will examine technological development and social impact as well as using different transport modes to explore wider themes of style, glamour and consumption. Through a range of sources we will investigate how each was used and consumed by passengers and operators. We will also question whether the inter-war period was indeed a ‘golden age’ for travel, reviewing the criticisms and arguments against this both in primary and secondary material.
Alexander Medcalf BA MA
Term: Spring
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 26 January 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
The Knights Templar in Britain NEW DATE ADDED
The Knights Templar was a military order founded in the early 12th Century to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land. These warrior-monks built up large estates in Britain to fund their work overseas, and the lands that they held in Yorkshire were among their most valuable. The Order was suppressed in the early 14th Century amid allegations of heresy and black magic. These accusations, together with the lack of surviving evidence about the Order, has led to much speculation about their reputed links to secret societies and buried treasure, and they have long featured in fiction, from Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe to Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code.
This course will look at the Order in Britain and try to separate fact from fiction. We will examine the surviving evidence from documents, buildings, and place names. Did you know, for example that ‘Temple’ place names usually indicate Templar sites, such as Temple Newsam and Temple Hirst in Yorkshire?
John Lee BA MA PhD
Term: Spring
Day: Saturday
Start Date: 04 February 2012
Time: 9.30am-4.30pm
No. of weeks: 1
Full fee: £35.00
Eighteenth Century Trade Cards and the Birth of Modern Advertising
During the 18th century, tradesmen increasingly relied on trade cards to market their goods and services. These small cards were handed out to customers, in the hope that they might be passed on and attract new clientele to the business. Embellished with intricate engravings, depicting minutely detailed interior and exterior scenes, these cards provide a fascinating glimpse into the vibrant world of 18th Century consumerism. For some, such cards also became treasured objects d’art, to be collected and catalogued along with the more revered artistic prints of the period. This course will look at a selection of the many 18th Century trade cards that are available online, using them to gain insight into the commercial culture and artistic fashions of the day. At the same time, we will also look at these 18th Century trade cards alongside examples of 21st Century advertising, drawing revealing parallels across the centuries, and reflecting on our own experiences of a media geared towards persuading us to consume at all costs.
Jordan Vibert BA MA PhD PGCE
Term: Spring
Day: Saturday
Start Date: 25 February 2012
Time: 9.30am-4.30pm
No. of weeks: 1
Full fee: £35.00
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Unfortunately this course has been cancelled |
What is a Knight?
What exactly was a knight, and what did it really mean? Knighthood meant different things to different people at different times in the Medieval and Early Modern periods. This course will look at the different kinds of knights in early medieval England, from the feudal knight of the Norman Conquest, the Godly Knight of the Crusades and the Courtly Knight of the 12th Century, using local examples, contemporary accounts, stories and literature, analysing the similarities and differences. With increasing social mobility after the Black Death of 1348 this course will also look at later representations of knighthood, Henry IV’s breaking of the rules of chivalry at Agincourt in 1415, and the rise of the ‘Man at Arms’. Did knighthood mean the same in Tudor and Stuart England, or had the term been downgraded?
Gillian Waters BA MA PGDip PGCE
Term: Spring
Day: Saturday
Start Date: 10 March 2012
Time: 9: 30am-4: 30pm
No. of weeks: 1
Full fee: £35.00
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Summer Term: April 2012 - June 2012
800 Years of York (Online)
Taught entirely online over 10 weeks, this innovative and interactive course is designed to introduce you to the history of York telling the stories of the people that have made this city the multi-faceted experience it is today. Starting with the historic Charter of 1212 we will unpick the city’s key stories to give you an overview of York’s last 800 years, covering medieval monasteries, Guy Fawkes, and the industrialisation of the nineteenth century... and beyond.
ll you will need is access to a computer, access to a broadband standard internet connection and basic IT skills such as browsing the web and word processing. There is no requirement to attend face-to-face sessions at any point in the course, and as far as is possible, we will try to recreate the experience of the classroom with a range of exercises and information, all led by Gillian Waters, an expert tutor.
Gillian Waters BA MA PGDip PGCE
Term: Summer
Start Date: 23 April 2012
Time: Online/Flexible
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £107.00
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Fully Booked |
A Green and Pleasant Land?
Many Edwardians found much to criticise about the fast-growing towns of Britain and sought succour in the re-discovery of rural Britain. This has come down to us in today’s popular memory where the Edwardian countryside stands as part of an idyllic past we now regard as golden; a place we would like to inhabit. Many of these golden evocations of that lost world live on in the pastoral music and literature of the period, and in the great houses and remaining unspoilt countryside that remain today. But does this popular collective memory stand scrutiny when we study the historical evidence of the period? This course will use some of the rich range of historic evidence we have inherited to reveal the different realities that sit below the surface of that popular memory.
Keith Brooker BA PhD
Term: Summer
Day: Monday
Start Date: 23 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
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Unfortunately this course has been cancelled |
The Archaeology of Early Medieval Europe: Eighth to Twelfth Centuries
Despite being called the ‘Dark Ages’ the latter part of the first millennium in Europe was a time of dynamic change in political, religious and cultural terms. During this period, many groups of people such as the Carolingians, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, Byzantines and the Arab Caliphate interacted creating a rich cultural heritage. This heritage can be seen in the material remains investigated by archaeologists and this course will examine the way that such remains can illuminate the period. As well as looking at the types of archaeological evidence, the way in which they are interpreted by archaeologists will also be discussed. We will then use this evidence to explore some of the major themes which dominated the period such as ethnicity and identity, the spread of Christianity, the rise of urbanism, and the establishment of manufacturing and trade. While using Britain and Ireland as a useful base for some case studies, the course will also take a much wider geographic remit and consider Europe as a whole.
Keith Scholes MA
Term: Summer
Day: Monday
Start Date: 23 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
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Unfortunately this course has been cancelled |
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Reformation was a troubling time in England and the dissolution of the monasteries was one of the most dramatic moves of the reformers. The dissolution created large amounts of unemployment for the monks but also the servants of the monasteries, and left large holes in the economies of the communities of England. What were the visitations Thomas Cromwell oversaw and what is the Act of Restraint? What was the process for dissolving the monasteries? What was the Court of Augmentations and what happened to abbey lands and relics when the monasteries were dissolved? Through a case study of one of the larger monasteries, this course will examine these questions and the physical and ceremonial stripping of the landscape with the fall of the monasteries. We will identify the gaps left by the closings and how communities changed in response during the latter half of Henry VIII’s reign.
Angela Ranson BA MA
Term: Summer
Day: Tuesday
Start Date: 24 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
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The Development of the Urban Landscape and Built Environment of York from the Roman Period to Present
The course will explore the changing form of the city of York using archaeology, historical research, standing buildings, historical and modern cartography and pictorial sources. It will take a social-anthropology approach, explaining ideas and behaviours that have left their mark on the fabric of the city. We will question why a successful town has been built and grown here in this location, and whether the reasons were geographical, economic or social. The city walls and their changing meanings throughout the centuries will be explored as well as centres of power and authority, residential and commercial areas within the city. The influence of Antiquity in present topography will be identified, looking at medieval developments preserving antique structure and the reuse and recycling of Roman materials. Developments outside the city walls and their specialised functions such as care of the poor and sick and industrial activity will also be discussed.
Stefania Perring PhD
Term: Summer
Day: Tuesday
Start Date: 24 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
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Advertising and Marketing in Britain (1880-1945)
Today we are constantly inundated by advertising messages competing for our attention and convincing us to part with our income. This course explores the growth of these modern methods in their formative years during the late 19th and early 20th Century. This was a period of great advance during which advertisers moved from ‘informative’ to ‘emotional’ appeals to consumers, and marketing departments pioneered market research to find out consumer wants and desires. Using posters, press advertising, photographic advertising, slogans and branding, this course will analyse the evolution of British advertising and marketing from its humble origins of lengthy text-based descriptions in the 19th Century right through to the Second World War when advertising messages were pressed into national service. It will introduce students to methods for analysing advertisements as historical sources as well as investigating what they can tell us about consumer culture and how advertisers viewed themselves and their markets.
Alexander Medcalf BA MA
Term: Summer
Day: Wednesday
Start Date: 25 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
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Unfortunately this course has been cancelled |
Death - the Last Taboo: Mortuary Practices through the Ages
The subject of death is perhaps one of society’s last remaining taboo subjects; however, death is one of the few certainties there is. Over the course of tens of thousands of years, people have devised different ways to lay their dead to rest. This course examines elements of mortuary practices, assessing the variety and ingenuity of different funerary customs using different sources. Examples of different themes include: Neanderthal burials from around 70,000 years ago; ancient Egyptian mummification practices; victims of epidemics; and the modern graveyard. The course tutor has extensive experience in the subject matter, having studied Egyptology, palaeopathology and human archaeology as well as having experience in the fields of embalming and archaeological field excavation.
Gillian Scott BA MSc PhD
Term: Summer
Day: Wednesday
Start Date: 25 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
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Unfortunately this course has been cancelled |
The Crusades
This course will examine the clash between three great medieval civilizations: the Byzantine Empire, the Latin West, and the Islamic World, between the calling of the First Crusade in 1095 and the final departure of the crusaders from Palestine in 1291. It will explore the lengthy and complex origins of this movement, and go on to relate the progress of a series of military expeditions to the Middle East. It will also analyse the political, social, economic and religious life in the Crusader states, including the great castles that were constructed and the role of the military orders known as Hospitalers and Templars. Of both historical interest and contemporary importance, it will show how this period has formed part of the context for modern conflict in this region and beyond.
George Herring BA MA DPhil
Term: Summer
Day: Wednesday
Start Date: 25 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
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Fascism in Inter-War Europe
Fascism is arguably the most controversial of all political ideologies – difficult to understand, assess or even define. Yet during the 20th Century, fascist parties emerged in virtually every part of Europe and gained power in some of the continent’s most developed nations. This course will commence by exploring the historical roots and key components of fascist political thought, and will then consider the impact of the First World War as a catalyst of fascist success. From among the wide range of fascist states which developed during the inter-war years, three different models – Italy, Germany and Spain – will be critically examined. Finally an attempt will be made to explain the enduring appeal of fascism to a minority of post-war Europeans, and to evaluate the varied interpretations of the ideology made by historians.
David Beeston BEd CertEd DMS PhD
Term: Summer
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 26 April 2012
Time: 1.15-3.15pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
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Fully Booked |
From Knights to Guns: Medieval Weapons and Warfare
From the Norman Conquest to the Tudor period, those with the superior technology or tactics often won the battle, if not the war. This course will examine the key turning points in medieval warfare, armour and weaponry that helped give one side the advantage. Starting with the Norman techniques, arms and armour that helped win the Battle of Hastings and conquer England, this course will look at the use of the knight on horseback and his weaponry, the influence of the crusades on European arms and armour, the slash and burn tactics of the Hundred Years Wars, and the gradual use of gunpowder and demise of the mounted knight. From Bannockburn to Agincourt we will also consider the rise of the infantry, from spearmen, billmen and archers to the use of harquebuses and pikes in the late Tudor period.
Gillian Waters BA MA PGDip PGCE
Term: Summer
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 26 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
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Unfortunately this course has been cancelled |
The Medieval Parish Churches of England: from Early Foundations to the Reformation
During the Middle Ages as many as 8,000 parish churches were built in England. Most were continually embellished, extended or completely rebuilt using the latest architectural styles. What were the influences behind the earliest foundations of churches? Why were aisles and towers built and why were some churches completely reconstructed during the 15th Century? Was the development of parish church buildings due to the desire to keep up with the latest architectural fashions or simply to accommodate more parishioners? More importantly, who was paying for it all? We will be looking at churches from both historical and archaeological perspectives. Standing buildings themselves will provide our core material but we will also be looking at historical documents to understand patronage. The course will have an emphasis on churches in York and its environs but we will also study parish churches in other counties for comparison. It is anticipated that there will be a field trip around some York city centre churches. Visit www.englishhistoricchurches.co.uk for an introduction to the tutor and topic.
Graham White BA MA
Term: Summer
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 26 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 10
Full fee: £67.00
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Town and Countryside after the Black Death
'Wretched, terrible, destructive year, the remnants of the people alone remain.' This inscription carved in a Hertfordshire church in 1349 expresses the harrowing experience of the Black Death. We will look at both the immediate and long-term impacts. We will look at its effects on villages and towns, and among different groups in society, from lords to peasants.
Historians have found evidence of both widespread prosperity and falling population and trade. This was an age of deserted medieval villages and contracting towns, but also of flourishing new industries and better living standards. New social structures developed and popular protests emerged, most notably the Peasants’ Revolt. This course will look at how these different features could occur at the same time. Using surviving documents from the period, including chronicles, wills, household accounts and correspondence, we will explore how English communities adapted to this terrible event.
John Lee BA MA PhD
Term: Summer
Day: Thursday
Start Date: 26 April 2012
Time: 7-9pm
No. of weeks: 8
Full fee: £53.50
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Unfortunately this course has been cancelled |
Victorian Underclass: the Rise of the Workhouse
A petition to save the old Cleveland Street Workhouse in London from demolition is currently underway. It is suggested that this particular workhouse was the inspiration for Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, where Oliver’s mother died in childbirth and Oliver spent his early childhood. Dickens’ novel exposed the cruel treatment of orphans in the workhouse and the terrible conditions to be found there. Indeed, during the 19th Century, both the Lancet and The Times also reported the overcrowding, dirt, disorder and general neglect of paupers in England’s workhouses and campaigned for better treatment of the poor. This course will examine The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 and its controversial approach to the treatment of paupers, looking at the workhouses in terms of design and the conditions they created, and the attempts of Victorian social reformers to improve the harsh workhouse system. We will consider a variety of contemporary sources and images and study a number of English workhouses, including York’s own Huntington Road Workhouse.
Carolyn Conroy BA MA PhD
Term: Summer
Day: Saturday
Start Date: 28 April 2012
Time: 9.30am-4.30pm
No. of weeks: 1
Full fee: £35.00
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Getting Started: a Beginner’s Guide to Family History
Are you interested in family history? Would you like to start a family tree of your own but are not sure where to start? If you would like to learn about genealogy and family history records and how to use them for your own family research, then this course is for you. We will look at how to go about building your first family tree and learn how to keep records of your ancestors; how to find information about your ancestors both on the internet and in local archive centres; and unravel the history of the census, civil registration, and the role of the Church in record keeping. We will also consider topics such as oral evidence, newspaper searches, directories, probate documents and the general principles of reading old writing and documents. The course will use visual and textual aids to get you started on your first family research project.
Carolyn Conroy BA MA PhD
Term: Summer
Day: Saturday
Start Date: 12 May 2012
Time: 9.30am-4.30pm
No. of weeks: 1
Full fee: £35.00
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A Short Introduction to English Palaeography (1400-1900)
Handwriting has changed significantly since the Middle Ages, passing through numerous shifts in style and fashion to reach its current form. This makes reading most original historical documents difficult: the letters look different, the words are abbreviated and even the construction of the sentences is alien to a modern reader. This day-long course is designed to introduce you to the study of handwriting (or palaeography) through the use of documents dated between 1400 and 1900. These documents will be varied and challenging, from parish registers to personal diaries. Students will develop the knowledge and basic skills to pursue their own historical interests using archives. We will also offer the opportunity for students to bring in copies of documents that have troubled them in the past, and work through them as part of a group. This course would suit students with or without prior experience of palaeography, and may be of particular interest to local and family historians.
Danna Messer BA MA and Victoria Hoyle BA MA
Term: Summer
Day: Saturday
Start Date: 19 May 2012
Time: 9.30am-4.30pm
No. of weeks: 1
Full fee: £35.00
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Did Knights Wear Socks? Fashionable Armour for the Rich
This course looks at Medieval and Tudor armour in the context of civilian fashions and styles, using local northern evidence from church brasses, contemporary written accounts, and Medieval and Tudor imagery. We will study the practicalities of mail shirts, how hemlines went down and up in the 11th to 14th Centuries, and what knights wore underneath! How did a knight put his armour on, and did he wear socks? We will also look at plate armour, why it was introduced and developed and the different fashions and styles of plate armour from Agincourt to the Armada. By the Tudor period, making and designing armour was a specialised business, with many suits made purely for fashion and display. We will look at some ‘designer label’ suits of armour and consider how Renaissance kings had their own courtly armourers to enhance their status, and for use in tournaments.
Gillian Waters BA MA PGDip PGCE
Term: Summer
Day: Saturday
Start Date: 26 May 2012
Time: 9: 30am-4: 30pm
No. of weeks: 1
Full fee: £35.00
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Defending York
York, as the most important northern outpost of medieval government was the military base for the Scottish Wars and the centre of the defence against the Scots. This day course examines the development of York’s medieval defences, including the castle and town walls. What would it have been like inside a besieged medieval city and how were men mustered to defend the town? What roles did medieval women take to defend their hearths and homes? Using contemporary sources we will also consider how to effectively attack a castle using siege machines, trebuchets etc., how the city of York withstood sieges and why it eventually fell to Royalists and Parliamentarians in the English Civil Wars.
Gillian Waters BA MA PGDip PGCE
Term: Summer
Day: Saturday
Start Date: 30 June 2012
Time: 9: 30am-4:30pm
No. of weeks: 1
Full fee: £35.00
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Enrol and Pay at the Online Store |
Centre for Lifelong Learning , University of York, Heslington, York, UK. YO10 5DD
Tel: +44 (0)1904 328473 | Email: lifelonglearning@york.ac.uk
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