Few features of the Middle Ages are as familiar, even to the most profane of observers, as the series of expeditions which, throughout the 12th and the 13th...

Passages to Jerusalem: The Crusades and the Medieval World, 1095-1291 (HIST0104)

Few features of the Middle Ages are as familiar, even to the most profane of observers, as the series of expeditions which, throughout the 12th and the 13th centuries, aimed at establishing Christian control of the holy lands. Although the word crusades was not used in the Middle Ages, in the course of the centuries the term has become a powerful tool to evoke policies and aspirations of an entire society. This course aims at observing these expeditions, and the world in which they took place, from a cultural perspective. In doing so, we will shed light to some key aspects of Western European society in the 12th and 13th centuries, such as the religious and political ambitions of the papacy; the new devotional aspirations of the laity; the development of a chivalric culture; the cultural expansion of parts of Western Europe.

This course will approach the study of the history of education through the lens of our own institutions - UCL, founded in 1826 and the Institute of Education,...

The Worlds of UCL: Critical histories of education, nation and empire (EDPS0233)

This course will approach the study of the history of education through the lens of our own institutions - UCL, founded in 1826 and the Institute of Education, founded in 1902. It will provide context to the historical evolution of the educational system in the UK and critically examine the close, but often hidden, connections between British education and empire, asking what impact these imperial legacies have today. It aims to provide a general introduction to the history of universities and schooling in the UK, while also exploring different methods or approach to studying, researching and making history. Students will be introduced to a range of transferable practical skills that are linked to the assessment in which students work together to produce a public history output in a variety of forms (for example, a podcast, debate, presentation, performance, report, exhibition, blog or walking trail). The course is taught through a mix of lectures and seminars that involve object handling, working with archives, historic film footage, museum visits and campus tours. It draws on UCL’s rich libraries, archives and museum collections and works in collaboration with colleagues in UCL Culture and UCL Libraries, Archives and Special Collections.