2024/25 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

HIST5016M Embodied Histories: Disability and Identity in Byzantium (c. 1000-1200)

30 creditsClass Size: 10

Module manager: Dr Maroula Perisanidi
Email: m.perisanidi@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module will explore the intersections of disability with gender, sexuality, and race in the Byzantine world. It will examine disabled lives across various spheres, from emperors and entertainers to scholars and military men and we will reveal the societal forces which shaped disabled bodies. By studying a variety of sources, including saints’ lives, histories, laws, medical texts, and satires, we will uncover ableism but also disability gain and delight.

Objectives

This module will introduce students to the history of disability using Byzantium as a case study. It will help students acquire vocabulary, concepts, and theories from Disability Studies that will support their historical analysis and interpretation. It will help them develop a critical and ethical awareness of embodied difference and its intersectional nature.

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Engage with and evaluate key debates on disability in the premodern world.
2. Apply theoretical concepts from Disability Studies to historical research.
3. Understand what constituted bodily difference in Byzantium and compare premodern and modern disability and ableism.

Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Conduct theoretically informed research.
5. Reflect on their own values, preconceptions, and attitudes.
6. Reveal, evaluate, and question past and present norms, practices, and hegemonic forces.

Syllabus

Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminar	11	2.00	22.00
Private study hours			278.00
Total Contact hours			22.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			300.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

As part of this module, students will submit a detailed plan of their two essays as formative assignments on which they will receive written feedback.
Seminar discussions, weekly office hours, and oral feedback on summative work all provide opportunities for formative feedback. In all these contexts, students are encouraged to articulate questions and ideas and to develop their arguments.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	Essay 3,000 words	50.00
Essay	Essay 3,000 words	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 18/10/2024

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