Medievalism: The Medieval Past in Modern Imagination

The course enables students to deepen their understanding of the relationship between the medieval past and contemporary society by analysing how the Middle Ages has been interpreted, reinterpreted and utilised from the 19th century to the present day. Central to the course is the study of the changing perceptions that different eras, societies and cultural contexts have attributed to the Middle Ages, and how these perceptions have reflected their respective historical contexts. The course examines how the Middle Ages has served as a point of reference in popular culture as well as in political ideologies, social movements and identity-forming practices. Emphasis is placed on the presence of the Middle Ages in modern media such as film, television series, computer games, role-playing games and fantasy, where students analyse how aesthetic, narrative and value-based constructions of ‘the medieval’ are shaped and circulated in the present day. The course also examines how historical timeframes – the past, present and future – are utilised and negotiated in cultural and political contexts. Through theoretical perspectives drawn from cultural studies, the use of history, reception studies and memory studies, students are given the opportunity to develop their skills in critically analysing how the past is mobilised for various social, cultural, religious and political purposes. The course includes an advanced analysis of historical narratives and the use of history, and students practise identifying the ideological, aesthetic and discursive dimensions of how the Middle Ages is conceived and represented in both academic and non-academic contexts. Through independent projects, students are also given the opportunity to develop their ability to apply relevant theoretical and methodological approaches to empirical material from various media and areas of society.

Syllabus spring 2027

Earlier syllabuses

Syllabus with literature list spring 2027

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).