Level 2

What is art and how has it changed through history? What is visual culture? These and many other issues are explored through case studies focused on artworks, buildings and other visual artefacts from 1100 to present day. Topics addressed range from Gothic churches to modern design, Renaissance altarpieces to Dutch seventeenth-century painting, eighteenth-century landscape parks to recent installations and videos. You will also gain an understanding of the art-historical debates that have shaped approaches to this exciting subject. The module is taught using lavishly illustrated module books, alongside extensive audio, video and interactive material. See sample material.

The early modern period from 1500 to 1780 is one of the most engaging periods for historical study. Beginning with the upheavals of the Reformation, and ending with the Enlightenment, this was a time of fundamental intellectual, social, religious and cultural change. At the same time, early modern Europe was rooted in and retained many of the customs of medieval times. You will explore this balance of change and continuity through documents written, and (for the first time) printed including diaries, pamphlets, legal documents, bureaucratic records and ballad songs, as well as the images and objects.

This module takes a student-centred approach to creative writing, offering a range of strategies to help you develop as a writer. The emphasis is highly practical, with exercises and activities designed to ignite and sustain the writing impulse. The five-part module starts by showing ways of using your memory and experience and building a daily discipline. This is followed by demonstration and practice of the three most popular forms – writing fiction, writing poetry, and life writing (biography and autobiography). The concluding part aims to demystify the world of agents and publishers, teaching you how to revise and present your work to a professional standard.

This module combines a beginners’ course in Latin with the study of Roman culture and literature in translation. You will learn the core principles of the language, reading texts adapted from Livy, and supported by specially designed online resources. Alongside the language, you will explore a range of Latin texts in translation (including Livy, Virgil, Ovid, and Horace) from literary, cultural, and historical angles. The module focuses on the theme of ‘Roman identity and exemplarity’, considering Augustan culture’s preoccupation with identity, Rome’s origins, and exemplary stories from the past. You will also have the opportunity to reflect upon how translation affects our interpretation of ancient literature and culture.