Module manager: Dr Maroula Perisanidi
Email: M.Perisanidi@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is approved as a discovery module
In this module, we will compare representations of masculinity in Byzantium and the West during the High Middle Ages, focusing on themes of learning, sex, and violence. To what extent was education an exclusively male preserve? Did husbands determine when it was time for sex or abstinence? Were all clerics, as men barred from fighting, perceived as less manly than their secular counterparts? By addressing these and other questions, we will explore how constructions of masculinity adapted to shifting social and religious contexts. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
This module aims to equip you with the tools to critically analyse how masculinity was constructed and negotiated in Byzantium and the Western Middle Ages. To achieve this, teaching will be structured primarily around seminars, which will provide an interactive space for applying key concepts from Gender Studies, exploring historical context, and engaging with major historiographical debates. By focusing on close analysis of primary sources such as saints' lives, legal codes, and chronicles, seminars will foster discussion, collaborative learning, and the development of methodological skills. Two lectures will bookend the module, with an introductory lecture to provide a foundational overview of key themes and concepts, and a concluding lecture to synthesise the insights gained throughout the seminars. Independent research and written assignments will further enable you to delve into themes like sex, learning, and violence, refining your critical thinking and interpretive abilities while building confidence in engaging with different scholarly approaches.
On successful completion of the module, you will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Implement theoretical approaches from Gender Studies to medieval contexts.
2. Critically engage with key debates and historiographical trends in the study of Byzantium and the Western Middle Ages.
3. Analyse and interpret a variety of primary sources, including saints’ lives, legal codes, and chronicles.
4. Conduct comparative historical analysis by drawing connections between Byzantine and Western medieval contexts.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
5. Source, evaluate, and interpret historical and theoretical materials.
6. Use interdisciplinary methods to understand historical constructs of masculinity.
7. Demonstrate developing critical and ethical thinking skills by questioning past and present norms, practices, and power structures.
8. Compare and contrast historical developments in different societies.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 2 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Lecture | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Seminar | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| Private study hours | 181.6 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 18.4 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
For assessment 1, you will have the opportunity to discuss an essay plan with the module tutor. For assessment 2, you will be able to submit and get feedback on one non-assessed primary source.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 50 |
| Coursework | Gobbets | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 20/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team