HIS3366 : Fictional Histories: from medieval to modern

• Offered for Year: 2025/26

• Available for Study Abroad and Exchange students, subject to proof of pre-requisite knowledge.

• Module Leader(s): Dr Nicola Clarke

• Owning School: History, Classics and Archaeology
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

The purpose of this module is to examine representations, recreations, and receptions of the past in multiple forms of medieval and modern fiction. We will analyse and contextualise a selection of films, epic poems, television shows, novels, and games, in order to explore the complex relationship between history and fiction. In the process, we will draw upon and respond to critical evaluations of these fictions, historiography on the periods represented (and the periods in which the fictions were produced), and scholarship on public history. What do historical fictions tell us about a society's relationship with its past(s)? How are these fictions created, and how do audiences respond to them? Which stories and settings are portrayed time and again, and which ones are more marginalised?

At the same time, we will reflect upon the role of imagination in the work of the historian and in the creation of 'factual' histories. What can we gain by thinking about historical questions through fiction? How far do historiographical debates and cultural controversies filter through into fictional representations? What does it mean to create a narrative out of the past, whether it is intended as fiction or not? To paraphrase Robert Rosenstone, can fiction be a valid way of doing history?

Ultimately, this is a module about taking historical fictions seriously on their own terms, rather than nitpicking factual accuracy.

Outline Of Syllabus

The fictions covered will vary from year to year; some will be picked by students taking the module. They will generally include films, television, games, and texts.

Topics covered are likely to include:

- alternate histories
- difficult pasts
- 'national' cinemas and national histories
- medievalism
- historical fantasies (invented worlds inspired by history)
- interactive fictions (videogames, boardgames, RPGs)

Themes running through module will include:

- creating and reading narratives
- genre: what type of story are we in?
- audiences, markets, and reception
- representation, power and cultural appropriation
- changing tastes and trends

The final workshop will be student-led, in order to bring an element of co-design into the module. Students will choose the material to be screened and discussed.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Seminars are a venue for students to discuss required reading and viewing, in response to questions set by the module leader. They enable students to test ideas and understanding, and to develop their skills of oral and aural communication.

Drop-in surgeries will offer one-to-one support for student preparation for the assessments.

Structured guided learning and guided independent study will take the form of prioritised reading and watching lists, accompanied by a series of questions to structure note-taking and reflection, and preparation for seminar discussion. Each week, study tasks and class discussion will be focused around one primary film or text, with readings chosen to support learning about the context of creation and reception, and to enable deeper thematic and technical analysis. All films will be available to stream for free; all texts will be available as ebooks and/or via Canvas; boardgames will be brought to class.

The first two workshops will be film screenings; the second will also include discussion/preparation for the first assessment. The third workshop will be led by students. With guidance from the module leader, the group will select a film/TV show to screen (or a game to demonstrate and play), choose a reading for the whole class to prepare in advance, and develop 3-4 questions/talking points to structure the post-screening discussion.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment

Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The first summative assessment encourages students to reflect on their learning, with a particular focus on how their knowledge and understanding develop as they read, think, and - crucially - discuss. The portfolio will consist of three 400-word reflective logs, each covering a separate week of the semester (of their choosing). Students will be asked to re-consider what they read and watched in that week, with the aid of prompts set in advance for the seminar, explaining how in-class discussion deepened, challenged and/or reinforced their ideas about this material. This assessment is designed to enhance students' skills in active listening and collaboration, and to underline the role of in-person participation in their learning. Guidance on format and content will be provided during the second workshop.

The second summative assessment will ask students to engage with one or more of the themes of the module, using as case studies at least one of the films/texts studied (and not already covered in their portfolio), plus at least one other historical fiction of their choosing. A list of essay questions will be provided, but students will be encouraged to develop their own questions, in consultation with the module leader. The formative essay plan is intended to support this process; students will receive individual verbal feedback on their plans during the final workshop.

Reading Lists

• HIS3366's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• HIS3366's Timetable