KUN2305E – Inside the medieval church: the church room and its decoration in medieval Scandinavia
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
The course will deal with various aspects of church interiors in Scandinavia in the Middle Ages.
Issues that will be covered are:
- the spatial organization of the church room as a setting for the liturgy, as exemplified in the various types of churches that were raised during the Middle Ages
- the history of decoration of the church interior – materials and motives from the 12th to the 15th century
- iconographical case studies, focusing on the multiple dimensions of meaning of medieval church art
An underlying perspective will consist of a historiographical survey of the development of art historical scholarship on the art of the Scandinavian Middle Ages and a consideration of its theoretical and methodological foundations.
Learning outcome
After completed course you will:
- Be able to identify a number of major monuments of medieval art in Scandinavia, and you will have acquired a basic knowledge of stylistical critera allowing you to place the monuments chronologically and stylistically.
- Achieve an understanding of the meaning and function of art in the medieval church that will enable you to recognize and interpret the principal themes and concepts found there.
- Be trained in discussing and analysing the visual messages of various types of medieval imagery.
- Improved skills in oral and written academic English
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Prerequisites
Recommended previous knowledge
Some knowledge of Medieval art history, as in KUN1001 – Billedkunst og arkitektur fra antikken til renessansen or similar.
Overlapping courses
10 credits overlap with KUN4305E – Inside the medieval church: the church room and its decoration in medieval Scandinavia (discontinued)
Teaching
The course is taught in 2 hour sessions, 2 times a week, totalling 28 hours.
Following the seminars are highly recommended. We expect students to meet prepared for classes and to participate actively.
Some teaching materials may be distributed in Fronter.
Access to teaching
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
Home examination over 3 days.
The length of the assignment should be 6-7 standard pages (2300 characters without spacing, illustrations, notes and reference).
The assignment will be given and handed in using Fronter. Read about how to submit Your exam in Fronter here.
For detailed information regarding examinations see Examination information at the Faculty of Humanities.
Use of sources and citation
You should familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to the use of sources and citations. If you violate the rules, you may be suspected of cheating/attempted cheating.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.
Evaluation
The course is subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students to participate in a more comprehensive evaluation.
All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. The Department's assessments of courses are available at our web-pages, but generally only in Norwegian.