Module description
The module will attempt to introduce students to the ways and means by which civilizations interacted in the High Middle Ages, and it will do so by examining the political, intellectual, cultural and economic interaction between Latin Christendom, Byzantium and Islam. Students will gain a broader understanding of medieval Western society and its neighbours

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be able to show familiarity with a range of themes, i.e. the political, religious, military, intellectual and cultural history of Europe and its neighbours during the High Middle Ages, institutions and approaches, essential for our understanding of medieval society. They will show awareness of recent historiographical developments, in particular regarding the question of the extent to which relations between Christians and non-Christians, or between Catholic and non-Catholic Christians were dominated by a culture of conflict and the degree to which peaceful interaction took place, as well as gaining the analytical skills and methodological approaches required for dealing with texts, medieval and modern. This will be achieved by exposing students to a variety of genres. Students will deal with historical, literary and religious narratives, charters, theological treatises, as well as Western and non-western (i.e. Muslim, Byzantine and Jewish) materials. This will encourage students to think about the nature and type of sources available to create an image of the past, and the opportunities and dangers these involve.
Although the main emphasis of the module will be on Western sources, and the interrelationship between Western society and its neighbours, the module will also expose students to a variety of different cultures. This, in turn will help them to gain not only a better understanding of Byzantium or medieval Islamic civilization, for instance, but also of the degree to which these influenced medieval Western society, as well as the differences in the developments and attitudes between the medieval West, and the medieval East.