Postgraduate Course: Charles Martel in the Digital Age (Online) (PGHC11592)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Charles Martel (d. 741) was an early medieval ruler of the Franks with a controversial modern reputation. In this course, we shall explore Martel's early medieval world through the historiography and the primary sources, and use this knowledge to consider Martel's public representation on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which students will be trained to edit for themselves. |
| Course description |
The course begins with an exploration of modern research into the age of Charles Martel and into the ruler himself, as well as into how his reputation has developed over time. Then we shall assess how accurately this current research is reflected in Wikipedia, the world's main source of historical knowledge in the public realm, and students will apply their expertise to make some improvements to the site. Finally, we shall draw on this 'case study' to reflect on the implications of Wikipedia in particular, and the digital turn in general, for the creation and dissemination of historical knowledge of the Middle Ages. As part of this course, you will be trained in how to edit a Wikipedia page relating to Charles Martel, broadly defined, though the assessment will be based on participation and a final reflective essay.
Content note: The study of History inevitably involves the study of difficult topics that we encourage students to approach in a respectful, scholarly, and sensitive manner. Nevertheless, we remain conscious that some students may wish to prepare themselves for the discussion of difficult topics. In particular, the course organiser has outlined that the following topics may be discussed in this course, whether in class or through required or recommended primary and secondary sources: violence and intolerance. While this list indicates sensitive topics students are likely to encounter, it is not exhaustive because course organisers cannot entirely predict the directions discussions may take in tutorials or seminars, or through the wider reading that students may conduct for the course.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Set the reign of Charles Martel in its eighth-century context, including with reference to Christian/Muslim relations
- Make their own edits to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia
- Reflect on their experience in mediating between academic and public understandings of the reign of Charles Martel
- Reflect on the difference between academic and public representations of medieval history, with special reference to Wikipedia
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Reading List
Philip Baun, 'Memory and far-right historiography: the case of the Christchurch shooter', Memory Studies 15 (2022), 650-665
Amy Bruckman, Should you believe Wikipedia? Online Communities and the Construction of Knowledge (Cambridge, 2023)
Heather Ford, Writing the Revolution: Wikipedia and the Survival of Facts in the Digital Age (Cambridge, Mass., 2022)
Heather Ford, 'Rise of the Underdog', in Wikipedia @ 20, ed. Joseph Reagle and Jackie Koerner (Cambridge, Mass, 2020), pp. 189-201
Maribel Fierro (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Muslim Iberia (London, 2020)
Paul Fouracre, The Age of Charles Martel (Harlow, 2000)
Paul Fouracre and Richard Gerberding, Late Merovingian France (Manchester, 1996)
Mike Horswell, 'Wikipedia and the crusades: Constructing and communicating crusading', in The Crusades in the Modern World, ed. Mike Horswell and Akil Awan (London, 2020), pp. 111-128
Sam Ottewill-Soulsby, The Emperor and the Elephant: Christians and Muslims in the Age of Charlemagne (Princeton, 2023)
James Palmer, 'The making of a world historical moment: the Battle of Tours (732/3) in the nineteenth century', postmedieval 10:2 (2019), 206-218
Roy Rosenzweig, 'Can History Be Open Source? Wikipedia and the Future of the Past', Journal of American History 93.1 (2006), 117-46
Prema Smith and Ben Marwick, 'World Heritage Sites on Wikipedia. Cultural heritage activism in a context of constrained agency', Big Data and Society 8 (1) (2021) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Personal and academic learning that makes a positive difference to themselves and to the world around them.
Personal and intellectual autonomy to critically evaluate ideas, evidence and experiences from an open-minded and reasoned perspective.
Effective and proactive individuals, skilled in influencing positively and adapting to new situations with sensitivity and integrity.
Skilled communication to enhance their understanding of a topic or context and to engage effectively with others. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Charles West
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | |
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