Dr Simon John

• The Rhetoric of Conquest: A Comparison of the Descriptions of the Conquests of Wales, Ireland, Prussia, Livonia, and Southern Italy and Sicily (cyfredol)

  PhD

  Goruchwyliwr arall: Prof Daniel Power

• HHC372 Monarchy: Ancient and Medieval

  This thematic module explores the institution of monarchy in the ancient and medieval periods. It will address a number of overlapping questions, and take a concerted comparative approach toward comparing the nature of kingship in both eras. What made a king a king? How did a monarch interact with his (or her) subjects? How was royal power reflected in the palaces and buildings constructed by monarchs? Could queens exercise power in the same way as kings? The module draws on modern theoretical observations about monarchy and explores specific examples from across the ancient and medieval world from the Achaemenid kings of Persia and Alexander the Great, to the Carolingians and the monarchs of the new Latin kingdoms founded during the expansion of Europe after 1000, with examples along the way from Egypt and Rome. Students will develop the skills required to work with a range of primary evidence including royal inscriptions, monuments and art, coins, archaeological remains, political treatises, administrative and legal texts, and manuscript illuminations. Students will also gain expertise in modern scholarship on the subject, engaging with key modern debates on the nature of kingship in the ancient and medieval epochs. Ultimately, the module will give students a framework for assessing monarchy which can be applied productively to monarchy in any period of history.

• HIH117 Medieval Europe: An Introduction

  The module is a basic introduction to the history of Europe c600-c1450, a period usually described as 'Medieval'. It outlines the political and economic structures of the period, and examines the medieval 'world view' by discussing attitudes to life, death and the afterlife. Its first theme, expansion, charts the growth of Europe as a major world power and includes topics such as the crusades against the Muslims and pagans, political and economic growth, and intellectual development in the foundation of the universities. Its second theme, crisis, focuses on the devastating impact of plague, famine and warfare, and the increasing persecution of heretics, lepers, homosexuals, and Jews.

• HIH237 The Practice of History

  The purpose of the module is to encourage you to think more deeply about how historians work and, in particular, about how we as historians can locate and use primary historical sources effectively as a means of interpreting and understanding the past. During the module we will learn about the survival of historical evidence, how it is organised and made accessible to historians to undertake their research, and how to effectively locate and interpret it in your studies. We will consider how the process of doing historical research changes over time, in particular with the impact of recent developments like digitization. At the core of the module will be the work you undertake with others in your seminar group using a range of primary sources which your seminar tutor will introduce to you. As part of the module assessment you will also undertake your own primary source based research project using items from these collections. The module is designed strengthen your analytical skills and to help prepare you for the more extensive uses of primary evidence which you will encounter in final year special subjects and dissertation.

• HIH3300 History Dissertation

  The History dissertation is a free-standing, 40-credit module that runs across both semesters of Level Three. Candidates conduct research upon a subject of their choice, devised in consultation with a member of staff teaching for the degrees in History, and concerning a topic that falls within staff research and teaching interests.

• HIH3353 The First Crusade: Devotion, Piety and Power in the Latin Christian World

  This Special Subject focuses on the rich corpus of primary source material available for studying the First Crusade (1095-99). By any reckoning, the First Crusade was a seminal event in world history. It inaugurated the brand of Christian Holy War known as the crusades, and resulted in the establishment of a Latin presence in the Holy Land that lasted for two centuries. The success of the First Crusade astounded medieval observers, and a wealth of sources relating to the expedition were produced by contemporaries and near-contemporaries. Students who take this Special Subject will carry out a close reading of a range of primary sources; these will include letters sent by popes and participants in the crusade, charters drawn up by crusaders as they prepared to depart, and narrative histories of the expedition, including several written by participants. Particular focus will be paid to the anonymous Gesta Francorum (`The Deeds of the Franks¿), the earliest and most influential chronicle account of the First Crusade.

• HIMD00 Medieval Studies Dissertation

  The Medieval Studies dissertation gives you the opportunity to pursue a substantial research project in a subject of your own choosing. Under the supervision of a specialist in the field, and using the materials you created in the Research Folder module, you will develop advanced research skills and expert subject knowledge. The module encourages independent study while supporting you in constructing coherent and persuasive arguments, communicating complex ideas effectively, and engaging critically with medieval scholarship. Completing this dissertation will not only deepen your knowledge of medieval history but also prepare you for postgraduate research or professional applications.

• HIMM00 Reading Medieval Manuscripts

  Medieval manuscript sources are crucial to our understanding of the Middle Ages. Research across the disciplines of medieval studies is grounded in the study and use of medieval books and documentary sources. This module aims to give you the skills, knowledge and confidence to engage with original manuscript sources of various types, from early Anglo-Saxon Gospel books to medieval chronicles, from illustrated books of hours to critical legal documents. Students will engage with these sources via digital and printed images and full-scale printed facsimiles, learning to recognise and transcribe medieval hands from all periods. Students will be given the chance to read original manuscripts during a visit to the West Glamorgan Archive Service (Swansea), and other repositories such as the National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth) and Hereford Cathedral Library may also be visited. This module assumes no prior knowledge of medieval manuscripts, nor any prior knowledge of the medieval languages featured in the manuscript samples, including Latin, Old English and Middle English.

• HIMM01 Introduction to Advanced Medieval Studies 1: Themes, Approaches and Sources

  This module introduces you to current themes, approaches and sources in medieval studies, that is, the interdisciplinary study of medieval history and literature. It begins to develop the skills required to conduct MA-level study. Lectures outline general concepts, approaches and key sources with respect to essential themes in medieval studies, such as genre and gender. Workshops are built around interacting collaboratively with students to develop the necessary skills to implement the approaches discussed within and beyond the module¿s focus themes. Special attention will be given to the discipline¿s increasing interest in historically underrepresented groups and the emergent concept of the `global Middle Ages¿.

• HIMM04 Introduction to Advanced Medieval Studies 2: Themes, Approaches and Sources

  This module builds on HIMM01 (Introduction to Advanced Medieval Studies I) to deepen your understanding of key themes, sources, and research approaches in the interdisciplinary study of the Middle Ages, in order to develop the research skills required to conduct MA-level research. Lectures and seminars refine your general concepts, approaches and key sources with respect to essential themes in medieval studies, such as identity and spirituality. Following on from HIMM01, this module progressively shifts its thematic focus in a more strongly methodological direction, considering themes such as quantitative methods and archaeology in medieval studies. It also familiarises you with the medieval heritage of South Wales and the surrounding region.

Rwy'n Athro Cysylltiol mewn Hanes Canoloesol yn yr Adran Hanes, Treftadaeth a'r Clasuron yn Abertawe, ar ôl ymuno â'r adran yn wreiddiol yn 2016. Cyn hynny, roeddwn i'n darlithio ym Mhrifysgol Rhydychen (2013-16) ac roeddwn i'n Gymrawd Ymchwil Iau yn Sefydliad Ymchwil Hanesyddol, Llundain, a noddwyd gan Sefydliad Scouloudi (2011-12). Yn 2020 roeddwn yn Gastwissenschaftler (Cymrawd Gwadd) yn yr Historisches Seminar ym Mhrifysgol Heidelberg yn yr Almaen, a dychwelais i Heidelberg yn 2022-23 i ymgymryd â chymrodoriaeth wadd yng Nghanolfan Käte Hamburger y brifysgol ar gyfer Astudiaethau Apocalyptig ac Ôl-Apocalyptig (CAPAS). Rwy'n Gymrawd y Gymdeithas Hanesyddol Frenhinol, yn aelod o'r Gymdeithas er Astudio'r Croesgadau a'r Dwyrain Lladin, ac yn Gymrawd yr Academi Addysg Uwch.