Accessibility statement

Stained Glass in the Great Church, c.1150-c.1450 - HOA00086H

« Back to module search

  • Department: History of Art
  • Module co-ordinator: Mr. Tim Ayers
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2023-24

Module summary

Making use of the exceptional resources in the churches of York, this module is an introduction to the roles of stained glass within medieval buildings, and ways of thinking about them.

Related modules

Students who have taken the I-level version of Stained Glass in the Great Church, c.1150-c.1450 are prohibited from taking the H-version of the same module.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2023-24

Module aims

Traditionally, stained glass was treated as a craft divorced from mainstream art history. To put it back within the frame, a variety of issues will be addressed in this course, including production, functions and audience, as well as the material character that is special to the medium. Other aspects will be the interrelationship between stained glass, architecture and other forms of visual arts. The period c.1150–c.1450 includes many of the greatest monuments of medieval stained glass; within this chronological span, fundamental changes occurred in form, technique and content of windows. These will be traced through a detailed study of churches in England and France, particularly the cathedrals of Canterbury, Gloucester and York, and the other churches in the city.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should have acquired:

  • An understanding of the medium and its potentials
  • Good knowledge of the major sites in the module
  • Awareness and engagement with related art-historical issues
  • Ability to present and discuss these in seminars and on site
  • Ability to identify and critically evaluate new source material through independent research

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Advanced Assignment		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Advanced Reassessment Assignment		 N/A 100

Module feedback

You will receive feedback on assessed work within the timeframes set out by the University - please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information.

The purpose of feedback is to help you to improve your future work. If you do not understand your feedback or want to talk about your ideas further, you are warmly encouraged to meet your Supervisor during their Office Hours.

Indicative reading

  • Kessler, Herbert L. Seeing Medieval Art. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2004.
  • Marks, Richard. Stained Glass in England During the Middle Ages. London: Routledge, 1993.
  • Pastan, Elizabeth, and Brigitte Kurmann-Schwarz, eds. Investigations in Medieval Stained Glass. Leiden: Brill, 2019.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.