An examination of the reality of Victorian women’s lives, challenging the idealised Angel in the House stereotype and exploring women’s roles in 19th-century society.
An overview of women’s lives and literary culture in 17th-century England, with particular attention to writers including Mary Wroth and Aphra Behn and their place in the early modern literary tradition.
A study of Mary Astell, often considered the first English feminist, exploring her arguments for women’s education and her place in 17th-century intellectual and religious life.
An account of the English Civil Wars of the 17th century, examining the conflict between Crown and Parliament, the role of Puritanism, and the wider Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
An examination of the English Reformation from Henry VIII’s break with Rome through the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I, tracing the shift from Catholicism to Protestantism.
A short introduction to the main dialects of Middle English and the influence of Norman French on the English language between 1066 and 1450, with reference to key works including the Ormulum, Ayenbite of Inwyt, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Piers Plowman, and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
An exploration of medieval England’s relationships with neighbouring kingdoms, covering war, diplomacy, and nation-building from the Norman Conquest to the end of the Plantagenet era.
A survey of early British history from the Celts and Romans through the Anglo-Saxon period to the Viking invasions and the Norman Conquest of 1066.
An analysis of a selection of Christmas carols, exploring their medieval origins, religious significance, and the literary and musical traditions that shaped them.