Death and Devotion: The Art of Death across the Middle Ages



Overview

Have you ever wondered how medieval people expressed their understanding of mortality and the afterlife through art and architecture? Join us on a journey where we will unravel the intimate relationship between art, death, and devotion in the Middle Ages. Discover the profound symbolism found on tomb sculptures and architecture and the intricate beauty of devotional objects. 

We will examine objects from across Western Europe and the Mediterranean. You will gain insights into the cultural, religious, and philosophical contexts that shaped these works, enriching your understanding of medieval visual and material cultures.

This course combines online study with a weekly 1-hour live webinar led by your tutor. Find out more about how our short online courses are taught.

Programme details

This course begins on the 19 Sep 2025 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 26 Sep 2025, 2:00-3:00pm (UK time).

Week 1: Sacred Commodities: Saints and Relics

Week 2: The 'very special dead': The Saint and the Shrine

Week 3: Enshrining the Sacred: Reliquaries

Week 4: Monumental depictions of the Last Judgement

Week 5: Indulgences and Intercession for the Dead

Week 6: Locus sanctus: Tombs, Burials, and the Politics of the Body

Week 7: Visualising the End of Time: The Book of Revelation in Illuminated Manuscripts

Week 8: Passion Piety and the Death of Christ

Week 9: Imago Mortis: Death and Private Devotion

Week 10: The Macabre

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework. All those enrolled on an online course are registered for credit and will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

See more information on CATS points

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £360.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Róisín Astell

Dr Róisín Astell is a medieval art historian who specialises in illuminated manuscripts. She completed her PhD at the University of Kent’s Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies. Róisín is a graduate of the Universities of York and Oxford. She has taught at the Universities of Oxford, York, Edinburgh, and UCL.

Course aims

To provide an in-depth understanding of how medieval societies expressed their perceptions of mortality and the afterlife through art and architecture, fostering a comprehensive appreciation of medieval visual and material cultures.

Course Objectives:

  • Equip students with the skills to critically assess and interpret medieval art in relation to its cultural, religious, and philosophical dimensions.

  • Understand the historical, theological, and art historical perspectives to contextualise the artistic expressions of death and devotion in medieval Europe across various regions.

  • Be able to analyse and interpret a diverse array of historical sources, including visual evidence and written documentary sources.

  • To engage critically through close visual observation and analysis of medieval objects to understand the role of materiality within their creation and function.

Teaching methods

This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.

All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.

 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be expected to:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the cultural, religious, and philosophical contexts that shaped medieval art's portrayals of death and devotion.
  • Understand the close relationship between the medieval concepts of death and devotion. 
  • Analyse and interpret a variety of medieval works of art, recognising the symbolic meanings and artistic intentions behind them.
  • Critically evaluate the influence of different regions and time periods on the development of the visual culture of death in the Middle Ages.
  • Develop personal insights and a nuanced appreciation for medieval art, enhancing their scholarly and personal perspectives on historical interpretation.

Assessment methods

You will be set independent formative and summative work for this course. Formative work will be submitted for informal assessment and feedback from your tutor, but has no impact on your final grade. The summative work will be formally assessed as pass or fail.

Application

Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.

 

Level and demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support