This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
This course explores the lives and experiences of women in England and France between the sixth and sixteenth centuries.
Focusing on a number of remarkable women, we will use contemporary sources to look at the ways in which women’s roles, identities and opportunities were shaped by political, social and cultural forces in the Middle Ages, and discuss how the realities and ideals of womanhood changed over time and in different contexts.
Course starts: 20 Jan 2026
Week 1: Introduction: Studying Medieval Women
Week 2: Medieval Women: Fact and Fiction
Week 3: Bertrande Guerre
Week 4: Radegund of Poitiers
Week 5: Christina of Markyate
Week 6: Héloïse
Week 7: Margery Kempe
Week 8: Margaret Paston
Week 9: Joan of Arc
Week 10: Fictional Heroines: The Lais of Marie de France
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.
Optional preparatory reading:
Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) Points
Only those who have registered for assessment and accreditation will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard. Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. Please follow this link for more information on Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) points
Digital Certificate of Completion
Students who are registered for assessment and accreditation and pass their final assignment will also be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Information on how to access the 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 attended. You will be able to download the certificate and share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Please note students who do not register for assessment and accreditation during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee (with no assessment) | £300.00 |
| Assessment and Accreditation fee | £60.00 |
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:
Anne Bailey is a research associate at the History Faculty at Oxford University. A social and cultural historian, Anne has taught medieval and early modern history at the University of Exeter, Women’s History at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, and has been teaching at the Department of Continuing Education since 2016. She gained her doctorate at Oxford in 2010 researching female pilgrimage in the Middle Ages and has published almost 50 academic and popular articles.
The aim of the course is to explore the lived experiences and the textual representations of medieval women through the close examination of a range of contemporary sources.
The course is taught through informal lectures using PowerPoint, group discussion and small group exercises. A small amount of reading will be set each week.
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
Students are required to write a 1500 word essay on a topic of their choice, to be agreed in advance by the tutor. They are encouraged to prepare a formative 500-word essay plan 2-3 weeks before the deadline so that feedback can be given.
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation will submit coursework.
To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education
Students who do not register for assessment and credit during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.
The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. 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.
