Have you ever heard about medieval mysticism or medieval heresies? Have you ever wondered about the particular role women played in medieval spirituality? Do Hildegard of Bingen, Clare of Assisi, Marguerite Porete, the Cathar ladies or Isabel de Villena ring a bell? Have you ever felt like you wanted to know more about them? If your answer to any of these questions was yes, then this MOOC, A voice of their own. Women’s spirituality in the Middle ages is what you were looking for.
A Voice of their own is much more than a course. It is an invitation to follow the paths traced by the spiritual experiences of medieval women. It is a challenge that, should you let it, will take you to places where you will see and hear things that will astonish you. Here you will find medieval women playing a major role in the spiritual transformations of the Middle Ages, founding monastic movements and orders, writing about their experiences, traveling the roads of Europe to spread their ideas, creating spiritual landscapes, as well as both material an intangible architectures. In this MOOC, these women will speak to you from the past, and you'll see that their voices still hold great validity in the present.
In this Unit you will get an idea of all the topics that will be discussed throughout this course and you will start to learn about the many roles women adopted in the spirituality of the Middle Ages.
What's included
8 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
8 videos•Total 88 minutes
Introduction•10 minutes
The Dawn of a New Spirituality•13 minutes
The Birth of Nunneries: Early Forms of Female Monasticism in the Middle Ages•11 minutes
Female Voices in the New Mysticism•14 minutes
Persecution and Dissent: The True Meaning of Heresies•13 minutes
Women Changing Spaces: The Effect of Female Spirituality on the Territory and the City•9 minutes
The Role of Women in Confraternities•9 minutes
Women on the Move•9 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Quiz Unit 1•30 minutes
THE HOUSE OF THE HEART: NUNS IN THE MIDDLE AGES
Module 2•2 hours to complete
Module details
This Unit focuses on the world of medieval nunneries from the Early to the Late Middle Ages. Here you will find the early varied forms of monasticism and also the well-established orders of the end of the medieval period. You will learn about enclosure, about life in nunneries and about the men and women who helped found and support them for their own purposes.
What's included
7 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 85 minutes
The Spread of Cistercian Nunneries: The Case of Las Huelgas•10 minutes
The Female Branch of the Mendicant Movement•16 minutes
Enclosure: The Not-So-Strict Reality of Medieval Nuns•10 minutes
The Daily Rhythm of the Nunnery•14 minutes
Books and Archives in the Nunnery•12 minutes
Lay Benefactors, Sponsors, and Promoters•9 minutes
Founding Queens•15 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Quiz Unit 2•30 minutes
The Space Within: Female Mysticism in the Middle Ages
Module 3•3 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
7 videos1 assignment1 peer review
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 95 minutes
3.1 The Visionary World of Hildegard of Bingen•16 minutes
3.2 Courtly Mysticism: The Trobairises of God•13 minutes
Mysticism in the Nunnery: The Spiritual School of Helfta•17 minutes
The Mirror of Simple Souls and the Deafening Silence of Marguerite Porete•11 minutes
The Anchoress and the Wanderer: Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe, and English Mysticism•15 minutes
The Meditations of Isabel de Villena•11 minutes
Birgitta of Sweden: Mother, Mystic, And Founder•11 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Quiz Unit 3•30 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
Discussing an image: Hildegard of Bingen•60 minutes
VOICES OF DISSENT
Module 4•2 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
7 videos1 assignment
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 96 minutes
Good Women: The Female Side of Catharism•22 minutes
Preaching Voices: The Role of Women among the Poor of Lyons•11 minutes
The Role of Women in the Guglielmites•16 minutes
The Burned Beguines of Languedoc•13 minutes
Inquisitors and Women•10 minutes
Curbing Dissidence: From Beguines to Nuns•12 minutes
The alumbradas: 16th-century Heretics?•12 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Quiz Unit 4•30 minutes
SPIRITUAL LANDSCAPES
Module 5•3 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
7 videos1 assignment1 peer review
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 85 minutes
A Doorway to Women's Spiritual Landscapes in the Middle Ages•14 minutes
Monasteries in the Territory•10 minutes
Nunneries in the City•10 minutes
Reconstructing Female Spaces•16 minutes
The Observant Reformation•14 minutes
Female Medieval Spaces Today•11 minutes
Women and Assistance•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Quiz Unit 5•30 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
Discussion of a medieval text: Julian and Margery•60 minutes
Instructors
Instructor ratings
Instructor ratings
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
The University of Barcelona is the most formidable public institution of higher education in Catalonia, catering to the needs of the greatest number of students and delivering the broadest and most comprehensive offering in higher educational courses. The UB is also the principal centre of university research in Spain and has become a European benchmark for research activity, both in terms of the number of research programmes it conducts and the excellence these have achieved.
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
Jennifer J.
Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
Larry W.
Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
Chaitanya A.
"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."
Learner reviews
4.4
112 reviews
5 stars
69.64%
4 stars
16.96%
3 stars
6.25%
2 stars
1.78%
1 star
5.35%
Showing 3 of 112
S
SR
5·
Reviewed on Feb 23, 2025
Amazingly informative and interesting class. I find myself using this information in my life all the time! Wonderfully laid out training.
M
ME
4·
Reviewed on Feb 9, 2020
really good course but the audio for lectures was often really poor quality. the content itself was great.
R
RS
5·
Reviewed on May 28, 2020
Exactly what I needed. I thought I knew a fair bit about medieval female spirituality, but this course provided a fabulous look into areas and groups I have never discovered. Thank you!
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.