Task 1. Viking culture analysis   

How are the Vikings represented in modern media?

Task brief: 

The Vikings are popular in modern culture, tv shows, movies to cartoons and advertising.

But are these representations accurate?

In this task, you will investigate how Viking culture is represented in one modern example and compare it with what historians know about Viking life.

  1. Choose ONE modern representation of Vikings (e.g., a movie, music video, cartoon, toy line, video game, advertisement).

  2. Create a multimodal product (e.g., video, digital poster, narrated slideshow, infographic and commentary) that includes the following:

    A description of the media representation.

    What is shown about Viking people, daily life, clothing, beliefs, weapons, roles, gods, society?

  3. Historical comparison

    Using class notes and sources, compare the media portrayal with historical evidence.

    Consider these elements of Viking culture:

    ·         gods and beliefs

    ·         daily life

    ·         social roles

    ·         appearance and clothing

    ·         weapons and warfare

    ·         values and motivations

    For each element, explain whether the modern version is a weak, strong, or a mixed representation of Viking culture.

  4. Improvements

    Suggest five accurate and realistic improvements based on your historical research that would improve the media representation of Viking culture.

  5. AI Use Statement

    Include a 3 to 5 sentence reflection explaining how AI supported your work and how you ensured the thinking was your own.

AI use guidance.

You may use AI tools to:

• help organise your ideas

• rewrite or clarify your own sentences

• create draft scripts or storyboard suggestions you later revise

• summarise your research notes

• generate design options for your multimodal product

• help create visual layouts (not historical content)

 

AI must not be used to:

• research Viking history (students must use class sources and links)

• generate the historical comparisons or evaluations

• produce the five recommendations

• complete the entire product for you

How to do the Viking culture analysis task

Title:

Use an engaging, catchy title that tells the reader what they can expect to learn from your culture analysis

Introduction

1. Describe your chosen modern representation.

(What is it? A movie, cartoon, game, toy, advertisement?)

2. Explain why you chose it.

(Why is it interesting? Why did you think it showed Viking culture?)

3. Insert and label at least one image from the modern representation.

Discussion

Compare the modern representation with historical examples.

How did Vikings respond to their landscape, climate and the seasons?

Farming / survival / food availability / long winters / shipbuilding materials

What was daily life really like?

Jobs / families / roles of men & women / longhouses / crafts / food

How did they interact with other people in their voyages and travels?

trade / raids / cultural exchange / exploration

Vikings believed in many gods, have they been portrayed correctly?

Improvements

Based on the points that you have discussed, how well does your artefact represents true Viking culture.

What would you recommend to make the accuracy of your artefact even better?

Bibliography (This is not included in the total word count for the task)

Include at least one hard-copy source (e.g. a book)

Hagar the Horrible cartoon strip by Dik Browne and Chris Browne portrays Vikings as people with insatiable appetites.