Medieval and Renaissance Europe

Transcription

1 1 History 371 (CRN 15588) Stroud 410, MW 4-5:15 East Stroudsburg University Spring 2015 Chris Dudley Stroud 409N x3284 Office Hours: MWF 9-10, MW 1-2 Medieval and Renaissance Europe Between the fall of Rome and the supposed rebirth of classical civilization in the Renaissance, Europe experienced several cycles of rebirth and destruction. This course will explore the process of creating civilization in the middle ages, with special emphasis on religion, political and social organization, and the influence of this period on western civilization. Objectives and Methods There are four primary objectives for what you will learn by completing this course. First, you will understand the basic narrative of medieval European history. Second, you will be able to go beyond knowing these events to imaginatively recreate a medieval mindset. Third, you will be able to analyze how medieval developments laid the foundation for western civilization. Fourth, you will be able to apply your knowledge by interpreting primary sources and evaluating historiographical arguments in light of them. You will meet these objectives through the readings and assignments described below. In general, they are designed to allow you to act like a historian by assembling evidence from primary sources, considering the arguments of other historians, and constructing your own argument. Requirements Your grade for the class will be determined by your performance on the following assignments. All grades are based on a standard ten-point scale: A , A , B , B 84-86, etc. For the papers, the most important things I look for are how clearly your argument is presented, how well organized the paper is, and how strongly it is supported with specific evidence. Class Participation (15%) The success of this course depends on your participation. Therefore I have made class participation part of your grade. This is not extra credit: your final grade will be lowered if your participation is not satisfactory. To participate effectively you need to do the readings, bring them with you to class, and be prepared to discuss them with your fellow classmates. First Paper You Are the Missionary (15%) is a 5 page paper that will ask you to formulate a strategy for preaching Christianity to Agricola or Beowulf. A more detailed assignment will be distributed later. The paper is due 18 February.

2 2 Midterm Paper (25%) is a 10 page paper on a topic covering the first half of the semester. A more detailed assignment with a choice of topics will be distributed. The paper is due 16 March. Historiography Paper (15%) is a 5 page paper exploring the historiography of a major issue in medieval scholarship. The paper is due 13 April. Term Paper (30%) is a page paper that will ask you to trace a topic over the entire course. It is due 8 May in lieu of a final exam. Academic Honesty and Citations Academic honesty is the principle that the assignments you submit represent your own work. It is the most important principle in education, because it assures that you are learning something and not just receiving a grade. I will be enforcing ESU s policies on academic misconduct (pp of the Student Handbook). Academic dishonesty will be severely punished, ranging from failure on the assignment to automatic failure for the course. I will also file a report with the Office of Student Conduct for possible administrative sanctions, which can include expulsion. Pay particular attention to the policy on plagiarism, which is the use of someone else s words or ideas without proper citation. It is possible to plagiarize without intending to cheat; in fact most cases of plagiarism are unintentional. Use footnotes to cite your sources in all written assignments. If you do not know how to use footnotes, it is your responsibility to see me and ask. The correct format for footnotes can be found in Kate L. Turbaian, A Manual for Writers and is summarized here: To cite any of the documents from this class that you find on D2L, simply use the information on this syllabus to give the author s last name, the title of the work italics, and the page number. Here is an example. 1 Miscellaneous Policies Late Papers I do not accept late papers under ordinary circumstances. If there is a legitimate reason why you must turn a paper in late, please see me. If possible, see me before the assignment is due. Incompletes Under exceptional circumstances, such as extended illness, I will issue a grade of incomplete for the course. Please contact me if you feel you may need an incomplete. Classroom Environment While in class, demonstrate respect for your fellow students. Avoid disrupting class by arriving late or leaving early, but if you must do either do it quietly. Turn off or silence phones. If you 1 Augustine, City of God, 5.

3 3 are too tired to make it through class without falling asleep, it is better for everyone if you stay away. If you are disruptive or obviously oblivious to what is happening around you, I will ask you to leave. Special Needs If you require any special accommodation, the University has resources available. Contact the Office of Accessible Services Individualized for Students (OASIS) at x3954 or visit them on the third floor of the Sci-Tech building. Meeting with the Instructor I want everyone to do well in this class! Nothing would make me happier than for everyone to earn an A, because that will mean I did my job well. I m here to help you, but I can t help you if I don t know you have a problem. If you have a problem, a question, or just want to talk more about something that was said in class please talk to me. I especially encourage you to talk to me about your papers and write drafts of them. My office hours, listed at the top of the syllabus, are drop-in times. No appointment is necessary. If those times aren t convenient, send me an or talk to me after class and we ll work out another time to meet. You can also me with questions, although it s often easier if we can meet face to face. Required Texts The following books are required for the course and are available at the University bookstore. The remaining reading assignments are available on the class D2L site. Eyrbyggja Saga (Penguin, 1989) ISBN The Rule of St. Benedict in English (Liturgical Press, 1981) ISBN Kevin Crossley-Holland, trans., The Anglo-Saxon World: An Anthology (Oxford, 2009) ISBN Jocelin of Brakelond, Chronicle of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds (Oxford, 2009) ISBN Jean de Joinville and Geffroy de Villehardouin, Chronicles of the Crusades (Penguin, 2009) ISBN Tacitus, Agricola and Germania (Penguin, 2010) ISBN I have also placed a few textbooks on reserve at Kemp Library for your reference. Jill Claster, The Medieval Experience, , C569m. H. G. Koenigsberger, Medieval Europe, , K819m. Jacques Le Goff, Medieval Civilization, , L525m. David Nicholas, The Medieval West, , N514m. Henri Pirenne, A History of Europe, P665h. N.B.: this is a classic, but outdated.

4 4 Class Schedule Week 1: Introduction 21 January Studying the Middle Ages Part I: The Creation of European Civilization, c Week 2: Influences from the Ancient Mediterranean 26 January Christianity The Gospel According to Mark (c. 70) Paul, First Letter to the Corinthians (c. 55) 28 January Rome Tacitus, Agricola (98) Week 3: The Christianization and Fall of Rome 2 February The Church and the World Augustine, City of God (427) 4 February Combatting Heresy Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy (524) Lives of the Holy Fathers of Mérida (630) Week 4: German Barbarians 9 February Barbarian Society Tacitus, Germania sections 7, 14-15, (98) Beowulf (c ) in Crossley-Holland pp focus on understanding the society 11 February Syncretism Beowulf focus on the scribe s insertion of Christianity The Dream of the Rood (9 th C) in Crossley-Holland pp Week 5: The Church 16 February Monks Rule of St Benedict (530) 18 February Gregory the Great Gregory I, Moralia in Job (c. 590) Gregory I, Dialogues (594) Gregory I, Letter to Candidus (595) in Crossley-Holland p. 182 First Paper Due

5 5 Week 6: Forging Societies 23 February Iceland s Stateless Social Order Eyrbyggja Saga pp (13 th C) 25 February Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire Einhard, Life of Charlemagne (830) Week 7: New Invasions 2 March Vikings and Other Barbarians The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 793, 871, and 878 in Crossley-Holland pp Regino of Prüm, On the Breakdown of the Carolingian Empire (910) Wulfstan, Sermon of the Wolf to the English (c. 1015) in Crossley-Holland pp March Muslims The Pact of Umar (c. 700) Treaty of Tudmir (713) Paul Alvarus, Eulogius and the Martyrs of Cordoba (859) Ibn Abd Rabbihi, The Unique Necklace (929) Ibn Hazm, On the Inconsistencies of the Four Gospels (c. 1050) Spring Break 9-13 March: No Class Part II: High and Late Medieval Europe, c Week 8: Renegotiating Relationships 16 March The First European Revolution Norman Summa de legibus (before 1258) Marc Bloch, Feudal Society This secondary source will be central to the Historiographical Paper assignment Midterm Paper Due 18 March The Investiture Controversy Gregory VII, Letter to Henry IV Proposing a Crusade (1074) Gregory VII, Dictatus Papae (1075) Gregory VII, Letter to Henry IV (1075) Henry IV, Letter Condeming Gregory VII (1076) Synod of Worms (1076) Week 9: Expansion 23 March The Crusades Urban II, Speech at the Council of Clermont (1095) Villehardouin, Chronicle sections 1 and 3 (c. 1210) Jean de Joinville, Life of St Louis Part II, sections 2-8 (1309)

6 6 25 March Spain and Eastern Europe Helmold of Bosau, German Colonization in the East (1150) Statues of the Free Village of Lorris (1187) Fuero de Cuenca (1190) Week 10: Social Change 30 March Monastaries in the New Society Jocelin of Brakelond, Chronicle of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds ( ) 1 April Labor Control in Town and Country Personal Status in England at the Time of Edward the Confessor (c. 1050) Three Documents on Serfdom in Vic ( ) Laws on Slavery from Siete Partidas (1348) Customs of Saint-Omer (c. 1100) Week 11: Monarchies and Governance 6 April A Model of Kingship Jean de Joinville, Life of St Louis Dedication, Part I, Part II sections 1-2, 18, 20 (1309) 8 April Representative Institutions Ustages of Barcelona (1150) Statutes of León and Girona (1188) Rulings of the Cortes of Castile-León ( ) Week 12: New Religious Trends 13 April Scholasticism Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica ( ) Historiography Paper Due 15 April Female Mysticism Caroline Walker Bynum, Holy Feast and Holy Fast Week 13: Plague and Social Unrest 20 April The Black Death Boccaccio, Decameron (1353) Matteo Villani, Description of Plague in Florence (1348) Jean de Venette, Description of Plague in France ( ) 22 April Socio-Economic Consequences Edward III, The Ordinance of Labourers (1349) The Peasant s Revolt of 1381 in Jean Froissart, Chronicles (c. 1400)

7 7 Week 14: City-States and Humanism 27 April Urban Society in 15 th C Italy Alessandra Macinghi negli Strozzi, Letters to Filippo ( ) 29 April Humanism Petrarch, To Marcus Tullius Cicero (1345) Petrarch, The Ascent of Mount Ventoux (c. 1350) Pedro of Portugal, Letter concerning Good Government (1426) Week 14 ½: The Renaissance? 4 May Machiavelli Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (1513) 8 May Term Paper Due on D2L