HISTORY 1110
MEDIEVAL HISTORY, I
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Instructor: Bruce L. Venarde, Associate Professor of History
Office: Forbes Quadrangle 3M26, 624-8437 Office hours: Tuesdays, 2:30-4 and by appointment
bvenarde+@pitt.edu
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DESCRIPTION AND GOALS |
History 1110 surveys the societies and cultures of the Mediterranean basin and Europe from Roman imperial times to the eleventh century. Its primary goals are to familiarize you with the geography, chronology, and important themes of early European history; to teach critical reading in historical sources; and to develop skills in analytical writing. Topics will include the nature and transformations of late antique society, the origins and propagation of Christianity, the first European societies and their more sophisticated Mediterranean counterparts Byzantium and the religion and society of Islam, early medieval lordship and rulership, and revolutionary social visions and new social realities at the start of the second millennium. The running theme is the slow and unpredictable accumulation of elements that, by the eleventh century, provided the material and ideological bases for a society dimly recognizable as an ancestor of our own modern West.
This course operates in a lecture-discussion format that requires that you keep up with the assigned reading from class to class. Collective examination of medieval sources will be the central focus of informal but informed discussion, on questions posed either in the reading assignments or by the instructor so you can read critically, that is, with questions that will allow you to make important observations and discoveries. Therefore, it is essential that you work outside of class and come prepared to join the conversation about the material at hand. Because discussion is an essential part of the work of this course, you should enroll only if you will be able to attend and participate regularly.
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REQUIREMENTS AND GRADE WEIGHTING
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- Active participation in discussions (10-30%)
- In-class midterm examination Thursday, September 27th (20-25%)
- Sort paper (about 5 pages) due Thursday, November 1st (20-25%)
- Final examination, Monday, December 10th (30-40%)
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Notes:
- The examinations will be mostly short answer and essay
- Topics for the paper will be distributed in advance.
- You may, after consultation with the instructor, substitute a medium-length (8-10 pages) for the final examination.
- The final will include a map quiz: keep yourself geographically oriented with the help of the Hammond sketch map available in the bookstore
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CLASS MEETINGS
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We meet TTh 1-2:15. There will be no class on November 20th. Otherwise, this course meets at all times except university holidays. |
BOOKS
(available at the Book Center)
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- Required:
- Alfred J. Andrea,The Medieval Record: Sources of Medieval History>
- Two Lives of Charlemagne
- Hammond Europe problem map #33
- C. Warren Hollister,Medieval Europe: A Short History, 8th ed
- Hrostsvit of Gandersheim: A Florilegium of Her Works
- The Vinland Sagas
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WEEKLY TOPICS AND READINGS
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Week of August 27th: Introductory
- Andrea, The Medieval Record (hereafter "Andrea") pp. 1-5
- Handout (Four mystery excerpts)
- Week of September 3rd: The Roman Empire
- Andrea, pp.23-27
- Handout (Tacitus, Agricola)
- Hollister, Medieval Europe: A Short History (hereafter "Hollister"), pp. 1-16, 28-31
- Week of September 10th: Christianity and Roman Society
- Andrea, pp. 28-39
- Handout ("The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity")
- Hollister, pp. 16-27
- Week of September 17th: Germanic Peoples and Kingdoms
- Andrea, pp. 40-71
- Hollister, pp. 31-41
- Week of September 24th: Early Byzantium
- Andrea, pp. 73-81
- Hollister, pp. 42-52
- FIRST MIDTERM EXAM THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH
- Week of October 4th: Society and Religion in the "Dark Ages"
- Andrea, pp. 99-109, 122-134
- Handout (Martin of Braga, "On the Correction of Peasants")
- Hollister, pp. 56-74, 87-93
- Week of October 8th: Islam
- Andrea, pp. 87-98
- Hollister, pp. 75-86
- Week of October 15th: Charlegmagne
- Andrea, pp. 135-136,141-152
- Two Lives of Charlemagne, pp.49-90
- Hollister, pp. 93-108
- Week of October 22nd: Uh, oh, Vikings or: The Warning of the Carolingian Era
- Andrea, pp. 153-162
- Two Lives of Charlemagne, pp.91-172
- Hollister, pp. 100-118
- Week of Nov.1: The F-word?
- Andrea, pp. 163-172
- Handout (Documents on feudal practices)
- Hollister, pp. 123-129
- PAPER DUE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST
- Week of November 5th: Emperors and Kings Outside the "Feudal Heartland"
- Andrea, pp. 83-86, 180-188
- Handout ( Russian Primary Chronicle )
- Hollister, pp. 52-55, 119-123, 129-133, 136-138
- Week of November 12th: Tenth Century Life and Culture
- Andrea, pp. 176-180
- Hrotsvit of Gandersheim: A Florilegium of Her Works pp.1-9, 19-20, 29-40, 101-110
- Handout ( The Battle of Maldon )
- Hollister, pp. 133-136
- Week of November 19th:NO CLASS MEETING
- Get a jump on the last two weeks' reading, since there's quite a bit of it
- Week of November 26th: Identities At Home and Abroad
- The Vinland Sagas
- Hrotsvit of Gandersheim: A Florilegium of Her Works pp. 41-97, 111-121
- December 3rd: The New Millennium - Y1K?
- Andrea, pp.173-176, 194-198, 228-234
- Hollister, pp. 138-146
- FINAL EXAMINATION (OR PAPER) MONDAY, DECEMBER 10TH
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