Course Schedule (NB: Changes may occur. Any updates will be made to the on-line syllabus)
- All readings are available either on Moodle or as e-books via the Online Catalogue of the Frohring Library
September
Week 1
4 M Course Intro: History and the Medieval Perceptions of Time
- Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, Book XI, Chapters 10 ("11.10.12") through 14 ("11.14.17"):
https://faculty.georgetown.edu/jod/augustine/Pusey/book11
6 W The Arabs, the Byzantines, and the Franks: The Medieval World From East to West (c. 900-c. 1050)
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, doc. 4.5 (‘The Peace of God’); 4.7 (Military Life: Constantine VII); 4.9 (Education: Al-Qabisi)
- Barbara Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, pp. 39-43 ("Ruralization" excluded), pp. 50-56 ("The Culture of the Umayyads" excluded),
pp. 58-64 ("The British Isles" excluded); pp. 74-75.
Week 2
11 M Scandinavian, Russian, and Central-European Kingdoms
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, documents: 4.12 (Hungary: King Stephen, Laws);
4.15 (The Russian Chronicle); 4.19 (The Jelling Monument)
- Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, pp. 127-135
13 W The World of the Vikings: History, Archaeology, and the Sagas
- Kim Hjardar and Vegard Vike, Vikings at War (Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers, 2016), pp. 12-23; 34-57
- Rosalind Kerven, Viking Myths and Sagas: Retold from Ancient Norse Texts (Morphet: Talking Stone, 2015), selected parts (see Moodle)
Week 3
18 M European Regions and Medieval Universal Powers
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, documents: 5.4 (Henry IV, Letter to Gregory VII); 5.5 (Gregory VII, Letter to Hermann of Metz)
- Jenö Szücs, "Three Historical Regions of Europe: The Birth of European Regions", in Civil Society and The State, ed. by John Keane, pp. 231-257
- Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, pp. 164-170
20 W The First Crusade and the Crusading Movement
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, documents 5.9 (Martyrs in the Rhineland); 5.10
(Stephen of Blois, Letter to His Wife); 5.11 (Ibn al-Athir, The First Crusade); 5.15 (The Bayeaux Tapestry)
- Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, pp. 170-176
- Pope Urban II's Speech at the Council of Clermont (Fulcher of Chartres): Internet History Sourcebooks: Medieval Sourcebook (fordham.edu)
- Crusade and Holy War as an act of love: What crusaders’ daggers reveal about medieval love and violence | Aeon Essays
Week 4
25 M From the Second to the Fourth Crusade
- Bernard of Clairvaux, Apologia for the Second Crusade: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/bernard-apol.asp
- "Muslim Hostages Slain at Acre (1191)": https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/1191hostages.asp
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, docs.: 6.2 (The Fourth Crusade); 6.7 (Doing
business: A Genoese Societas)
- The Battle of Hattin: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/1187hattin.asp
27 W New and Old Religious Orders in Europe and the Levant
- Bernard of Clairvaux, In Praise of the New Knighthood: https://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/344bern2.html
- Malcolm Barber, The Crusader States, pp. 50-64
- Meet a Medieval monk: (450) What Was Life Like? | Episode 5: Medieval - Meet a Medieval Monk - YouTube
October
Week 5
2 M Cultural Patterns
- A Medieval Storybook, ed. by Morris Bishop and Alison Mason Kingsbury (Cornell University Press, 2013), pp. 221-223; 239-243; 264-269; 277-289.
- Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, pp. 178-192
4 W Political and Religious Patterns
- Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, pp. 202-212; 229-237
- The Magna Carta Libertatum: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/magnacarta.asp
- The Fourth Lateran Council: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/lateran4.asp (Canons: 1, 14-18, 21-22, 67-70)
Week 6
9 M Medieval Spiritualities
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, documents 6.24 (Peter Waldo); 6.26 (Francis of Assisi, The Canticle to Brother Sun)
- Statutes of the Carthusian Order (Ch. 2; Book 1: ch. 4, 5; Book 4: ch. 34): https://www.chartreux.org/en/texts/statutes-prologue.php
11 W Political Relations Between East and West
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, documents 7.2 (A Mongol Reply to the Pope); 7.10 (The Hanseatic League: Decrees);
7.17 (The commons participate: Summons to Parliament)
Week 7
16 M The Heretic, the Leper, and the Inquisitor
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, docs: 7.13 (Inquisition: Jacques Fournier, Episcopal Register);
7.14 (Procedures for Isolating Lepers: the Sarum Manual); 7.19 (Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam)
- Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, pp. 241-261
18 W Mid-Term Exam
20 F Make-Up Day for Nov. 1
Film screening and discussion
Week 8
23 M The Black Death Pandemic
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, docs. 8.1 (A Medical View: Nicephorus Gregoras);
8.3 (Prayers at York: Archbishop William); 8.4 (Blaming the Jews: Heinrich von Diessenhoven)
- John Frith, The History of Plague – Part 1. The Three Great Pandemics - JMVH
- Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, pp. 283-300
- Boccaccio, Decameron, Introduction: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/boccacio2.asp
25 W Love and Sex in Medieval Poetry and Philosophy
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, doc. 6.18 (A Troubadour Love Song: Bernart de Ventadorn, When I see the Larck)
- Peter Lombard, The Sentences (on sex and marriage)
Week 9
30 M Byzantium vs the Ottomans: Towards the Fall of Constantinople
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, docs.: 8.6 (A Turkish Hero); 8.7 (Diplomacy: Peace Agreement);
8.8 (Before the Fall: Patriarch Anthony); 8.9 (The Fall Bewailed)
November
1 W No Class (Make-Up Day 20 Oct.)
Week 10
6 M Joan of Arc, Wars, Social Unrest, and Reforms in Medieval Europe
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, docs. 8.12 (Jeanne d’Arc, Letter to the English); 8.15 (The Conciliarist Movement: Jean
Gerson); 8.17 (The Hussite Program)
8 W The Later Middle Ages: New Sensibilities
- Reading the Middle Ages, ed. by Rosenwein, doc. 8.18 (Re-evaluating antiquity: Cincius Romanus);
doc. 8.19 (A New Theory of Art); doc. 8.20 (Defending Women: Christine de Pizan); doc. 8.21 (A New Kind of Map)
- Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, pp. 301-324
- Klaniczay, "The Bonfires of the Vanities and the Mendicants"
Week 11
13 M Film Screening and discussion
15 W Medieval Society as a “Persecuting Society”?
- R.I. Moore, The Formation of a Persecuting Society, Ch. 1
Week 12
20 M Victims and Persecutors
- R.I. Moore, The Formation of a Persecuting Society, Ch. 1 cont.
22 W Social Targets
- R.I. Moore, The Formation of a Persecuting Society, Ch. 2
Paper Due on Nov. 24
Week 13
27 M Purity and Danger
- R.I. Moore, The Formation of a Persecuting Society, Ch. 3
29 W Power and Reason
- R.I. Moore, The Formation of a Persecuting Society, Ch. 4
December
Week 14
4 M Discussing Persecuting Societies
- R.I. Moore, The Formation of a Persecuting Society, Ch. 5
6 W Course Review and Final Exam Preparation
Final Exam