Department of History
EUH-2001: WESTERN MEDIEVAL CIVILIZATION
Office: 202 Flint Hall
Office hours: T 1:00-2:00
Phone: 273-3367
Class will meet every day, from Monday to Friday, between 11:00 and
12:15
in Flint Hall, room 119
Course description
Summer 2009
To many, the words 'Middle Ages' and 'medieval' conjure up images
of primary-colored, boisterous times of gallant knights, beautiful
maidens,
or wizards. Many historians of Europe since 1500 imagine the Middle
Ages
as a thousand years of intellectual backwardness and social injustice
separating
the classical world from the enlightened modern age, beginning either
with
the Italian Renaissance or the Protestant revolt. The Middle Ages were
ruled, as the first American medieval historian Henry Charles Lea
(1825-1909)
once observed, by "superstition and force." Today, media pundits find
medieval
origins for the bloody conflicts in Ireland and the Balkans. A
growing
movement of reviving Celtic traditions offers a still more titillating
version of "our" medieval roots. This course is designed as a
chronological
and topical introduction to the history of the "medieval
millenium,"
between ca. 500 and 1500. Since this is a three semester hour
survey,
it is impossible to cover everything. Instead, the course will offer a
slection of representative topics from a much larger possible list. We
will examine the evolution of various forms of economic systems
and
social structures, particularly the emergence of feudal society in
Europe.
Our focus will be on Western Europe, but we will also take quick
glimpses
at some neighboring areas, such as Eastern Europe and the Middle
East.
History majors as well as students interested in an historical
introduction
to the medieval world are welcome. There are no pre-requisites.
TEXTBOOKS
Required
- Alfred J. Andrea, The Medieval Record. Sources of Medieval
History. Boston/New
York: Houghton Mifflin, 1997 [hereafter Andrea]
- Barbara H. Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages.
3d
ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009 [hereafter Rosenwein].
NOTE: It is recommended that you read the
assigned sections in your textbook(s) before the time they are due in
class.
Class meetings will be organized around a lecture/discussion format and
quizzes will necessitate familiarity with the material.
ASSIGNMENTS
There is no attendance
policy,
but you are responsible for attending all lectures and reading the
required
texts. Class participation may be taken into account to determine
the overall grade. The basis for evaluation of performance will be four
quizzes and two exams (Midterm and Final). The unannounced quizzes are
exclusively based on primary source readings from your
Andrea book
and will consist only of questions (no essay). A careful study of these
texts is necessary for a good performance at the quiz. The Midterm and
Final exams will cover everything from lectures and readings. Both will
consist of a short answer portion and a longer essay. Make-up Midterm
and
Final exam will be given for very serious reasons. There is no make-up
for quizzes. Extra-credit work will be accepted only for students with
active participation in class discussions. You should discuss with me
the
format of the extra-credit option during regular office hours. The
following
point system will be used in determining the final grade:
Quizzes: 40 points
Midterm: 30 points
Final exam: 30 points
Total: 100 points
| Points |
Grades |
| 90-100 |
A |
| 80-89 |
B+ |
| 70-79 |
B |
| 60-69 |
C+ |
| 50-59 |
C |
| 40-49 |
D+ |
| 30-39 |
D |
| under 30 |
E |
For a list of course weekly topics, complete with reading
assignments,
click here
fcurta@ufl.edu