102gm (193) • syllabus PDF

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Professor Jason Glenn OH (SOS 163): Tues. 11 - 1 [email protected]

Jillian Barndt OH: Fri. 11 am - 1 pm [email protected]

MEDIEVAL PEOPLE EARLY EUROPE AND ITS NEIGHBORS, 350-1350 History 102 • Fall 2019

COURSE DESCRIPTION There is a great diversity among the peoples who shaped the social, political, religious, and intellectual landscapes of European lands from the fourth through the fourteenth century. In this course, we shall study some of them. In particular, we shall explore the works of a number of individuals in the hope that, by getting to know them (both the works and their authors), we can learn about the the cultures from which they come. In other words, our rigorous study of primary sources of various genres — narrative histories, biographies, laws, theological treatises, philosophical tracts, poems, letters, literature, art, architecture, and the material remains of the period — will enable us to glimpse at least some of the norms and institutions of the different peoples who populated Europe (and some of their neighbors) during the period generally known as the Middle Ages. We shall attempt to determine what some of these norms and institutions were and their similarities and/or differences across time and place as we visit the Late Antique World of the fourth century, the Barbarian West of the sixth, the Age of Cathedrals and Chivalry in twelfth-century northern France, the eastern Mediterranean in the time of the Crusades, and Late Medieval Italy (thirteenth- and fourteenth-centuries). What do these cultures share? our authors? their works? How are they alike? And how do they differ? From the sources, students are encouraged — indeed, really required — to develop their own answers to these questions over the course of the semester. Brief lectures will, at times, supplement our readings, but much of our class time will be devoted to discussion of the sources as we analyze what they can (and cannot) tell us about their authors and creators, about the cultures in which they lived, and about the pasts (real or imagined) out of which their cultures and Europe grew. LEARNING OBJECTIVES This course satisfies the General Education requirement on Humanistic Inquiry. In other words, it prepares students (1) to reflect on what it means to be human through close study of human experience across time and in diverse cultures; (2) to develop a critical appreciation for various forms of human expression (e.g., literature, language, philosophy, and the arts) and an understanding of the contexts from which these forms emerge; (3) to engage with lasting ideas and values that have animated humanity throughout the centuries; (4) to read and interpret actively and analytically, to think critically and creatively, and to write and speak persuasively; (5) to evaluate ideas from multiple perspectives and to formulate informed opinions on complex issues of critical importance in today's global world; (6) to collaborate effectively through traditional and new ways of disseminating knowledge. In short, this course will help students master strategies for finding, reading and understanding relevant information from different genres, for analyzing complex problems, and for making and evaluating compelling arguments.

WORK LOAD This is a demanding course. Students should expect to devote to it between seven and ten hours of preparation (outside of class meetings) per week. Because students will be evaluated on their work with our primary sources rather than on their ability to master a body of knowledge drawn from lecture or other resources, most of this time will be spent reading and thinking about these texts. And because class meetings will be devote principally to discussions of the texts, assigned readings must be completed before class — the schedule of readings (below) lists the date on which we shall discuss each text. In addition to the required readings, there will be, periodically, short written exercises (a few sentences) due at the beginning of class meetings or written during the class period, and there will be a series of short written responses (a short paragraph in length) to essays in The Middle Ages in Texts and Texture (Toronto, 2011). As far as formal writing is concerned, there are two short paper assignments (and an optional third); these papers range from two to three pages each. At the end of the semester there will be an extensive (take-home) final examination. ATTENDANCE Because class discussion represents such an essential component of this course and because engagement and participation in discussion represent your responsibility to your fellow students, attendance at all class meetings — i.e., not merely our meetings together as a large group in lecture, but also in your weekly section meetings — is mandatory. Poor attendance at lecture will have a profoundly negative impact on your final grade, not least because students who miss class regularly will risk missing short exercises. Attendance at section is even more essential. Students who, for whatever reasons, miss more than one meeting of their section will have their final course grades reduced by a third of a grade point for each section missed after the first. Exceptions will be made only in cases of (1) documented emergency or (2) notification (and approval by the professor), in advance, of documented participation in official university activities (e.g., intercollegiate sports). Note that field trips for other classes, family reunions, travel necessary for a long weekend, et al. do not fall into either of these two categories. In any case, no student who misses more than four section meetings may pass the course. In short, if you have a tendency to skip class, an outside commitment, or some unusual circumstance which may jeopardize your ability to attend all meetings of this course — particularly your section meetings — then this class may not be for you. Finally, students should note that any particular concerns, documentation, and requests concerning attendance and/or this policy should be addressed to the instructor and not to the teaching assistant. SHORT EXERCISES AND WRITTEN RESPONSES Short exercises and written responses to Texts and Texture (T&T) will be due promptly at the beginning of selected class meetings — short exercises may sometimes be given in class. No late exercises or written responses submitted electronically shall be accepted. In any case, the short exercises will most often require anywhere from a few sentences to a

paragraph of thoughtful reflection on a question which draws on reading either due that day in class or, in some cases, on previous readings. The written responses to Texts and Texture will be reflections on individual essays from the volume. Details about these written responses will be offered in class. Both the exercises and the responses will be assigned a grade of A, B, or F — there will be no plus or minus grades given. Students who miss class or show up late will receive an F on an exercise or response due that day. And grades on the exercises will be absolutely nonnegotiable. Students who receive a grade of F for four or more of the short exercises or responses shall receive no credit for portion of their final grade based on these exercises. PAPERS There are two required (short) papers for this course. Because past experience suggests that, due to the nature of this course, students often benefit significantly from writing a third paper, there will also be an optional third paper. Students who write it will have their best two of three grades counted towards the final grade — note that students must have submitted the first two papers on time in order to be eligible to write the optional paper. Paper topics will be circulated roughly one week before the papers are due. FINAL EXAMINATION The questions for the final examination will be circulated well in advance of the exam. Students will therefore have sufficient time to identify which one of the questions they wish to answer — that’s right, you need only answer one question! — and to prepare an answer for it. They will write their answers during the time set by the university: Tuesday, 17 December, at 4:30 pm. GRADING For grading purposes, the course consists of four components which make up the final grade, roughly, according to the following schema: Discussion Section (20%), Short Exercises and Written Responses (10%), Papers (20%), and Final Exam (50%). Although these percentages are intended to serve as a guide to the grading breakdown — they are not absolute! — students who do not earn a passing grade for their work in section or on the final exam will automatically receive a final grade for the course of F. And no matter how students’ final grade computes, they cannot pass the course unless the required papers have been submitted — penalties for late papers will be assessed at the discretion of your section leader. Grades of incomplete (IN) will be given only in the case of extreme and traumatic emergency. Finally, any act of plagiarism will result in the automatic failure of the course and will be reported to the Office for Student Conduct. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, do not hesitate to see me or to consult the SCampus guidebook for students.

READINGS All of the texts listed below are primary sources and they are to be read before class meetings on the dates listed in the schedule of readings — note that these dates are subject to change. Most of the texts are available in paperback editions for sale at the bookstore and from online vendors; several additional required readings are available as pdf files. Together with the images shown in lecture and all class handouts, they will be available on Blackboard. Augustine, The Confessions (Hackett) ISBN 087220186 4 Early Chrsian Lives (Penguin) ISBN 0140435263 Saint Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries (Liturgical Press) ISBN 081460644 X Beowulf, trans. by C.B. Hieatt (Bantam) ISBN 0553213474 Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks (Penguin) ISBN 0140442952 The Song of Roland, trans. by W.S. Merwin (Modern Library) ISBN 0375757112 Crétien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances (Penguin) ISBN 0140445218 Marie de France, Lais (Penguin) ISBN 0140444769 Usama ibn Munidh, The Book of Contemplation, trans. by P. Cobb (Penguin) ISBN 0140455137 Chronicles of the Crusades (Penguin) ISBN 0140441247 Mission to Asia (Toronto) ISBN 0802064361

The Life of Cola di Rienzo (Pontifical Institute) ISBN 088844267X The Book of Margery Kempe (Penguin) ISBN 0140432515 In addition to these readings, the following book contains essays that offer a range of interpretive approaches to our primary sources and to others like them. Jason Glenn, The Middle Ages in Texts and Texture (Toronto, 2011) ISBN 9781442604902

SCHEDULE The following schedule is provisional and thus subject to change. Any changes will be announced in lecture and/or posted on Blackboard. 27 Aug. to 12 Sept. 27 August (Tues.) 29 August (Thurs.) 30 August (Fri.)

The World of Augustine Introduction Augustine, The Confessions, bks. I - III Augustine, The Confessions, bks. IV - VI Texts on Constantine's conversion

3 September (Tues.)

Athanasius, The Life of Antony in Early Christian Lives Sulpicius Severus, The Life of Martin in Early Christian Lives Augustine, The Confessions, bks. VI-VIII Letters of Ambrose and Symmachus T&T #1: North, "Hearing Voices"

5 September (Thurs.) 6 September (Fri.)

10 September (Tues.) 12 September (Thurs.)

Augustine, The Confessions, bks. IX & X Augustine, The City of God, bk. I (pdf) First Paper Due

13 Sept. to 4 Oct. 13 September (Fri.)

The Barbarian West Beowulf, The Seafarer, and The Wanderer in Beowulf

17 September (Tues.) 19 September (Thurs.) 20 September (Fri.)

Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, bks. I & II Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, bk. III Selections from The Laws of the Salian Franks (pdf) T&T #2: Rubenstein, "Conversion Miracles"

24 September (Tues.) 26 September (Thurs.)

Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, bks. IV - VI Gregory the Great, Life of Saint Benedict in Early Christian Lives The Rule of Saint Benedict (skim) Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, bk. VII

27 September (Fri.)

1 October (Tues.) 3 October (Thurs.) 4 October (Fri.)

Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, bks. VIII - X Baudonivia, The Life of Radegund, book I (pdf) Venantius Fortunatus, The Life of Radegund, book II (pdf) T&T #3: Fleming, "Biography" (pdf)

8 Oct. to 6 Dec. 8 October (Tues.) 10 October (Thurs.) 11 October (Fri.)

From Epic to Romance and Beyond The Song of Roland Accounts of the Speach of Pope Urban II Anselm of Bec, Proslogion (pdf) William of Poitiers, Deeds of Duke William (pdf)

15 October (Tues.) 17 October (Thurs.) 18 October (Fri.)

Second Paper Due Fall Recess — No Class Fall Recess — No Class

22 October (Tues.) 24 October (Thurs.) 25 October (Fri.)

Galbert of Bruges, Murder of Charles the Good, ch. 15-67 & 72-85 Galbert of Bruges, Murder, intro. & ch. 1-14, 68-71, & 86-92 Galbert of Bruges, Murder, ch. 93-121 & 122 T&T #4: Januzzi, "Galbert of Bruges"

29 October (Tues.) 31 October (Thurs.) 1 November (Fri.)

Crétien de Troyes, The Knight of the Cart in Arthurian Romances Marie de France, Lais, prologue & lais I-VI (pdf) Selections of Fabliaux (pdf)

5 November (Tues.) 7 November (Thurs.) 8 November (Fri.)

Usama ibn Munqidh, The Book of Contemplation, 11-134 Usama ibn Munqidh, The Book of Contemplation, 134-184 Usama ibn Munqidh, The Book of Contemplation, 184-236 T&T #5: TBD

12 November (Tues.) 14 November (Thurs.) 15 November (Fri.)

Joinville, Life of Saint Louis in Chronicles of the Crusades, 163-264 Joinville, Life of Saint Louis, 265-316 Joinville, The Life of Saint Louis, 317-354

19 November (Tues.) 21 November (Thurs.) 22 November (Fri)

The Journey of William Rubruck, 88-156 The Journey of William Rubruck, 156-220 Salimbene, Chronicle, 3-60 (pdf) T&T #6: TBD

26 November (Tues.)

Boccaccio, The Decameron, prologue (pdf) Selection of Readings on the Black Death (pdf) Thanksgiving Break — No Class

28 November (Thurs.)

29 November (Fri.)

Thanksgiving Break — No Class

3 December (Tues.) 5 December (Thurs.)

6 December (Fri.)

Life of Cola di Rienzo, bk. I & IV The Book of Margery Kempe T&T #7: Oliver, "Why Marger Kempe is Annoying..." Optional Paper Due The Book of Margery Kempe

17 Dec. (Tues.) 4:30 pm

Final Examination...