28489 - History of Cities (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The student at the end of this module acquires knowledge of the main issues related to the history of Italian and European cities from the late antiquity to the early modern period, both in terms of general skills as one of the tools below for specific analysis, and ability to organize , collect and communicate complex information in a coherent form. The student acquires in-depth knowledge and specific lines of historical development and space of urban civilization, and the ability to identify the specific contribution that science can make in addressing historical issues and problems of interest to the community. Can communicate effectively specific contributions of general interest.

Course contents

The lectures will address some of the following topics:


1 - The city facing the 'barbarians’

2 - Bishops and patrons

3 - Idealising the city: the 'laudes civitatum’

4 - Medieval Bologna: city walls, towers, canals, and streets

5 - Between care and exclusion: hospitals and lazaretti

6 - Political rhetoric: war and peace

7 - The city gets information: spies and espionage

8 - Mendicant Orders and preaching

9 - Communicating in the city: preaching and spectacle

Readings/Bibliography

For attending students:

Since there is not an handbook reflecting the contents of this module, during the lectures a reader will be progressively composed with essays (about fifteen) and sources presented and discussed in the classroom in relation with the various topics considered. These materials will be made available online during the module and will constitute the basic text for the preparation of the exam. At the end of the module, the lecturer will provide the exact list of these sources and texts.

For non-attending students:
At the end of the module, the lecturer will provide a specific list of the sources and texts (about fifteen of essays) specifically targeted to non-attending students.
In addition to this, non-attending students must study in depth one of the proposed topics by reading one of the following books (other titles, also in English, can be agreed with the lecturer). Please inform the lecturer of your chosen book a few days before the exam.

G. Albini, Poveri e povertà nel Medioevo, Roma, Carocci, 2016

C. Frugoni, Paradiso vista inferno: Buon governo e tirannide nel medioevo di Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2019

G. Geltner, La prigione medievale: una storia sociale, Roma, Viella, 2012 (available also in English: The Medieval Prison: A Social History, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2008)

E. Loss, Officium spiarum: Spionaggio e gestione delle informazioni a Bologna (secoli XIII-XIV), Roma, Viella, 2020

M. Melchiorre, La via di Schenèr: Un’esplorazione storica nelle Alpi, Venezia, Marsilio, 2016

G. Milani, Bologna, Spoleto, CISAM, 2012

M.G. Muzzarelli, Le regole del lusso: Apparenza e vita quotidiana dal Medioevo all’età moderna, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2020

O. Niccoli, Vedere con gli occhi del cuore. Alle origini del potere delle immagini, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2011

A. Toaff, Il vino e la carne. Una comunità ebraica nel medioevo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2007 (available also in English as: Love, Work, and Death: Jewish Life in Medieval Umbria, Liverpool, 1996)

G. Todeschini, Ricchezza francescana. Dalla povertà volontaria alla società di mercato, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2004 (available also in English: Franciscan Wealth: From Voluntary Poverty to Market Society, St Bonaventure, Franciscan Institute Publications, 2009)

P. Ventrone, Teatro civile e sacra rappresentazione a Firenze nel Rinascimento, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2016 (pp. 1-272)

Teaching methods

For each topic discussed, the historiography and some textual or visual source will be presented. During the module there will be a visit to some significant places in Bologna linked with the themes discussed during the lectures.

Assessment methods

Those who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending students.

For attending students: Oral exam, on the topics presented in the lectures (corresponding to the selection of essays and sources available online) with the discussion of the relevant sources. By asking in advance, the exam can be done also in English.

For non-attending students, the oral exam will focus on the themes discussed in the essays and sources indicated in the syllabus online, with a more in-depth discussion of the topics of the module, in connection with the book selected from the proposed bibliography.

Exam sessions are at least seven along the academic year and will be scheduled for the following months: September, October, January, February, March, June, and July. The exact dates will be announced gradually (link).

The assessment will concentrate particularly on the skills displayed by the student in handling the sources and the secondary literature in the exam bibliography and his/her ability to find and use information and examples to explain and connect the various themes and problems addressed in the course.

The assessment will thus examine the student's:
- factual knowledge of the topics;
- ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;
- familiarity with the terminology associated with the topics and the ability to use it effectively.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology.

Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the course and is able to summarise them satisfactorily, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology.

Minimal and correct knowledge of the contents of the module, yet with lack of significant details and deficiencies in the use of the appropriate terminology will lead to barely sufficient marks.

A student will be deemed to have failed the exam if he/she displays significant errors in his/her understanding and fails to present the overall outlines of the subject, together with a poor command of the appropriate terminology.

The module is also part of the integrated module "Società rurale e società urbana nel medioevo" (12 CFU) C.I LM. The final mark of a student that has this integrated course in his/her study plan results from the grade point average of the marks obtained in the two parts ("Società cittadine medievali" e "Società rurali medievali"), since it is considered one single exam. 

Teaching tools

During the lectures some source will be read and commented and key trends in the scholarship will be discussed, providing students with bibliographical references useful for further investigations.

Usually lectures will be supported by a PowerPoint.

For what is possible, the materials (sources, essays, and PowerPoint) will be accessible on virtuale.unibo.it

 

Students who require specific services and adaptations to teaching activities due to a disability or specific learning disorders (SLD), must first contact the appropriate office: Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en)

Office hours

See the website of Pietro Delcorno