98899 - Space and Historical Culture in the Middle Ages (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student has a general view of medieval historical culture in order to reconstruct the geographical, political, economic and social spaces of the Western Middle Ages. They are able to recognise the main ways in which historical accounts are written, thanks to the reading and analysis of the sources, with methodological rigour; they are able to carry out bibliographical research aimed at the specific nature of the sources and to use the main bibliographical resources of reference; they are able to grasp the prevailing models of interpretation of events and the connections between the various phases of the construction of historical memory and the evolution of the spatial-territorial and political-institutional structures in the various areas of textual production; they are able to place textual production in diachrony, identifying its changes and function in the historical context of reference; they are able to analyse and synthesise the long-term effectiveness of the forms of representation of the historical context provided by the sources.

Course contents

The course provides an introduction to medieval culture and historical writing and to historical-chronological narratives, both in terms of self-representation of society and in terms of the representation of otherness. The evolution of political-institutional and spatial-territorial arrangements, the relations between secular and ecclesiastical powers, the reflection on prevailing social patterns and their ideological crystallisation will be analysed on the basis of the texts, in order to highlight their dynamics and reciprocal interactions and the mechanisms of cultural memory construction, following Jan Assmann's methodological perspective.

The first week of the course will be devoted to providing a theoretical framework on cultural memory and the invention of tradition (J. Assmann; E. Hobsbawm); the second week will be devoted to presenting the general characteristics of medieval historical writing and the main tools for analysing textual production, providing a taxonomy of sources and a series of targeted methodological indications. The third week will be focused on the thematic core of the memory of the origins and on some case studies, empirically verifying the narrative modes of the thematic focuses highlighted with respect to the description of the events, the role of the actors involved, and the differences in representation related to the political orientation of the authors considered; the fourth week on the thematic core of contemporary memories and on some case studies, empirically verifying the narrative modalities of the thematic focuses highlighted with respect to the description of the events, the role of the actors involved, the differences in representation related to the political orientation of the authors considered; the fifth week will be devoted to the perception of the Middle Ages in contemporary culture.

Each week (from week 2 to week 5) a class will be devoted to a group discussion of one or more primary sources indicated by the teacher.

Readings/Bibliography

PROGRAMME FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS:

Attending students will take part in the classes regularly and participate to class discussions. Moreover, each week (from week 2 to week 5) a group of students will discuss together one or more primary sources indicated by the teacher, following the schedule which will be shared at the beginning of the course. Most teaching materials will be made available to students in the dedicated Virtuale platform.

The final oral exam will be based on:

- the materials discussed in class;

- the primary source discussed in class, indicated at the beginning of the course (each student will prepare one source);

- and the following reading list:

Jan Assmann, La memoria culturale. Scrittura, ricordo e identità politica nelle grandi civiltà antiche, Torino, 1997, Introduzione; cap. I

O. Capitani, La storiografia medievale, in La storia. I grandi problemi dal Medioevo all'Età contemporanea, dir. M. Firpo, N. Tranfaglia, I. Il Medioevo, 1, I quadri generali, Torino 1988, pp. 758-792

F. Delle Donne, Cronache in cerca d’autore: l’autoconsapevolezza come misura della professionalizzazione dello storiografo, in Scrivere storia nel medioevo. Regolamentazione delle forme e delle pratiche nei secoli XII-XV, a c. di F. Delle Donne, P.Garbini, M. Zabbia, Roma 2021, pp. 13-28

T. di Carpegna Falconieri, Cinque altri modi di sognare il medioevo. Addenda a un testo celebre, in «Bullettino dell’Istituto storico italiano per il medio evo», 122 (2020), pp. 407-433

 U. Eco, Dieci modi di sognare il medioevo, in U. Eco, Sugli specchi e altri saggi, Milano 1985, pp. 78-89/U. Eco, Scritti sul pensiero medievale, Milano 2013, pp. 1093-1108

P. Garbini, Boncompagno da Signa da retore a storiografo, Reti Medievali Rivista, 19,1, (2018), http://www.serena.unina.it/index.php/rm/article/view/5462

P. Geary, Il mito delle nazioni. Le origini medievali dell'Europa, Roma 2009 capp. III, IV

E. Hobsbawm, Introduzione, in L'invenzione della tradizione, a c. d. E. J. Hobsbawm-T. Ranger, Torino 2002, pp. 3-17

F. Roversi Monaco, Il « dolcissimo » Annibale: rappresentazioni di Annibale I Bentivoglio nella storiografia bolognese tardomedievale, in «SAPIENS, UT LOQUATUR, MULTA PRIUS CONSIDERAT», Studi di storia medievale offerti a Lorenzo Paolini, Spoleto 2019, pp. 435 - 448

F. Roversi Monaco, Medioevo 'medievale' fra stereotipi e storiografia, in Fortune del Medioevo Studi di Medievalismo, a cura di R.Capelli, Alessandria, 2023, pp. 13-30

B. Smalley, Storici nel Medioevo, Napoli 1979, cap. I,II, III, IV

M. Zabbia, Sulla scrittura della storia in Italia (secoli XIII-XV), in Tra storiografia e retorica: prospettive nel basso medioevo italiano, a c. di M. Zabbia, Reti Medievali Rivista, 19, 1 (2018) <http://rivista.retimedievali.it> 

PROGRAMME FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS OF THE INTEGRATED COURSE "SPAZI E INCONTRI TRA CULTURE NEL MEDIOEVO 

Students who cannot attend classwork must read FOUR articles and ONE books from this list (to be agreed with the teacher in advance):

CHAPTERS/ARTICLES:

Jan Assmann, La memoria culturale. Scrittura, ricordo e identità politica nelle grandi civiltà antiche, Torino, 1997, Introduzione; cap. I

O. Capitani, La storiografia medievale, in La storia. I grandi problemi dal Medioevo all'Età contemporanea, dir. M. Firpo, N. Tranfaglia, I. Il Medioevo, 1, I quadri generali, Torino 1988, pp. 758-792

F. Delle Donne, Cronache in cerca d’autore: l’autoconsapevolezza come misura della professionalizzazione dello storiografo, in Scrivere storia nel medioevo. Regolamentazione delle forme e delle pratiche nei secoli XII-XV, a c. di F. Delle Donne, P.Garbini, M. Zabbia, Roma 2021, pp. 13-28

T. di Carpegna Falconieri, Cinque altri modi di sognare il medioevo. Addenda a un testo celebre, in «Bullettino dell’Istituto storico italiano per il medio evo», 122 (2020), pp. 407-433

U. Eco, Dieci modi di sognare il medioevo, in U. Eco, Sugli specchi e altri saggi, Milano 1985, pp. 78-89/U. Eco, Scritti sul pensiero medievale, Milano 2013, pp. 1093-1108

P. Garbini, Boncompagno da Signa da retore a storiografo, Reti Medievali Rivista, 19,1, (2018), http://www.serena.unina.it/index.php/rm/article/view/5462

P. Geary, Il mito delle nazioni. Le origini medievali dell'Europa, Roma 2009 capp. III, IV

E. Hobsbawm, Introduzione, in L'invenzione della tradizione, a c. d. E. J. Hobsbawm-T. Ranger, Torino 2002, pp. 3-17

F. Roversi Monaco, Il « dolcissimo » Annibale: rappresentazioni di Annibale I Bentivoglio nella storiografia bolognese tardomedievale, in «SAPIENS, UT LOQUATUR, MULTA PRIUS CONSIDERAT», Studi di storia medievale offerti a Lorenzo Paolini, Spoleto 2019, pp. 435 - 448

F. Roversi Monaco, Medioevo 'medievale' fra stereotipi e storiografia, in Fortune del Medioevo Studi di Medievalismo, a cura di R.Capelli, Alessandria, 2023, pp. 13-30

B. Smalley, Storici nel Medioevo, Napoli 1979, cap. I,II, III, IV

M. Zabbia, Sulla scrittura della storia in Italia (secoli XIII-XV), in Tra storiografia e retorica: prospettive nel basso medioevo italiano, a c. di M. Zabbia, Reti Medievali Rivista, 19, 1 (2018) <http://rivista.retimedievali.it>

BOOKS:

1. B. Smalley, Storici nel Medioevo, Napoli 1979
2. P. Geary, Il mito delle nazioni. Le origini medievali dell'Europa, Roma 2009
3. Scrivere storia nel medioevo. Regolamentazione delle forme e delle pratiche nei secoli XII-XV, a c. di F. Delle Donne, P.Garbini, M. Zabbia, Roma 2021
4. Storici per vocazione. Tra autobiografia e modelli letterari, a c. di M. Zabbia, Roma 2021

PROGRAMME FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS OF THE  SINGLE COURSE  SPAZIO E CULTURA STORICA NEL MEDIOEVO: 

Students who cannot attend classwork must read TWO books from this list (to be agreed with the teacher in advance):

BOOKS:

1. B. Smalley, Storici nel Medioevo, Napoli 1979
2. P. Geary, Il mito delle nazioni. Le origini medievali dell'Europa, Roma 2009
3. Scrivere storia nel medioevo. Regolamentazione delle forme e delle pratiche nei secoli XII-XV, a c. di F. Delle Donne, P. Garbini, M. Zabbia, Roma 2021
4. Storici per vocazione. Tra autobiografia e modelli letterari, a c.di M. Zabbia, Roma 2021
5. P. Zumthor, La misura del mondo, Bologna 1995
6. Jan Assmann, La memoria culturale. Scrittura, ricordo e identità politica nelle grandi civiltà antiche, Torino, 1999
7. A. Assmann, Forme e mutamenti della memoria culturale, Bologna 2015

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures and class discussion.

Assessment methods

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

Please note that those who will miss more than 4 classes will have to take the exam as non-attending students.

It is required that students attend the course regularly and prepare the group discussion of one primary source, assigned by the professor. The preparation of the reading materials will be evaluated on the basis of an oral exam.

The grade of the oral exam will be based on:

- knowledge of the reading materials
- critical skills
- command of the specific language

Students non attending the course will be evaluated on the basis of an oral exam. They will be asked questions aimed to assess their knowledge of the reading materials. The questions will also aim to evaluate the students' command of the specific language, their critical skills, and capacity of re-organizing the acquired information.

The grade assigned on the oral exam will be based on:

- knowledge of the reading materials
- critical skills
- command of the specific language.

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

In-depth knowledge of the reading materials, with good analytical and critical skills and command of the specific language will qualify for a good/excellent mark.

Acceptable and more mechanical knowledge of the reading materials, and/or not always appropriate use of the language will lead to a sufficient/fair mark.

Fragmentary knowledge of the reading materials, weak critical skills, and/or insufficient command of the specific language and will lead to a failure or to a pass mark.

NB: The course (6CFU) is part of the integrated course "SPAZI E INCONTRI TRA CULTURE NEL MEDIOEVO (C.I.) (LM)". If a student has the Integrated Course (12CFU) in his/her study plan, the final exam will comprehend the two components of the course ("Spazio e cultura storica nel medioevo (1) (LM)" and "Cross-cultural encounters in the medieval world" (1) (LM)").

NB: During the academic year, 10 exam sessions are scheduled between January and December.

Teaching tools

Frontal lectures and class discussions will be supported by Power Point presentations aimed to show visual and textual materials. The power point presentations will be made available to attending students via the Virtuale platform.

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: [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students].

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Roversi Monaco