11379 - Medieval History

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student knows the fundamental features of the political-institutional and socio-economic history of the period comprised between the 5th and 15th centuries, critically investigating the various phases, phenomena and fundamental elements also through the filter of the features of specific historiography. He/She has also deepened his/her knowledge of the agents and structures that, over the long term, determined phenomena and events, of the modes and forms of their origins, crises, revival or disappearance throughout the medieval age.

Course contents

The course aims to illustrate the most significant moments of the millennium between the crisis of the Roman Empire and the end of the 15th century. The lectures will focus on the fundamental stages of the European Middle Ages: the ‘barbarian invasions’ followed by the construction and subsequent disintegration of the Carolingian Empire; the feudal age, the growth of cities, and finally the great crises that, from the 14th century onwards, saw the emergence of new political, cultural and religious patterns. The European dimension of the course will be given not only by the territory examined, but also by the consideration of different European historiographical traditions, sometimes contradictory in their understanding of the very concept of ‘Middle Ages’.

Monographic part: readers and writers in the Middle Ages.

During the last part of the course, we will focus on the history of reading and writing practices during the Medieval age, and on the concept of literacy. Who wrote, who read, and why? The idea of a monopoly of the clergy on written culture during the Middle Ages has long since been called into question by different and complementary historiographical currents. They have re-evaluated the role of the laity in the construction of European cultures and, more recently, that of women.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Hanbook (to be chosen by the student)

- P. Grillo, Storia medievale. Italia, Europa, Mediterraneo, Milano, Pearson 2024 (first or second edition)

- G. Albertoni, S.M. Collavini, T. Lazzari (a cura di), Introduzione alla storia medievale. Nuova edizione, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2020 (disponibile anche in formato digitale sulla piattaforma Pandora)

- W. Blockmans, P. Hoppenbrouwers, Introduction to Medieval Europe, 300-1500, Routledge 2023 (anche in formato digitale su Taylor and Francis)

2. Monografic part

The teacher will provide a list of articles (in different languages). The student must choose at least one of them, to be presented during the oral examination. The study will first consist of summarising the author's thesis(s), then placing this(these) within the general framework of the course content and the textbook (i.e. within a general historiographical framework). The student may also, in conclusion, propose transdisciplinary interpretations of the meaning of these theses (i.e. not only strictly historical).

The material will be made available on Virtuale.

Teaching methods

Frontal lesson in Italian language with the aid of Power Point materials. The powerpoint files used during the lesson will be made available on Virtuale. One or two educational trips (in Bologna) are planned during class time.

Assessment methods

The examination consists of an oral interview in which the student's critical and methodological skills are assessed and he/she is invited to engage with the course material. In the assessment of the examination, particular account will be taken of the student's ability to orientate himself/herself within the examination material in order to draw out useful information that will enable him/her to illustrate themes and problems and to be able to link them together.

The oral test will consist of the teacher's proposal of a theme (linked to the content of the lessons and the textbook): the theme, whether transversal or precise, will have to be illustrated in an articulate and synthetic manner by the student. At a later stage, the student will be invited to present the study he/she has carried out on the basis of the articles/chapters chosen on Virtual (see above).

Teaching tools

The course will make use for almost all the lectures of texts and images presented on Power Point. The presentations used in lectures and suggested readings will be available on Virtuale, the University's repository for sharing teaching support tools.

Office hours

See the website of Sylvie Marie Laure Duval