93619 - Christianity

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide the indispensable foundations for a knowledge of the ecclesiastical and religious history of Europe in its most original and dynamic aspects (doctrines, institutions, rituals, vectors and communication processes) and in relation to other major religious cultures of the ancient and medieval world until the evangelization of the New World. At the end of the course, the student will possess the methodological tools for the proper evaluation and critical use of Italian and European cultural heritage regarding archaeology, history, art, literature, archives and libraries , especially in relation to the crucial role of production and documentary-monumental transmission played by ecclesiastical institutions and major religious orders.

Course contents

Attendance is recommended for students who already possess adequate preliminary knowledge, as this cannot be provided during lectures. In particular, students are expected to have:

- a standard textbook knowledge of general history, with particular attention to the Roman imperial and medieval periods;

- a basic knowledge of the Bible, its history and structure; recommended reading: P. Stefani, La Bibbia. Il libro per eccellenza, il Mulino, Bologna 2019; or G. M. Vian, La via delle Bibbie, Bologna, il Mulino 2026.

The first module of this course (6 CFU, equivalent to 30 hours) is also offered as 93619 Christianity for third-year students of the L-42 degree programme in History, Society and Cultures of the Mediterranean.

The second module of this course will be devoted to an in-depth study of the following topic:

The death of the saint: hagiography, anthropology and history

Readings/Bibliography

A) Handbooks

A.1. All students, whether attending or not, who are enrolled in the History of Christianity and Christianity examination are required to have a thorough understanding of one of the following textbooks:

R. Rusconi, Storia del cristianesimo e delle Chiese. Dalle origini ai giorni nostri, Brescia, Morcelliana, 2019

P. Cozzo, A. Nicolotti, Storia del cristianesimo e delle Chiese, Milano, Le Monnier Università, 2025

A.2. They are also required to know one of the following volumes:

P. Stefani, La Bibbia, Bologna, il Mulino, 2004;

G. M. Vian, La via delle Bibbie, Bologna, il Mulino 2026

 

B) Reading material relating to the topic of the second module of the course:

Students attending History of Christianity course are also required to read at least two of the following texts:

R. Hertz, Contributo a uno studio sulla rappresentazione collettiva della morte (1907), trad. it. in Id., La preminenza della destra e altri saggi, a cura di A. Prosperi, Torino, Einaudi, 1994, pp. 53-136

Dalarun J., La mort des saints fondateurs. De Martin à François, in Les Fonctions des saints dans le monde occidental (IIIe-XIIIe siècles), Rome, École française de Rome, 1991, pp. 193-215

P.-A. Sigal, La mort des saints dans les Vies et les procès de canonisation du Midi de la France (XIe-XIVe siècle), in «Cahiers de Fanjeaux», 33 (1998), pp. 17-40

T. Macho, Morte e lutto nel confronto fra le culture, in J. Assmann, La morte come tema culturale, trad. it. Torino, Einaudi, 2002, pp. 71-95

Avezzù G. (a cura di), I sette dormienti. Una leggenda fra Oriente e Occidente, Milano, Medusa, 2002

A. Prosperi, Il volto della Gorgone: studi e ricerche sul senso della morte e sulla disciplina delle sepolture tra Medioevo ed età moderna, in La Morte e i suoi riti in Italia tra Medioevo e prima Età moderna, a cura di F. Salvestrini, G. M. Varanini, A. Zangarini, Firenze, FUP, 2007, pp. 3-29

L. Canetti, Dalla morte dei cristiani alla morte cristiana: il tema del trapasso nei secoli III-X, in Storia della definizione di morte, a cura di F. P. de Ceglia, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2014, pp. 143-164

 

C) Non-attending students enrolled on History of Christianity and Christianitiy courses are required to be familiar with one of the following monographs:

J. Assmann, La distinzione mosaica ovvero il prezzo del monoteismo (2003), trad. it. a cura di A. Vigliani, Milano, Adelphi, 2011

P. Brown, La formazione dell'Europa cristiana. Universalismo e diversità, trad. it. a cura di M. Sanpaolo, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2006

E. De Martino, La terra del rimorso. Contributo a una storia religiosa del Sud (1961), a cura di C. Gallini, il Saggiatore, Milano 2008 (nuova ed. a cura di F. Dei e M. Massenzio, Einaudi, Torino 2023)

C. Ferrari, Santi e sciamani. Una lettura storico-religiosa della Gallia tardoromana, Mimesis, Milano 2022

G. Fragnière, La religione e il potere. La cristianità, l'Occidente e la democrazia (2005), trad. it. a cura di R. Pusceddu, Bologna, EDB, 2008

A. Funkenstein, Teologia e immaginazione scientifica dal Medioevo al Seicento (1986), trad. it. a cura di A. Serafini, Torino, Einaudi, 1996

M. Gauchet, Il disincanto del mondo. Una storia politica della religione (1985), trad. it. a cura di A. Comba, Torino, Einaudi, 1992

C. Ginzburg, Storia notturna. Una decifrazione del sabba, Torino, Einaudi, 1989 (nuova ed., Adelphi, Milano 2017)

S. Gruzinski, La colonizzazione dell'immaginario. Società indigene e occidentalizzazione nel Messico spagnolo (1988), trad. it. a cura di D. Sacchi, Torino, Einaudi, 1994

R. Markus, La fine della cristianità antica (1990), trad. it. Roma, Borla, 1996

J.-Cl. Schmitt, Il santo levriero. Guinefort guaritore di bambini (1979), trad. it. Einaudi, Torino 1982

 

 

 

Teaching methods

The traditional lecture format will be supported by texts and images, which will be shown and made available online to students on the Virtual Learning Environment of the University website.

On this page, students will also have specific sections dedicated to learning how to research sources, edited by Prof. Donatella Tronca (teaching tutor).

Students who are affected by learning disability (DSA) and in need of special strategies to compensate it, are kindly requested to contact the Teacher, in order to be referred to the colleagues in charge and get proper advice and instructions.

Assessment methods

Class attendance is recommended to achieve a good result. All those who cannot attend the course for demonstrable reasons of work are required to agree their syllabus in advance during the lecturer’s office hours.

The oral examination will be held at the end of the course, and it will assess:

- basic knowledge relating to the course program (the assessment is carried out on the basis of the materials examined in class and the texts indicated in the program);

- the ability to understand the problems faced during the lectures;

- knowledge of the discipline in its historical development;

- the ability to frame the sources examined in class in their context, and to discuss them critically;

- the quality of oral expression and the ability to construct a logical-argumentative type of speech.

For students attending the Course, the examination consists of checking the knowledge acquired during the course, above all the sources and other materials progressively uploaded on the Course website Virtuale. In addition, they are required to know the general outlines of the history of Christianity and of the Bible on the basis of one of the Handbooks and the booklet of P. Stefani or G. Vian, and to discuss two of the texts listed under point B in the 'Texts/Bibliography' section.

For non-attending students, in addition to in-depth knowledge of one of the Handbooks and the booklet of P. Stefani or G. M. Vian (point A in the "Reading/Bibliography"), they are also obliged to make a critical reading of two monographs or collection of essays to be agreed with the lecturer during office hours.

The final evaluation will follow these criteria:

- insufficient grade: lack of basic knowledge and inability to produce a correct interpretation of the texts and / or problems;

- sufficient grade: possession of basic knowledge; mainly correct interpretation, but carried out with imprecision and little autonomy;

- good grade: possession of intermediate level knowledge; fully correct interpretation, but not always precise and autonomous;

- excellent grade: possession of high level knowledge; interpretation of problems not only correct but conducted with autonomy and precision. Excellent oral expression skills.

To apply for the thesis, it is necessary to have presented for the examination a final paper on a topic defined together with the lecturer. The use of artificial intelligence is not permitted in the preparation of papers and theses. It is also highly recommended to register on the website and take part in the workshops of the Laboratorio sulle fonti per la ricerca storica organised by Prof. Donatella Tronca.

As the timeframe for drafting a thesis needs to be carefully calculated, arrangements should be made with the lecturer well in advance: at least six months for a three-year degree and at least a year for a master’s degree. The most appropriate graduation session will be suggested by the lecturer on the basis of the work done.

Teaching tools

The main teaching support tools, which will be illustrated in class and on the Virtuale course page, are available at the Campus Central Library (Palazzo Corradini) and at the website AlmaRe - the Library of Bibliographic and Documentary Electronic Resources of the University of Bologna.

Office hours

See the website of Luigi Canetti