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29631 - Diplomatics (1) (LM)

Academic Year 2026/2027

  • Teaching Mode: In-person learning (entirely or partially)
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Italian Studies and European Literary Cultures (cod. 6689)

    Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in History and Oriental Studies (cod. 6813)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student understands the specific notions of the discipline: the definition of document and the nomenclature of documents; producers, features, and parts of a document in general; general classification of documents and their examination. The student knows how to conduct a comparative analysis of documents' typologies, as well as how to use the appropriate computer science tools.

Course contents

 

  • 1) Introduction to the general principles of Diplomatics, starting from a definition of the object and scope of the discipline: the document, considered in its fundamental features and in its internal and external elements.
  • 2) Description and analysis of the forms and functions of the medieval document, with some references also to modern and contemporary documents. The course will survey some of the main types of medieval documents, both public and private, seeking to reconstruct their process of production and to follow their historical development, while highlighting their close connections with law, history, and palaeography. A substantial part of the course will be devoted to the analysis of case studies and to practical exercises based on facsimiles of documents of different types, both public and private, including sales, donations, exchanges, emphyteutic leases, wills, judicial and fiscal documents, letters, and diplomatic correspondence. Particular attention will also be paid to the historical development of documentary forms and their formularies. 
  • 3) The method of Diplomatics and the critical assessment of the genuineness of documents. The concept of authenticity and the problem of forgery. The documentary tradition: draft, original, copy.
  • 4) The dating of documents, with a general introduction to medieval chronology and practical exercises.
  • 5) Constant attention will be paid to the critical edition of documentary sources and to the relationship between diplomatics, palaeography, and history, highlighting the importance of documentary sources for historical research.

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    Readings/Bibliography

    1) ATTENDERS

    • A. Pratesi, Genesi e forme del documento medievale, Roma 1999
    • G. Tamba, Una corporazione per il potere. Il notariato a Bologna in età comunale, Clueb 1998, only pp. 57-99
    • G. Nicolaj, Lezioni di diplomatica generale. I. Istituzioni, Roma 2007, only pp. 51-63, 128-133, 180-181, 213-232
    • Teaching materials provided during the course.

    2) UNATTENDERS

    • A. Pratesi, Genesi e forme del documento medievale, Roma 1999
    • G. Tamba, Una corporazione per il potere. Il notariato a Bologna in età comunale, Clueb 1998 (full reading, including examples of forms from private Bolognese documents)
    • A. Bartoli Langeli, Notai. Scrivere documenti nell'Italia medievale, Viella 2006
    • G. Nicolaj, Lezioni di diplomatica generale. I. Istituzioni, Roma 2007, only pp. 51-63, 128-133, 180-181, 213-232

    In addiction, one essay of your choice from the following:

    Teaching methods

    Lectures will be constantly accompanied by the analysis of case studies and by practical exercises in reading, transcribing, and analysing manuscript documents of various types and periods, based on reproductions of original sources and their transcriptions. Students will be encouraged to participate actively in the analysis of the sources and in the discussion of the problems presented.

    Regular attendance and active participation in class are therefore required.

    During the course, some educational visits will be organised to explore the manuscript heritage of the city’s main cultural heritage institutions, such as archives and libraries.

    The course will start on April 5th 2027 and it will finish on May 7th (unless previous lessons to be made up)

    Assessment methods

    For all students, both attending and non-attending, the exam consists of an ORAL INTERVIEW. More specifically:

    1) ATTENDING STUDENTS (Students are considered attending if they participate in at least 75% of the classes).

    The oral interview consists of two parts:

    a) One or more questions on general theory, based on the texts listed in the bibliography.

    b) The diplomatics analysis of a documentary source similar to those examined in class (see Virtuale), using the methods and specialist terminology of the discipline. More specifically, students will be required to identify the general structure of the document, analyse its formulary from a historical perspective, understand the essential elements of its dispositive section, and produce a regest. The exam is therefore intended to assess the critical and methodological skills acquired by the student. Particular attention will be paid to the student’s ability to contextualise documentary sources within the historical and documentary system to which they belong; to distinguish, within them, historically variable information from standardised elements, namely the legal formulary; to identify any peculiarities or critical issues; and to recognise all the elements useful for formulating a critical assessment of the genuineness, tradition, and dating of the document.

    2) NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS. The oral interview consists of two parts:

    a) One or more questions on general theory, based on the texts listed in the bibliography. The exam is intended in particular to assess knowledge of the document, considered in its external and internal features, in its typical forms and functions, and in its historical development through the method of diplomatics. It will also assess knowledge of the contexts in which documents were produced, with particular attention to the Bolognese context, though not exclusively. The student’s critical and methodological skills, developed through the reading of the required bibliography, will be evaluated, and students will be invited to engage with the fundamental themes of the discipline.

    b) One or more specific questions on the additional readings required for non attending students. Particular attention will be paid to the student’s critical and synthetic skills in addressing the main themes of the discipline, as well as to their ability to orient themselves critically within the field of documentary sources, using the critical tools and methods specific to Diplomatics.

    In both cases, for attending and non-attending students, excellent marks will be awarded to students who demonstrate an organic and complete knowledge of the basic principles of the discipline, together with the ability to use them critically, and who show command of appropriate expression and specialist terminology. A mostly mechanical and/or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, limited skills of synthesis and analysis, and/or language that is correct but not always appropriate will lead to fair marks. Gaps in knowledge and/or inappropriate language, even within a framework of minimal knowledge of the examination material, will result in marks no higher than a pass. Significant gaps in knowledge, inappropriate language, and lack of orientation within the bibliography provided during the course will necessarily be assessed negatively.

    AI may be a useful tool to support individual study through further exploration, summaries, and self-assessment activities. As regards assessment, the use of AI is prohibited during the in-person exam. Any use of AI constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

    EXAM SESSION CALENDAR

    During the 2026/27 academic year, eight exam sessions will be scheduled in the following months:

    • November
    • December
    • January
    • March
    • May
    • June
    • July
    • September

    Teaching tools

    During the course, attending students will be provided with various types of teaching materials: transcriptions and reproductions of documents, examples of formulary analysis, slides, thematic bibliography, as well as information on the main digital resources for the study of diplomatics and medieval documents. Attending students will be able to download the materials directly from Virtuale.

    Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

    Office hours

    See the website of Maddalena Modesti