69407 - Comparative History of European Cities

Course contents

Europe is the continent with the highest density and urban population; understand the historical dynamics contributes to better grasping the complexity of current realities.The course includes a series of lessons dedicated to the European historical framework ( 1st-15th centuries), structured according to the following thematic frameworks:

Roman Empire and urbanization of Europe
From Pagan to Christian city
People on the move: European ethnogenesis
Roman barbarian kingdoms and the finding of capital cities
Europe and the Carolingian Empire
Islamic presence in Europe
Feudal Europe and local authorities
Papacy, Empire and Cities in the central centuries of the Middle Ages
European monarchies and cities
Forms of power between municipal and stately urban realities
Urban economy and society in the late Middle Ages

Readings/Bibliography

One textbook among the following:

- Introduzione alla storia medievale, a cura di G. Albertoni, S. Collavini, T. Lazzari, Bologna, Il Mulino 2015

- P. Golinelli, Breve storia dell'Europa medievale, Pàtron Editore, Bologna 2004

- P. Grillo, Storia medievale. Italia, Europa, Mediterraneo, Ediz. Mylab. Pearson 2019

- G. Piccinni, I mille anni del Medioevo, Ediz. Mylab. Pearson 2018

- A. Zorzi, Manuale di storia medievale, Torino, UTET Università, 2016

 

Teaching methods

Teaching is by a combination of lectures and seminars.The active participation of students is strongly recommended.

Assessment methods

Students will be asked three open-ended questions aimed at verifying their knowledge of urban history topics, as taught during the term and available in the Bibliography. Among the indicators that will contribute to the evaluation there are the knowledge of the topics discussed in the lessons and contained in the Bibliography; the property of language and the ability to compare the evolutionary historical lines of the major European cities.

Teaching tools

Lectures based on aerial views comments, cartography and literary sources.

Office hours

See the website of Rosa Smurra