10588 - Exegesis of Medieval Historical Sources (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be familiar with the different trends in contemporary historiography concerning study of the Middle Ages, and will have achieved a capacity for critical analysis and interpretation of written and material sources. They will also have a general overview of medieval historiographic output, and will have learnt how to employ the terminology of the subject advisedly in talking about texts and data. They will be organized and independent in their work, possess a spirit of self-criticism and an ability to learn from mixing with other people.

Course contents

The course includes a first part devoted to the history of the idea of the Middle Ages, followed by a general discussion of the use of sources. The second part examines the various types of sources that the historian of the Middle Ages must know and be able to analyze critically, and provides guidelines for their use and an adequate bibliography of reference. The list of topics is as follows:

1. Introduction to the course and history of the idea of the Middle Ages

2. Sources for medieval history: types and use

3. Historiographical sources

4. The epistolary sources

5. Public juridic documentation: the chancelleries

6. Public juridic documentation: statutes and municipal production

7. Private juridic documentation

8. Accounting sources

9. Judicial sources

10. Medical treaties

11. The literary sources

12. Biographies and hagiographies

13. The material sources: archaeology

14. Artistic sources

15. Orality restored

Readings/Bibliography

Paolo Delogu, Introduzione alla storia medievale, Bologna, il Mulino, 2003.

Francesco Senatore, Medioevo. Istruzioni per l’uso, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2008.

Fonti medievali. Un'antologia, a cura di Tommaso Di Carpegna Falconieri, Amedeo Feniello, Christian Grasso, Roma, Carocci, 2017.

The contents of these volumes will be integrated with materials presented in class and downloadable from Virtuale.

Non-attending students are required, in substitution for the materials presented in class, to read a book of their choice from among:

Giuseppe Sergi, L’idea di Medioevo. Fra storia e senso comune, Roma, Donzelli, 2005.

Stefano Gasparri, Voci dai secoli oscuri. Un percorso nelle fonti dell’alto medioevo, Roma, Carocci, 2017.

Teaching methods

Lectures, with exposition of topics and readings of documents.

Assessment methods

Oral exam, which will focus on the exegesis of one source among those examined in class (for attending students) and on the exegesis of one source among those in the texts in the program (for non-attending students). All, both attending and non-attending students, will be asked additional questions on the texts in the program, of which they must demonstrate a thorough knowledge.
Are evaluated: the property of language, the understanding of the topics discussed, the ability to propose connections between different themes. The vote is expressed in 30/30. At discretion of the teacher, a mention of “lode” can be added.

Evaluation criteria and degrees. The achievement by the student of a full critical knowledge of the topics taught in the course and mastery of the specific language will be evaluated with excellence marks. A mnemonic knowledge of the matter and synthesis and analysis skills articulated in a language not always appropriate will lead to discrete evaluations. Inappropriate formative and/or inappropriate language will lead to just sufficient marks. Serious formative errors, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the bibliographic materials provided by the course will be negatively evaluated.

Teaching tools

Reproductions or editions of the sources analysed in class will be made available to students.

Office hours

See the website of Antonella Campanini