81749 - History of Women and Gender in the Medieval Period (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will know and apply the methods of gender studies and be able to recognise them in medieval historiography. In this light they will analyse narrative sources, legislation, treatises, literature and iconography. They will be able to write a little paper, collecting, selecting, organizing and logically outlining documentary data and information so as to formulate independent conclusions and opinions. They will interpret the products of historical communication with a critical eye and be able to personlize their own learning path in an organized, independent way, displaying self-criticism and interpersonal relating skills.

Course contents

Female Literacy in the Early and High Middle Ages

Did women go to school between the 6th and 11th centuries? Did they learn to read and write? Have their works remained, and do we have the right lenses today to be able to read them?

Through the analysis of recent scientific literature on the topic and the direct reading of excerpts from sources (in Latin, but always translated), the course, conducted mainly in a seminar form, proposes to address the issue of female "literacy" between the Early and High Middle Ages.

The use of conceptual tools of gender history will allow us to identify the forms that writing assumed in the construction of social identity of individuals, both male and female, in that specific historical context.

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students will work on the course materials (sources, images, powerpoints and readings) that will be made available on the University's teaching platform.

Non-attending students will have to study:

Chiara Stedile, La Vita Mathildis antiquior e la scrittura femminile in epoca ottoniana, prefazione di Tiziana Lazzari, Pacini, Pisa, 2023.

Correspondances de femmes et diplomatie (Espagne, France, Italie, IX^e-XV^e s.), a cura di Isabella Lazzarini, José Manuel Nieto Soria e Patricia Rochwert-Zuili, 2021 scaricabile qui [http://books.openedition.org/esb/3850]

in particolare, sarà accertata la conoscenza dei saggi:

Isabella Lazzarini e Patricia Rochwert-Zuili, Enjeux et stratégies diplomatiques dans la correspondance des femmes du Moyen Âge https://books.openedition.org/esb/4005

Tiziana Lazzari, “Cecinimus psalteria mille”: il linguaggio diplomatico di una grande badessa di età carolingia, Thiatilde di Remiremont https://books.openedition.org/esb/3917

Valentina Prisco, Isabella di Chiaromonte, regina di Napoli: esercizio del potere e diplomazia durante la Guerra di successione (1458-1465) https://books.openedition.org/esb/3985

Isabella Lazzarini, La marchesa e il papa. Rapporti diplomatici tra Barbara di Hohenzollern, Pio II e la curia romana (1459-1461) https://books.openedition.org/esb/3992

Federico Piseri, Le lettere della sposa bambina: diplomazia e vita di corte nel carteggio di Caterina Sforza durante la minore età https://books.openedition.org/esb/3997

Teaching methods

After a few lectures introducing the topic, students will be involved in reading and presenting specialised scientific essays and analysing selected unpublished sources.

Assessment methods

Attending students will prepare a paper of approximately 10 pages (20,000 characters, including spaces) outlining the results of individual or group work set during the lectures.

The paper must be submitted in digital format (Word, Openoffice, pdf) at least 5 days before the date of the call for papers.

Non-attending students will take an oral test to check their learning and understanding of the books on the syllabus.

Evaluation criteria

In the evaluation of both the thesis (frequenting students) and the oral test (non-attending students), account will be taken of the student's ability to find their way around the sources and bibliographical material proposed, to illustrate themes and problems and to be able to link them together.

The following will therefore be assessed:
- The mastery of the contents
- The ability to synthesise and analyse themes and concepts
- The ability to express oneself in language appropriate to the subject matter

The student's attainment of an organic vision of the themes addressed in the lessons together with their critical use, a good mastery of expression and specific language will be assessed with marks of excellence.

A mnemonic knowledge of the subject, together with synthesis and analysis skills articulated in a correct but not always appropriate language, will lead to fair marks.

Formative deficiencies and/or inappropriate language - albeit in the context of minimal knowledge of the examination material - will lead to grades that do not exceed sufficiency.

Formative deficiencies, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the bibliographical materials offered during the course will lead to negative marks.

Teaching tools

"Virtuale", the University's repository of teaching materials, will be used for the distribution of teaching materials: power points summarising lecture content, pdf files of sources and further reading

Office hours

See the website of Tiziana Lazzari