29473 - Economic and Social History of the Middle Age (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

Skills acquired at the end of the course: 1) a critical and updated analysis of documents and bibliography about economic history and medieval society, by using the appropriate sources; 2) an adequate written and oral communication of the research findings; 3) the capacity for team work, even in diverse cultural contexts, by selecting specific contributions to problems of general interest. 

Course contents

The course will focus on some aspects of the economy and urban society in the Middle Ages and will consist of two parts: the first will concern Venetian and Genoese presence in the Black Sea and Azov Sea. In this regard, we will consider the past and recent historiography on the subject, the kind of sources used and the political history of that area. 

In the second part, we will examine, by sampling, the Venetian and Genoese notarial documentation, in order to describe the administrative organisation, trade, religious presence, welfare and services in the Italian settlements of Soldaia, Caffa, Trebisonda and Tana during the 13th-15th centuries. 

Readings/Bibliography

We assume that both attending and non-attending students know the concepts, the events and the main issues of the Economic and Social History of the Middle Ages. To remedy any shortcomings in this regard, it is advisable to study Carlo Maria Cipolla, Storia economica dell'Europa preindustriale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2002 (except chapters VII and VIII of the second Part).

 

Program for attending students:

Bibliographic and documentary material provided in class and the following texts: 

- F. Braudel, Il Mediterraneo. Lo spazio, la storia, gli uomini, le tradizioni, Milano, Bompiani-Giunti, 2017 (Introduction + chapters 1, 2 and 5).

- N. Di Cosmo e L. Pubblici, Venezia e i Mongoli. Commercio e diplomazia sulle vie della seta nel medioevo, Roma, Viella, 2022.

- F. Pucci Donati, Ad viagium Maris Maioris. L'espansione dei traffici veneziani nel XIII e XIV secolo, Udine, Forum, 2023.

 

Program for non attending students:

M. Balard, L’amministrazione genovese e veneziana nel Mediterraneo orientale, in Genova, Venezia, il Levante nei secoli XII-XIV, Atti del convegno internazionale di studi, Genova-Venezia, 10-14 marzo 2000, a cura di G. Ortalli, D. Punchu, Genova, nella sede della Società ligure di storia patria, 2001, pp. 201-212.

- N. Di Cosmo e L. Pubblici, Venezia e i Mongoli. Commercio e diplomazia sulle vie della seta nel medioevo, Roma, Viella, 2022.

- F. Pucci Donati, Ad viagium Maris Maioris. L'espansione dei traffici veneziani nel XIII e XIV secolo, Udine, Forum, 2023.

- E. Basso, Insediamenti e commercio nel Mediterraneo bassomedievale: i mercanti genovesi dal Mar Nero all'Atlantico, Torino, M. Valerio, 2008.

 

 

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons of historiographic kind and of thematic focus; exercises on sources particularly eloquent; final presentation in class of a type of source by each attending student (individually, or in a group of 2/4 students).

Assessment methods

Attending students:

The verification of learning consists of an oral discussion about the material presented during the lessons as well as the texts in the program. Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons (that is, 12 out of 15 lessons) are considered to be attending.

Non-attending students:

The verification of learning consists of an oral discussion based on the course texts.

Assessment criteria. The student's achievement of a critical knowledge of the course contents as well as the mastery of a specific language will be evaluated with marks of excellence. A mnemonic knowledge of the subjet together with the ability to synthesise and analyze will lead to a discrete assessment. Training gaps and/or inappropriate language will lead to a sufficient grade. Significant gaps in knowledge, inappropriate language and a little knowledge of bibliographic materials can only be negatively evaluated. 

The course (6 CFU) belongs to the integrated Course "Economy, society, settlement systems". If a student has the entire integrated course (12 CFU) in his study plan, the final mark will be calculated as the arithmetical average of the marks obtained in each exam of both courses ("Economic and Social History of the Middle Ages" and "History of settlements and settlement systems").

Teaching tools

Texts and images in PowerPoint and reproduction of written sources in PDF format, available on the IOL platform.

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Pucci Donati