11379 - Medieval History

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the students will be able to appreciate the value of historical knowledge for the understanding of the present, and to distinguish the objectivity of the facts that make up history from the subjectivity of every form of its interpretation and narrative (historiography). They will understand the meaning, forms and essential value of the sources and will be able to conduct research through their use; - they will be aware of the limits and partiality of the term "Middle Ages "; they will be able to identify the great legacies of the medieval period, for instance in the evolution of the relationship between humanity and the environment , in the diffusion, in the interweaving and conflicts of the great monotheistic religions; in the formation of European nations; in the development of technology; in the sedimentation of the architectural and historical-artistic heritage of the European continent, of Italy and its cities. Finally, they will be able to recognize and respect the imprints and legacies of the different cultures that remain in our societies

Course contents

The course adopts the blended teaching model: 30% of the lectures are conducted remotely (detailed information under Teaching Methods)

The subject of the course is the history of medieval cities, used as a 'lens' to focus on the main themes qualifying the Middle Ages. Indeed, the development of urban organisms, especially in Italy, lends itself in an exemplary manner to framing and defining the essential lines of the long medieval era.

Knowledge of the evolution of cities will concern:

1. the 'city of stone', i.e. the material structures, such as public and private buildings, infrastructures and public works, urban systems (road layout, allotments...)

2. the 'city of men', i.e. institutions, political bodies, local legislation, economic and demographic dynamics, culture and religion.

The course will give students the opportunity to approach medieval history from the well-known and concrete context of historical cities, whose original shapes and characters mostly date back to medieval times.

The learning outcomes of the course are:

- through the study of the history of cities, getting to know the themes that qualify the Middle Ages, such as the crisis of the Roman Empire, the spread of Christianity, the barbarian invasions and the Roman-Germanic kingdoms, the Islamic civilization, Carolingian Europe, local powers, the recovery of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the age of municipalities , the religious movements, the characteristics of the fourteenth century, Italy as regional states;

- learning the specific vocabulary of the discipline;

- understanding the phenomena that qualify the abovementioned themes and establishing a connection among them;

- formulating conceptual summaries and critical judgments.

Readings/Bibliography

During the course, students will carry out - in groups or individually - the teaching activities proposed by the lecturer (commentaries on documents, texts or videos and reasoned and original reports on the topics dealt with in lectures; the modalities of the course will be explained in detail during the first lecture):

F. Bocchi, M. Ghizzoni, R. Smurra, Storia delle città italiane dal Tardoantico al primo Rinascimento, Torino, UTET Libreria, 2002, limited to Part Two The History (from p. 31 to p. 210)

and

F. Senatore, Medioevo. Istruzioni per l'uso, Pearson, 2022, limited to the following parts: Ch. 1, Ch. 2 par. from 2.1 to 2.6, Ch. 3 par. 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3,5 e 3.7

For all the other students:

F. Bocchi, M. Ghizzoni, R. Smurra, Storia delle città italiane dal Tardoantico al primo Rinascimento, Torino, UTET Libreria, 2002

alternatively

G. Piccinni, I mille anni del Medioevo, Pearson, 2023

and ONE volume of your choice from the following:

F. Senatore, Medioevo. Istruzioni per l'uso, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2022 (3rd edition)

M. Gazzini (a cura di), Il falso e la storia. Invenzioni, errori, imposture dal medioevo alla società digitale, Milano, Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, 2020

A. Barbero, Barbari. Immigrati, profughi, deportati nell’impero romano, Bari, Laterza, 2008

G. Milani, I Comuni italiani, Bari, Laterza, 2005

I. Lazzarini, L’Italia degli stati territoriali. Secoli III-XV, Bari, Laterza, 2003

To support exam preparation, students who are unable to attend the lectures will find teaching materials on the online teaching platform - VIRTUALE, that are useful for a better understanding of the topics covered in the compulsory text and the bibliography to be used for the exam. The lecturer is available, in addition to office hours, for personalised meetings to guide study and preparation for the exam.

Erasmus and Overseas students must contact the teacher to agree on a exam program, dedicated to specific aspects of the course (also in relation to any previous knowledge of the medieval age and the history of Italian cities). The examination will take place in Italian.

Teaching methods

Lectures (in-presence and online) with strong interaction of the lecturer with the students to stimulate and encourage their active participation; flipped lectures; collective discussions; analysis and commentary of: documentary and iconographic sources, historiographical texts, films.

In-presence lessons will be alternated with five online lessons (of 3 hours each), on the Teams platform, dedicated to small group exercises. The meetings will be aimed at acquiring: awareness of the main concepts of historical thought applied to the mediaeval age; familiarity with the vocabulary of the mediaeval historian and, more generally, with writing; competence in documentary and bibliographical research strategies. The meetings will be dedicated, indicatively, to the analysis of historical sources (two appointments); a critical approach to historiographical elaborations; methods and strategies of historical narration. The outcomes of the group work will be discussed and commented in plenary session, under the guidance of the lecturer: this activity will have a formative assessment function (without a grade).

TWO GUIDED TOURS OF THE CITIES OF RIMINI (at the beginning of the course) AND URBINO (at the end of the course) ARE SCHEDULED, WITH EXPENSES CHARGED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES

Twilight Meetings: Three online evening meetings will also be held. The three online meetings will take place on different evenings from the class dates, to allow all attending and non-attending students to meet the teacher and the other students enrolled in the course to talk together about the programme, the contents and the topics explained during normal lessons. The "twilight meetings" will take place on the Teams platform in three significant moments: at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the course. The exact dates of the twilight meetings will be communicated as soon as the timetable of lessons is known. The meetings rendez-vous will be around 19:00 and will last about an hour. The links to connect will be communicated in the teacher's notices section

Assessment methods

The final exam consists of an oral test that will focus on the topics set out in the texts indicated in the bibliography.

The evaluation will be expressed in 30ths.

During the oral test, the verification of learning will cover the disciplinary knowledge, critical and methodological skills acquired by the student.

The organic vision of the disciplinary contents and their critical analysis, the expressive mastery and possession of the specific vocabulary will lead to an evaluation of 30-30L; he preparation on a large number of topics covered in the course combined with the ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis and the mastery of the specific vocabulary will lead to an evaluation of 29-27; the mostly mechanical and / or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, together with the skills of synthesis and analysis not articulated and / or a correct but not always appropriate vocabulary will lead to an evaluation of 23-26; the minimal and partial knowledge of the disciplinary contents and a non-specific vocabulary will lead to an evaluation of 18-22.

Students with different skills and special needs are requested to contact the teacher in order to identify - as far as possible - compensating strategies or tools to support the teaching.

Teaching tools

On the online teaching platform - VIRTUALE, students will find all the teaching materials used and quoted during the lectures (summaries of the contents of the lectures themselves, reproductions of sources, results of group and/or individual work) as well as in-depth readings, films and any other documentation useful for a better understanding of the topics addressed. The content shared during the three "twilight meetings" will also be made available on VIRTUALE.

Office hours

See the website of Manuela Ghizzoni