11779 - Medieval History (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course the student: acquires the methodological bases and the knowledge necessary for the study of the long medieval period; masters key themes of medieval history (e.g. the transition from the late ancient to the early Middle Ages, the Franks and Carolingian Europe, the affirmation and expansion of the Islam, the reform of the Church, the Italian Comuni, the new religious Orders); is able to engage critically with primary visual and written sources and to orient him/herself within the historiographic debate

Course contents

The module is articulated in two parts, one general and the other thematic. The module will discuss some of the main topics of the medieval period, providing a framework to interpret its dominant aspects. While the specific theme of this year (which will serve as leitmotif of the whole course) will be 'Medieval trials'. Through different types of sources (chronicles, hagiographic texts, judicial acts, inquisition interrogations, canonisation processes, spectacles, frescos) we will analyse how people from different social backgrounds were judged and which were the procedures for passing/constructing a (negative/positive) judgement in medieval societies, questioning the cultural and social contexts that produced this documentation and how, through these sources, the voices and experiences of women and men from that time emerge.

Readings/Bibliography

All students are required to know well the handbook M. Montanari (ed.), Storia medievale, Rome-Bari, Laterza, 2002 (alternatively, it is possible to use: C. Wickham, Medieval Europe, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2016 - available also in Italian).

In addition:

For attending students: the materials discussed during the lectures (sources and short essays: they will be made available online during the module and, at the end of the module, the lecturer will provide the exact list of them) and one book chosen among the list here provided or among those indicated by the lecturer during the lectures. Those marked with a star (*) are linked with the thematic topic.

For non-attending students: two books chosen from the list here provided.

List of books (since some are quite short, they have a supplement)

- A. Barbero, Terre d'acqua: I vercellesi all'epoca delle crociate, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2021 (1a ed. 2007)

- M. Benedetti, Io non sono Dio. Guglielma da Milano e i Figli dello Spirito Santo, Milano, EDF, 1998 *

- E. Bozoky, Attila e gli Unni: Verità e leggende, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016 (available also in French)

- G. De Sandre Gasparini, Fra i lebbrosi, in una città medievale: Verona, secoli XII-XIII, Roma, Viella, 2021 *

- F.-X. Fauvelle, Il rinoceronte d’oro, Torino, Einaudi, 2017. (Available in all the major European languages)

- A. Luongo, La Peste Nera: Contagio, crisi e nuovi equilibri nell'Italia del Trecento, Roma, Carocci, 2022

- G.G. Merlo, Eretici ed eresie medievali, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2011 + G.G. Merlo, Streghe, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2006 * (available online via the University library system)

- M.G. Muzzarelli, Un’italiana alla corte di Francia: Christine de Pizan, intellettuale e donna, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2007 and the introduction/prologue of Christine de Pizan, La città delle dame, book 1, chapters 1-8 (pp. 40-73 in the Italian edition)

- G. Ravegnani, Bisanzio e l’Occidente medievale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2019.

- F. Senatore, Medioevo: Istruzioni per l'uso, Milano-Torino, Pearson, 2022 (1a ed. 2008).

- R. Simek, I vichinghi, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2020 + Saga di Ragnarr, a cura di M. Meli, Milano, Iperborea, 1993.

- M. Vallerani, La giustizia pubblica medievali, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2005 * (available online via the University library system)

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures + PowerPoint slides

During the lectures some source will be read and commented and key trends in the scholarship will be discussed, providing students with bibliographical references useful for further investigations.

Assessment methods

Those who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending students.

For attending students: Oral exam, on the topics presented in the lectures (corresponding to the selection of essays and sources available online) with the discussion of the relevant sources. By asking in advance, the exam can be done also in English.

For non-attending students, the oral exam will focus on the themes discussed in the essays and sources indicated in the syllabus online, with a more in-depth discussion of the topics of the module, in connection with the book selected from the proposed bibliography. By asking in advance, the exam can be done also in English.

The assessment will concentrate particularly on the skill displayed by the student in handling the sources and the secondary literature in the exam bibliography and his/her ability to find and use information and examples to explain and connect the various themes and problems addressed in the course.

The assessment will thus examine the student's:

- factual knowledge of the topics;
- ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;
- familiarity with the terminology associated with the topics and the ability to use it effectively.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology.

Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the course and is able to summarise them satisfactorily, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology.

Minimal and correct knowledge of the contents of the module, yet with lack of significant details and deficiencies in the use of the appropriate terminology will lead to barely sufficient marks.

A student will be deemed to have failed the exam if he/she displays significant errors in his/her understanding and fails to present the overall outlines of the subject, together with a poor command of the appropriate terminology.

Teaching tools

Usually lectures will be supported by a PowerPoint.

For what is possible, the materials (sources, essays, and PowerPoint) will be accessible on virtuale.unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Pietro Delcorno