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 subject of the course is the history of medieval cities, used as a 'lens' to focus on the main themes qualifying the Middle Ages.

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 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

For attending students who will participate in, and complete, the teaching activities proposed by the lecturer during the course:

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

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 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.

At least one educational visit to the historic center of Bologna is planned.

The teaching participates in the teaching experimentation project of the University, with the model of Integrated Digital Didactics - DDI:

- On the online teaching platform - VIRTUAL, to support exam preparation, particularly for non-attending students, all teaching materials used and cited during the lectures (summaries of the contents of the lectures themselves, reproductions of sources) will be deposited, as well as in-depth readings, films, audio and any other documentation useful for a better understanding of the topics addressed in the compulsory texts for taking the exam.

- On the Teams platform, the outcomes of the teaching activities carried out in groups and/or by individuals on the dedicated Team Medieval History 2024/2025 will be made available

- Three "twilight meetings" will also be scheduled, with students/esses in the evening online. The three meetings, on the Teams platform, will be held on evenings other than class dates to allow all students, both attending and not attending, to meet with the lecturer and others enrolled in the course to talk together about the syllabus, content and topics covered during the lectures and how to prepare for the exam. The schedule for the "twilight meetings" will be announced when classes start (indicatively, the three appointments will take place between November and the first half of December). The meetings are scheduled at 7 p.m. and will last about an hour and a half (much will depend on the interaction of students/esses). Links to connect will be announced in the lecturer's notices section.

Assessment methods

The final exam consists of a written test composed of open-ended questions that cover the contents and topics set out in the texts indicated in the bibliography; the test is differentiated between attending and nonattending students and lasts 90 minutes.

Students with disabilities or special needs are requested to contact the teacher as soon as possible in order to identify the most appropriate compensatory strategies and/or tools to support teaching, in agreement with the University's Service for Students with Special Needs.

During the reception hours students/esses will be able to view the test taken.

The evaluation will be expressed in thirtieths.

In the final exam, the verification of learning will cover disciplinary knowledge, relevance and exhaustiveness of the answers to the questions, the specific vocabulary used, and the critical and methodological skills demonstrated by the student/ess.

Exhaustive preparation on the topics covered, combined with an organic view of disciplinary content and their critical analysis as well as expressive mastery and possession of the specific vocabulary will lead to an excellent assessment (30-30L); preparation on a large number of topics covered in the course combined with the ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis and mastery of the specific vocabulary will lead to a fair assessment (29-27); mostly mechanical and/or mnemonic knowledge of the subject, together with unarticulated synthesis and analysis skills and/or correct but not always appropriate vocabulary will lead to a good assessment (23-26); minimal and partial knowledge of disciplinary content and non-specific vocabulary will lead to a sufficient assessment (18-22).

Teaching tools

- In-depth texts

- Multimedia resources (dynamic presentations, images, documentation videos, movie trailers...)

- Wooclap

- Digital platforms (VIRTUAL, TEAMS)

Office hours

See the website of Manuela Ghizzoni