11379 - Medieval History (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will know the essential of the Middle Age; he is able to contextualize and to study with criticism trends or events with the capability to explain differences occurring during the time; he is able to recognize the different historical sources.

Course contents

The program is divided into two parts: the first of an institutional nature, the other of a monographic study.

Institutional part: the medieval age, from the crisis of the Roman Empire to the early Renaissance (approximately 44 hours):

a) the end of the ancient world;

b) the kimgdom of the Franks;

c) Byzantine and Longobard Italy;

d) the rise and crisis of the Carolingian Empire;

e) the Mediterranean in the early Middle Ages;

(f) the 11th century;

g) the political structures of the late Middle Ages: Papacy, Empire, national monarchies;

(h) the “Comune” in Italy;

(i) the 14th century;

(l) the political structures of the late Middle Ages.

Reference book: the Manual of Andrea Zorzi indicated in the "Bibliography" section.

 

Monographic part: A distorted representation of the Middle Ages (approximately 16 hours).

Reference book: the volume of Marco Brando indicated in the "Bibliography" section.

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students will prepare the final exam following this bibliography with the support of materials and notes provided in class:

A. Zorzi, Manuale di storia medievale, Torino, UTET, 2021.

Parte monografica: Marco Brando, Medi@evo. L'Età di mezzo nei media italiani, Roma, Salerno ed., 2023.

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

 

Additional bibliography for non-attending students.

Non-attending students will prepare the final exam following the previous bibliography with the support of one of the following additional readings:

- A. Brusa, G. Sergi, La storia medievale senza luoghi comuni, Palermo, Palumbo, 2025.

- Medioevo che crea. Innovare, inventare, sperimentare nell'Italia dei secoli X-XIX, a cura di F. Franceschi, P. Nanni, G. Piccinni, Bari, Laterza, 2025.

- B. Pio, Giovanni da Legnano. Un intellettuale nell'Europa del Trecento, Bologna, BUP, 2018.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures (general approach to the subject); reading and comment of the principal sources. Original texts and references slides will be available online (virtuale.unibo.it).

Assessment methods

The final exam will be an oral one, with questions aimed to verify the student's knowledge of the themes discussed during frontal lessons (only for students that participated in classwork) as well as those treated in the program's texts. Among the elements that concur in the final evaluation there are: detailed knowledge of the book's content, property of language, and especially the capacity of organizing the information into complex answers showing expositive and critical skills.

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 material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary.
A student will be deemed to have failed the exam if he displays significant errors in his understanding and failure to grasp the overall outlines of the subject, together with a poor command of the appropriate terminology.

Eleven exam appeals are scheduled during the academic year: one per month, excluding August.

 

Teaching tools

We will use power point slides with images, graphics and geographics maps.

Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Links to further information

https://unibo.academia.edu/BerardoPio

Office hours

See the website of Berardo Pio