87751 - History of the Near East in the Middle Ages (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will have acquired a thorough knowledge of the main historical, cultural, and religious problems concerning the Near East in the medieval period, regarding both the specific geo-historical context and its interactions with the Christian West, the Islamic world, the Byzantine area, and the Mongol territories in Asia. Students will be able to place political, religious, and cultural phenomena in their historical context and investigate their relations critically, looking comparatively at the European historical and political context. They will be able to recognize and analyse documentary and textual sources pertaining to this area, and will also learn to listen, understand and debate respectfully with different cultures and viewpoints, spotting the tie-ups among different disciplines.

Course contents

The first part of the course, spanning the first three weeks of teaching, provides an introduction to the history of the medieval Mediterranean, with particular attention to the relationship between religion and political configurations, interactions among cultures, and the religious pluralism that characterized the region. Special emphasis will be placed on the multicultural societies of the Near East, with the aim of highlighting the significance of Christian–Muslim interactions in the region, especially between the eleventh and the fifteenth centuries. The course opens with an overview of the main historiographical approaches to the study of the medieval Mediterranean. It then examines the major developments of Islamic and Byzantine civilization, as well as the Eastern Christian Churches, during the medieval period.

The second part of the course, taking place during the fourth and fifth weeks of teaching, offers an in-depth exploration of the Crusades, approached as a phenomenon situated at the intersection of political, religious, cultural, and economic factors and as a privileged field of inquiry into trans-Mediterranean relations in the premodern world. The course will address the theological legitimization of violence and the historical and historiographical construction of the concepts of crusade and holy war, before surveying the principal events of the crusading movement and introducing students to key interpretative perspectives informed by recent scholarship.

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students:

IIn addition to the lecture notes and the materials presented in class and made available on Virtuale (PowerPoint presentations and other resources), students attending the course are required to prepare for the examination on the basis of:

1. Storia del Mediterraneo medievale. Tempi, spazi, interazioni, a cura di A. Musarra e P. Silanos, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2025 (Part 2, 3, 4 and 5).
   

2. Luigi Russo, I crociati in Terrasanta: una nuova storia (1095-1291), Roma, Carocci, 2018.

Non-attending students:

1. Storia del Mediterraneo medievale. Tempi, spazi, interazioni, a cura di A. Musarra e P. Silanos, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2025.

2. Luigi Russo, I crociati in Terrasanta: una nuova storia (1095-1291), Roma, Carocci, 2018.
3. One of the following books:

• Averil Cameron, I Bizantini, Bologna, il Mulino, 2008.

• Giorgio Ravegnani, Bisanzio e l'Occidente medievale, Bologna, il Mulino, 2019.

• Antonio Musarra, Le crociate. L'idea, la storia, il mito, Bologna, il Mulino, 2022.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures, class discussion.

Assessment methods

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

Students are required to attend the course regularly and participate actively in class discussions. Please note that those who will miss more than 4 classes will have to take the exam as non-attending students.

The preparation of the reading materials by attending and non-attending students will be evaluated on the basis of an oral exam. Students will be asked questions aimed to evaluate their knowledge of the bibliography, critical skills, command of the specific language of the discipline, and capacity of re-organizing the acquired information.

Evaluation criteria:

In-depth knowledge of the reading materials, with good analytical and critical skills and command of the specific language will qualify for a good/excellent mark.

Acceptable and more mechanical knowledge of the reading materials, and/or not always appropriate use of the language will lead to a sufficient/fair mark.

Fragmentary knowledge of the reading materials, weak critical skills, and/or insufficient command of the specific language and will lead to a failure or to a pass mark.

NB: Four exam sessions are scheduled from September to December and around four from January to July.

Teaching tools

Frontal lectures will be supported by Power Point presentations aimed to show visual and textual materials.

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://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/irene.bueno

Office hours

See the website of Irene Bueno