B5106 - Medieval City Societies (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of this module, students will have acquired knowledge of the main issues related to the history of Italian and European cities from late antiquity to the early modern period. They will acquire both general skills and tools for specific analysis. They will be able to organise, collect and communicate complex information in a coherent way. Students will acquire specific and in-depth knowledge of the historical development and spatial organisation of urban civilisation. They will be able to identify the specific contribution of history in addressing issues and problems of interest to society. They can communicate effectively and produce contributions of general interest.

Course contents

The lectures will address some of the following topics:


1 - The city facing the 'barbarians’

2 - Bishops and patrons

3 - Idealising the city: the 'laudes civitatum’

4 - Medieval Bologna: city walls, towers, canals, and streets

5 - Between care and exclusion: hospitals and lazaretti

6 - Political rhetoric: war and peace

7 - (Foregneir) workers in the city

8 - Mendicant Orders and preaching

9 - Communicating in the city: preaching and spectacle

Readings/Bibliography

For attending students:

Since there is not an handbook reflecting the contents of this module, during the lectures a reader will be progressively composed with essays (about fifteen) and (textual and visual) sources presented and discussed in the classroom in relation with the various topics considered. These materials will be made available online during the module and will constitute the basic text for the preparation of the exam. At the end of the module, the lecturer will provide the exact list of these sources and texts on Virtuale.

For non-attending students:
At the beginning of the module, the lecturer will provide a specific list of the sources and texts (about fifteen of essays) specifically targeted to non-attending students. The list will be available on Virtuale.
In addition to this, non-attending students must study in depth one of the proposed topics by reading one of the following books (other titles, also in English, can be agreed with the lecturer). Please inform the lecturer of your chosen book a few days before the exam.

A.G. di Bari, Lavoratori forestieri a Bologna nel basso medioevo: competenze, ruoli, spazi, Roma, Viella, 2025

C. Frugoni, Paradiso vista inferno: Buon governo e tirannide nel medioevo di Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2019

S. Gasparri e S. Gelichi, Le isole del rifugio: Venezia prima di Venezia, Bari, Laterza, 2024

G. Geltner, La prigione medievale: una storia sociale, Roma, Viella, 2012 (available also in English: The Medieval Prison: A Social History, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2008)

E. Loss, Officium spiarum: Spionaggio e gestione delle informazioni a Bologna (secoli XIII-XIV), Roma, Viella, 2020

M. Melchiorre, La via di Schenèr: Un’esplorazione storica nelle Alpi, Venezia, Marsilio, 2016

G. Milani, Bologna, Spoleto, CISAM, 2012

M.G. Muzzarelli, Le regole del lusso: Apparenza e vita quotidiana dal Medioevo all’età moderna, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2020

O. Niccoli, Vedere con gli occhi del cuore. Alle origini del potere delle immagini, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2011

A. Toaff, Il vino e la carne. Una comunità ebraica nel medioevo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2007 (available also in English as: Love, Work, and Death: Jewish Life in Medieval Umbria, Liverpool, 1996)

P. Ventrone, Teatro civile e sacra rappresentazione a Firenze nel Rinascimento, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2016 (pp. 1-272)

Teaching methods

For each topic discussed, the historiography and some textual or visual source will be presented. During the module there will be a visit to some significant places in Bologna linked with the themes discussed during the lectures.

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.

For non-attending students, the oral exam will focus on the themes discussed in the essays and sources indicated in the syllabus online and on the book selected from the proposed bibliography.

Exam sessions are at least seven along the academic year and will be scheduled for the following months: September, October, January, February, March, June, and July. The exact dates will be announced gradually (link).

The assessment will focus on the skills displayed by the student in handling the sources and the secondary literature in the exam bibliography and their 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;
- ability to discusse these topics with an appropriate and specific lenguage.

Top marks will be given to a student showing an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the materials and an effective use of the appropriate terminology.

Average marks will be given to a student who has memorized the main points of the course and is able to summarise them well, 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 in the use of the appropriate terminology will lead to barely sufficient marks.

Student will be deemed to have failed the exam if they display significant errors in their understanding and fails to present the overall outlines of the topics, together with a poor command of the appropriate lenguage.

The module is also part of the integrated module "Società rurale e società urbana nel medioevo" (12 CFU) C.I. The student's final mark of the integrated course results from the arithmetic average of the marks obtained in the two parts ("Società cittadine medievali" e "Società rurali medievali"), since it is considered one single exam. The examinations of the two modules of the C.I. must take place in the same session.

Teaching tools

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.

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

 

Students with specific learning disorders (SLD) and\or temporary or permanent disabilities are asked to contact the office responsible (link) 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.

Office hours

See the website of Pietro Delcorno