Wednesdays and Fridays, 1:20-2:50
Office: Library 306/Telephone
extension x2318
Office Hours: Mondays, 1-3;
Wednesdays, 3:15-4:15, and by appointment.
Email: gdameron@smcvt.edu
Web site: http://academics.smcvt.edu/gdameron/
San Gimignano/Photo: George Dameron/copyright
The purposes of the course are several:
1) to examine the history and culture of early and later medieval Italy
in a chronological and inter-disciplinary manner; 2) to improve the ability of
the student to think critically and analytically about the past through a close
examination of primary and secondary source materials; 3) to familiarize the
student with the wide variety of primary sources available for the study of
medieval Italy, 4) to present an overview of the major historiographical issues
and historical problems associated with the study of Italian history during
those centuries, 5) to instill in
the student a desire to learn more about the Italian medieval past, 6) to expose
the student to recent research in the field of medieval Italian history, and 7)
to explore the complex interactions between society (class,
economy, gender, social structure, politics), environment (geography,
climate, ecology), and culture (literature, fine arts, political theory) by
using medieval Italy as a case study.
History 461 operates as a discussion-based seminar.
Each week requires readings in primary and secondary sources, and most
weeks also have links to the visual arts.
The seminar is interdisciplinary in approach.
We will rely on a list of study questions each week posted at eCollege,
and each seminar meeting a student will be responsible to propose one or more
questions to help guide the discussion.
Another student will be also responsible for choosing a primary source to
discuss. Most assigned primary
sources are from Medieval Italy:
Texts in Translation (for purchase), and each text is numbered.
The
works of art are located in
ARTstor
(an online database available through our
library online catalog) and at the
Web Gallery
Web site.
Each student will choose a seminar research project, and at the end of
the semester, (s)he will present his or her research results.
The seminar meets twice a week, and there will usually be a short
five-minute break in the middle of each session. There are no tests or
examinations.
On April 19 there will be a screening of Pasolini’s
The Decameron (1970) at 7 pm, located
tba. There will be no regular class
meeting the next day, which is Student Research Day.
The pre-requisites of the course are Humanities 101 (Ancient and Medieval
Civilization) or History 111 (Europe in the High Middle Ages, 1000-1400) or
History 108 (Medieval Europe). Students
should have junior or senior standing.
There are several requirements: 1)
two (2) two- to three-page typed essays on two sets of readings (20% of final
grade, 10% each essay) due February 3
and February 15; 2) a thirteen to fifteen (13-15) page research paper on a
topic of the student's choosing, based on research using primary sources, and
due on May 2 (the last seminar
meeting of the semester, 40% of final grade); 3) a prospectus and annotated
bibliography for the research project (10%) due
March 23; 4) oral presentation of the principal results of the research
project at the end of the semester (10%), on either
April 27 or May 2; and 5) class
participation in weekly seminar discussions (20%).
There are no examinations.
The success of the seminar, especially the quality of discussion, will depend on
the degree of involvement and preparation of each member of the seminar.
ATTENDANCE
Students will attend every seminar meeting and come fully prepared, having
completed all the assigned readings for that week and having reviewed the study
questions for that particular week.
More than two unexcused absences from a seminar meeting will have an impact on
the final grade. As a courtesy,
students should inform me in advance of any anticipated absence. Please arrange
all travel arrangements so that you will not miss any scheduled seminar
meetings. Note: because I
will be attending a medieval conference in Florida on March 9, I will not be
able to attend the March 9 (Friday) seminar meeting.
However, I am arranging for a film on early Renaissance art to be
screened to the seminar in the classroom.
Students who miss two consecutive seminar meetings will submit a 2-3-page
response paper, responding to the study questions for those seminars.
The paper is due on May 2 (last day of seminar).
There will be a half a letter grade penalty (5 points) for every day any of the
assigned papers are late.
The seminar paper will follow the required methods of citing primary and
secondary sources, and it must also include a formal bibliography.
History department policy requires students to use footnotes or endnotes
in the proper format. The two
essays on assigned readings will also include footnotes or endnotes and a
bibliography. Early in the semester
I will provide for the seminar an orientation of the online and library
resources available for the research paper, and we will visit the library to
explore research resources.
Resources regarding the proper citation of sources are available online at the
Saint Michael’s College Web site (Citation
Guides).
Plagiarism is a serious academic offense.
According to the Academic Integrity Policy (Saint
Michael’s College Policy on Academic Integrity), plagiarism is the
presentation of “another person's ideas as your own, by directly quoting or
indirectly paraphrasing, without properly citing the original source.
This includes inadvertent failure to properly acknowledge sources."
The penalties for plagiarism can range from receiving a failing grade for
the plagiarized assignment to receiving a failing grade in the course.
In some cases plagiarism can result in
suspension or expulsion from the college.
Each student on will submit to me an annotated research bibliography of primary
and secondary sources in proper format (due
March 23).
(Five primary and ten secondary sources are recommended.) The prospectus
will detail the historical problem being addressed, the primary and secondary
sources available, the historiography on that particular issue (if applicable),
and the projected thesis or conclusion.
Students with learning differences (documented by the Office of the Coordinator
of Academic Compliance—Ms. Toni Messuri) will receive special accommodations
where appropriate. Please see me if
you would like to request such arrangements.
BOOKS TO BE PURCHASED:
·
Frances Andrews and Joanna Drell, editors,
Medieval Italy:
Texts in Translation (Pennsylvania, 2009).
ISBN 978-0812241648
·
David Abulafia, editor, Italy in the
Central Middle Ages (Oxford 2004).
ISBN 10-0199247048.
·
Boccaccio, The Decameron (Norton
Critical Editions), trans. Peter Bondanella and Mark Musa (Norton 1977).
ISBN 10-0393091325
·
Trevor Dean and Daniel Waley, The Italian
City-Republics, 4th edition (2010).
ISBN 978-058255388-0
·
Marios Costambeys, Power and Patronage in
Early Medieval Italy (Cambridge
University Press 2007). ISBN
978-0521178303
E-BOOK (AVAILABLE THROUGH THE DURICK LIBRARY ONLINE CATALOG):
John Kenneth Hyde, Society and Politics
in Medieval Italy (ACLS 2008). ISBN
10-1597405434. ACLS Humanities
E-book (PLEASE NOTE: accessible
through the Saint Michael’s College library catalog—online).
ONLINE
ON
RESERVE IN DURICK LIBRARY
·
Conor Kostick, editor, Medieval Italy,
Medieval and Early Modern Women:
Essays in Honour of Christine Meek (Dublin:
Four Courts Press, 2010).
SEMINAR PLAN:
Week One (January 18 and 20):
Introduction to the Study of Medieval Italy
Week Two (January 25 and 27): Early
Medieval Italy, 300-1000 (The World After Rome)
Week Three (February 1 and 3):
Early Medieval Italy, 300-1000 (Power and Patronage:
A Case Study), Part One
Week Four (February 8 and 10):
Early Medieval Italy, 300-1000 (Power and Patronage:
A Case Study), Part Two
Week Five (February 15):
The Age of the Communes in the North, Monarchy in the South, 1000-1300
Week Six (February 22 and 24 ):
Week Seven (February 29 and March 2 ):
Italy in the Age of Dante, c. 1250-c. 1350
Week Eight (March 7 and 9): The
Commedia (Inferno)
Week Nine (March 14 and 16): Spring
Recess
Week Ten (March 21 and 23): The
Commedia (Inferno)
Week Eleven (March 28 and 30):
The Commedia (Purgatorio)
Week Twelve (April 4): The
Commedia (Purgatorio)
Week Thirteen (April 11 and 13):
Italy in the Age of Boccaccio
Week Fourteen (April 18 and 20):
Crisis and Renewal, 1300-1400 (conclusion)
Week Fifteen (April 25 and 27):
Seminar Presentations
Week Sixteen (May 2): New
Directions in Research on Medieval Italy