Office: Library 306/Telephone extension x2318
Office Hours: and by appointment.
Email: gdameron@smcvt.edu
Website: http://academics.smcvt.edu/gdameron/
Upper and Lower Basilicas of San Francesco (Assisi) Photo George Dameron Copyright 2006
The purposes of the course are several: 1) to examine the history of Franciscans and the Franciscan Order on an advanced level, 2) to explore the complex conflicts between Franciscan ideals (devotion to poverty) and the institutional pressures emanating from the upper hierarchy of the Church, 3) to analyze Franciscan apostolic poverty as a case study of the interpretation of the notion of the imitatio Christi, 4) to understand on an advanced level some of the most compelling and influential primary sources associated with medieval Christianity, 5) and to fulfill the requirements of an upper level seminar in the Department of History major and in the Medieval Studies Minor.
The seminar meets weekly on Thursday afternoons, 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. There will be a 15-minute break in the middle of the session. The format for each meeting is discussion of the assigned readings. There will be no lectures. Discussion will focus on the listed of posted (at eCollege) study questions as well as questions about the readings brought to the seminar by individual students (who will take turns). At the end of the semester, students will be responsible to present to the entire seminar the results of their research associated with their seminar paper.
The pre-requisites of the course are Humanities 101 (Ancient and Medieval Civilization), or History 109 (Europe in the Early Middle Ages), or History 111 (Europe in the Later Middle Ages, 1000-1400), or permission of the instructor. Students should have junior or senior standing.
There are several requirements: 1) two (2) two- to three-page typed essays on the two sets of readings due September 14 and 28 (20% of final grade, 10% each essay); 2) a thirteen to fifteen (13-15) page research paper on a topic of the student's choosing (40%), based on research using primary sources, and due on Friday, December 8 (the last day of the semester); 3) a prospectus (one page) and annotated bibliography (15 primary and secondary sources) for the research project (10%), due October 12); 4) an oral presentation of the principal results of the research project at the end of the semester (10%) on December 7 (Thursday); and 5) participation (attendance, class participation in weekly seminar discussions, and general involvement in the work of the seminar), 20%. There is no final examination.
ATTENDANCE
Students will attend every seminar meeting and come fully prepared, having completed all the assigned readings. To miss a single meeting is equivalent to missing an entire week of classes. More than one unexcused absence from a seminar meeting will have a severe impact on the grade. Please arrange all travel arrangements so that you will not miss any scheduled seminar meetings. Any missed seminar meetings because of athletic obligations will need to be made up by a 2-3 page focus paper on the assigned readings (due a week after the missed seminar). If more than one seminar meeting is missed, the student needs to meet with me in my office to review what was covered in the seminar.
The paper is due on at my office on Friday, December 8. 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 focus papers and the two essays on assigned readings do not need to be footnoted and do not need to include 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 (accompanied by a reference librarian). Resources regarding the proper citation of sources are available online at the Saint Michael’s College web site (citation guide). Guidelines for my research papers completed in my course are available at my web site and at the eCollege site.
Research Resources
Aside from the wide array of print journals available to the student in the library, there are also several online databases, many of which are full text, available at the library web site. The most important for the purposes of this seminar are the following: Academic Search Premier, ATLA Religion Database, Expanded Academic Search ASAP, Historical Abstracts (though it covers material that is generally later than what is covered in this course), Iter, JSTOR, and ProjectMuse.
There are also a number of web sites that are relevant to this course: The Franciscan Archive (resources on Francis and Franciscans), The Franciscan Institute (includes links to research databases), The Franciscan Web Page, Orb: The Francisan Order, The Order of the Friars Minor (official web site of the Franciscan Order), the Rule of Saint Francis (Internet Medieval Sourcebook), the official site of the town of Assisi (in Italian), and a site featuring the Middle Ages in Umbria (includes links to official sites of Umbrian towns and cities).
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. According to the Academic Integrity Policy (St. 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 (at least fifteen sources), along with a one-page prospectus of the paper. The prospectus will detail the historical problem being addressed, the primary and secondary sources available, and the projected thesis. It is due on October 12. Students should refer to the document, “Guidelines for Paper Assignments”, at my web site and at eCollege when preparing their bibliography and prospectus. Both periodicals in print (in the library) and in online databases should be used. Examples of online databases include Academic Search Premier, ATLA Religion Database, Expanded Academic ASAP, Historical Abstracts, Iter, and JSTOR.
Students with learning disabilities (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.
Required books for purchase:
On Library (Durick) Reserve at Circulation Desk:
· Rosalind Brooke and Christopher N. L. Brooke, “St. Clare,” in Medieval Women, edited by Derek Baker, editor (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1978), 275-278.
· George Dameron, Florence and Its Church in the Age of Dante (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005).
· Herbert Grundmann, Religious Movements in the Middle Ages, translated by Steven Rowan (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1995).
· Marion A. Habig, St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies (Franciscan Herald Press, 1983).
· Jo Ann Kay McNamara, Sisters in Arms: Catholic Nuns Through Two Millenia (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1996).
· André Vauchez, The Laity in the Middle Ages: Religious Beliefs and Devotional Practices, edited by Daniel Bornstein (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1993).
· Walter L. Wakefield and Austin P. Evans, translators; Heresies of the High Middle Ages (New York: Columbia University Press, 1991).
In Reference Section
Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia, edited by Christopher Kleinhenz (New York: Routledge, 2003).
COURSE PLAN:
August 31: Introduction to Seminar
· Introduction to syllabus, primary and secondary sources
· The Rule of Saint Benedict (online, in class)
· Film (followed by discussion): “Francis of Assisi” (1961)
September 7: Before Francis and Clare
· Grundmann, Introduction and Chapter 1
· Lambert, Medieval Heresy, Parts 1 and 2
· Vauchez, Chapter 7
· Wakefield and Evans, 151-187 (peruse)
September 14: Francis of Assisi
· First essay due
· William Cook, “Assisi,” in Medieval Italy, volume 1, 70-73
· Moorman, Part 1
· Francis and Clare, “Francis of Assisi”: Introduction and The Writings (Francis)
September 21: Clare of Assisi
· Moorman, 205-215
· Steven Botterill, “Clare, Saint,” in Medieval Italy, volume 1, 230-231
· Francis and Clare, “Clare of Assisi”: Introduction and The Writings (Clare)
· Brooke and Brooke, “Saint Clare” (on reserve)
· McNamara, Chapter 11 (“Disordered Women”) (on reserve)
September 28: After Francis (1226-1312): the Thirteenth Century
· Second essay due
· Moorman, Part II (83-205)
· Habig, “Major Life of St. Francis by St. Bonaventure,” 627-787 (peruse)
October 5: After Francis (1226-1312): the Thirteenth Century
· Moorman, Part II (216-304)
· Lambert, Part III (97-207)
October 12: Franciscan Poverty in the Thirteenth Century
· Prospectus and Annotated Bibliography due
· Lambert, Franciscan Poverty, 1-150
October 19: Franciscan Poverty in the Thirteenth Century, continued
· Lambert, Franciscan Poverty, 151-311
October 26: The Fourteenth Century (1312-1417)
· Moorman, Part III
· Lambert, Medieval Heresy, 208-306
November 2: The Spiritual Franciscans
· Burr, Chapters 1-6
November 9: The Spiritual Franciscans
· Burr, Chapters 7-Conclusion
· Dameron, 213-216
November 16: The Fifteenth Century
· Moorman, Part IV, 441-585
· Lambert, Medieval Heresy, 306-349, 415-421
November 23 (Thanksgiving): No Seminar
November 30: Recent Research (1991-2006)—available online and in stacks in periodical section
· John Coakley, “Gender and Authority of the Friars,” Church History 60 (4) December 1991: 445-460.
December 7: Seminar Presentations
December 8: Research Paper Due