HISTORY 221: THE MEDIEVAL LEGACY
 

Course Requirements




REQUIRED BOOKS (available for sale in the UNCG bookstore):

1. C. Warren Hollister, Medieval Europe: A Short History, 8th edition (McGraw-Hill, 1997)
2. Patrick J. Geary, ed., Readings in Medieval History, 2nd edition (Broadview Press, 1997)
3. Beowulf and Other Old English Poems, trans. C.B. Hieatt, 2nd edition (Bantam Classics, 1983)
4. Chrétien de Troyes, Erec and Enide, trans. Dorothy Gilbert (University of California Press, 1992)
5. The Letters of Abelard and Heloise, ed. Betty Radice (Penguin, 1974)
6. The occasional handout

Note: for certain weeks I have assigned texts that are found on the Internet. I indicate these texts on the syllabus and provide a URL where they can be accessed. If you have trouble using the internet, please see me for assistance.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
 
1.  Attendance, Discussion and Homework (10% of your grade)
I care about attendance and will reduce the grade of those who frequently miss class without first obtaining permission.  Discussion and participation in class can only help your grade.  Try to make at least one comment per week; if you get in the habit of offering your ideas and opinions on the readings you will find that your appreciation and understanding of the material will grow.   I will require that you complete seven (7) short homework assignments during the semester.  This averages to one assignment every other week.  The nature of the assignment may vary; frequently I will ask you to respond to a question about the readings, but I may also ask you to evaluate a web-site, complete a map exercise, or something along those lines.

2. Film Review (5 % of your grade)
I have scheduled a series of five movies with medieval themes to be shown over the course of the semester.  Attend as many as you can for relaxation and discussion.  You only have to attend one of them. For at least one of the films you must write a two-page evaluation of it as history.  That is, I'm not interested in the acting or the plot, but rather how as historians of the Middle Ages we might appreciate or reject the particular film.  You may write further reviews for extra credit.  Please note that it is your responsibility to attend at least one film and write a review of it: I will note who attends a given screening, but will not nag you to remember to attend. Here is the tentative schedule:
      1. The Thirteenth Warrior: week of September 11-15
      2. The Warlord: week of October 16-20
      3. Stealing Heaven: week of November 6-10
      4. The Name of the Rose: week of November 13-17
      5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail: week of November 27-December 1

3. First Paper: due September 29 (15% of your grade)
You will write a short (3 page) essay on an aspect of the world of the Franks.  I will distribute a paper assignment during the first week of class.  Papers must be typed, double-spaced, with standard one-inch margins, and should be written in good, formal English. Be sure to proofread! Consult my "Tips to Writing History Essays" (click here).

4. Mid-Term Examination: Wednesday October 11  (20% of your grade)
This exam will include several short identifications as well as a longer essay.  The goal of the essay will be to have you evaluate and synthesize (that is, pull together) material from the readings and discussions.  The essay questions will always require you to form an argument and defend it by using the sources assigned for the class.

5. Second Paper: due Monday December 4 (20% of your grade)
You will write a slightly longer paper (4-5 pages) on Chretien de Troyes' classic work of chivalric literature, Erec and Enide.  Specific questions and further information will be distributed in class.  Consult my "Tips to Writing History Essays" (click here).

6. Final Exam: Wednesday December 13, 12 Noon to 3 PM (30% of your grade)
The format of this exam will be similar to that of the midterm.  I will ask you several short identifications and then ask you to write two longer essays.

 GRADE BREAKDOWN:
      Attendance, Discussion, Homework:  10%
      Film Review                                         5%
      First Paper (on the Franks):                15%
      Midterm Examination:                         20%
      Second Paper (on Erec and Enide):    20%
      Final Exam:                                        30%
 

RESPONSIBILITY CLAUSE: You cannot pass the class if you do not fulfill all of the requirements listed above.  Assignments are due on the date and at the time listed on the syllabus; if a crisis (such as illness) arises, it is your responsibility to contact me.  If you do not contact me, I will be unable to accept late work.  Contact may be made by phone, email, or a note left in my mailbox in the History Department (219 McIver).  Note that while I provide my home phone number above, I will be annoyed if you call me at home after 9 PM.

THE PLAGIARISM DISCLAIMER
This is a notoriously thorny area for students.  Many students unintentionally commit plagiarism by ‘borrowing' ideas, interpretations, and/or actual words from other authors.  Make sure that your words are your own, and that your interpretations are also your own.  If you find yourself using someone else's words or ideas, make sure you have given him/her credit by using a footnote, endnote, or parenthetical citation.  When writing exams or papers, keep in mind the following points:
 1. DO discuss sources, interpretations, and anything else with your peers and friends.
 2. DO feel free to  make use of interpretations presented in class.
 3. DO NOT slavishly copy, quote, or otherwise present the textbook's rather meager interpretation as your own.  Hollister presents a rather straightforward narration of facts.  In no case will you find that he offers sufficient interpretation to answer an exam question or a paper topic.  You should READ Hollister for background, and to gain a sense of the chronology of events, but when writing you should present your own interpretations based on your reading of the primary sources and our discussions in class.
 4. DO NOT pass off someone else's words or ideas as your own. To do so is to commit the academic crime of plagiarism, a serious offense that can lead to a variety of punishments including failing the course.  If you copy the exact words of another author into your paper, they must appear within quotation marks and you must provide a citation to the source from which you took the quotation.  Likewise, if you simply rearrange the words but keep the main point and/or interpretation from another text, you also must provide a citation indicating the source of the point/interpretation.  Note: my comments in class do not need to be cited.

ADVICE FROM THE PROF: or, how to succeed in History 221 ....
1. Attend class. My experience tells me that it is hard to do well if you don't attend
2. Keep up with the reading.
3. Really, I mean it .... Keep Up With The Reading!
4. Do the reading before you come to class.
5. Make use of the syllabus.  If you lose it, ask me for another copy.
6. Make use of the professor.  I have office hours for a reason - to talk to students! Don't make me sad by staying away ....
7. Try to discern the common theme in the readings for each day.  There is a reason that I assigned the readings that I did. What is it? What is it that I'm trying to have you understand? Almost never will the answer to this last question be "to learn some facts about (person X)". Almost always the answer will have something to do with a larger theme: the nature of kingly authority, the particular character of Christianity, the role of women, etc.


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