REQUIRED BOOKS:
1. Antony Black, Political Thought in Europe, 1250-1450 (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1992). ISBN:052138609-8.
2. Uta-Renate Blumenthal, The Investiture Controversy: Church and
Monarchy from the Ninth to the Twelfth Century
(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1982). ISBN: 0812213866
3. Susan Reynolds, Kingdoms and Communities in Western Europe, 900-1300,
2nd edition (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997).
ISBN 0198731477
4. Brian Tierney, The Crisis of Church and State, 1050-1300
(Univ. of Toronto Press, 1982). ISBN: 0802067018.
5. Alfred the Great: Asser’s Life of Alfred and Other Contemporary
Sources, ed. Simon Keynes and M. Lapidge (Penguin, 1984)
ISBN: 0140444092
6. Other articles and selections from books will be available from
the World Wide Web as well as in the Reserve Room of Jackson Library.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Discussion and Attendance:
10%
Short Writing Assignments
20%
Midterm Exam (March 3):
20%
Research Project (due ):
25%
Final Exam (May 12, 8-11 AM): 25%
1. Discussion and Attendance: (10%)
Attendance in class and active participation in discussion are important
components of learning. Indeed, most days I will not lecture but
rather will merely facilitate discussion of the assigned readings and topics.
2. Short Writing Assignments (20%)
Most weeks I will ask you to write at home either a short (1 page)
response piece to the readings or several (1-2) sample identifications
(as practice for the exams). There will be 10 of these assignments
in total, each worth 10 points. Your aggregate grade for this part of the
course will thus be the sum of the grades for the 10 assignments.
3. Midterm Exam (20%) March 3
The midterm will include several short-answer identifications (who,
what, where, when, and why important) and one longer, synthetic essay.
The goal of the longer essay will be to have you evaluate and synthesize
(that is, pull together) material from the readings and discussions.
You will write the essay (from a list of 2-3 questions provided by me)
at home and bring it to the exam date; then, in class, you will answer
the identifications.
4. Research Project (25% of course grade, sub-divided as is found below)
(staggered due-dates; see below):
For this course each student will conduct a research project on an
aspect of medieval political activity or thought. You are welcome
to follow your own interests in choosing a topic for this project (see
the end of the syllabus for some suggestions), with, however, one important
caveat: whatever your topic, it must have an analytical question underlying
it. This means that even if you choose to write on a particular person
(a king, a pope, a writer, etc), your paper cannot be simply a recitation
of a person’s life and/or deeds, but must instead ask some question about
that person or event (what was the extent of King A’s powers vis a vis
the church? Why did Pope X and King Y clash so violently?, What political
principles are embodied in episode Z?, etc., etc.). Papers are to be 8-10
pages (typed) in length, and should ideally be based on both primary and
secondary sources.
a. individual meetings with professor to discuss
your general interests (week of Feb 17-21)
b. written statement of topic and preliminary analytical
question. Due: March 7
c. Bibliography. Due: March 24
Bibliographies will vary by topic. Still, you should aim to combine some
primary sources (ie., those written during the Middle
Ages) with some secondary sources (ie., writings by modern scholars).
As a rough guideline, I would think that most students
ought to be able to come up with a bibliography containing at least two
(2) primary sources and at least five (5) secondary
sources (including articles).
d. Source Analysis (5% of course grade) Due: April
7
You are to write a 2-3 page written analysis of one of the sources (or
a selection from a source if you’ve found a particularly
long one) you are using for your project. You may choose to analyze
either a primary source or a secondary source. If you
choose a primary source, you are to briefly consider author, date, and
place (treat these VERY quickly) and then spend your
time exploring 1) the genre of the text and how genre affects its content
and 2) the significance of the text for your project. If
you choose a secondary source, you should present the author’s argument
and then offer a critique of it (was it successful?
why? what was good about the argument? how did he/she use evidence?).
e. Argument and Outline Due: April 21
Turn in a first draft of your argument/thesis paragraph along with an outline
of your paper
f. Final Draft of Research Paper (20% of course
grade): DUE: Monday April 28 in class
An 8-10 page, typed paper, with proper citations and an analytical argument
5. Final Exam (25% of course grade) Monday, May 12, 8-11 AM
The format will be identical to that of the midterm. You will prepare
2 short essays at home and then come to the exam period to write several
short answers and/or identifications.
RESPONSIBILITY CLAUSE: You cannot pass the class if you do not fulfill all of the requirements listed above. This means that you will fail the course if you don’t, for instance, write the first paper. 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, late work will be awarded significant penalties. 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.
OTHER LEGAL STUFF:
1. In case later consultation should prove necessary, students are
asked to keep copies of all graded assignments until the end of the semester
(at least).
2. PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is a type of cheating, and occurs when a
person passes off (whether intentionally or un-intentionally) someone else’s
words or ideas as their own. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense,
which, in its most overt forms, can result in formal disciplinary action
by the university. 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.