Teaching code

4S001216

Credits

12

Coordinator

Mariaclara Rossi

Language

Italian

Also offered in courses:

• Forms of Religious Life in the Christian West of the course Master's degree in Philosophy
• Medieval History (m) of the course Master’s degree in Tradition and Interpretation of Literary Texts
• Medieval History I - LM [Sede VR] of the course Master's degree in Arts (interuniversity)
• Hystory of Christianity and of the Churches [Sede VR] of the course Master's degree in Arts (interuniversity)

Moodle Seminars 0

The teaching is organized as follows:

Learning outcomes

To deepen one or more aspects or specific subjects related to the medieval society through readings and comments, oral or written, of sources of different kind and through the reading and discussing of important historiographical texts. To give students methodological and critical tools in order to enable them to conduct autonomous researches. Acquisition of capabilities in order to correctly and successfully complete researches in History of Christianity and of Churches and to tackle the critical exegesis of the related sources.

Program

Church and Women in the Christian West (Ancient and Middle Ages).
The course aims to investigate bibliography and sources (some example of documentary, literary, hagiographic sources) concerning the relationship, sometimes very problematic, between Christian religion and women from the origin of Christianity to Late Middle Ages. Together with the evolution and historical development of that relationship some thematic itineraries, exemplifying the attendance / exclusion of women from the life of the Church, will be presented.

Required reading for students attending the course:

A. Valerio, Donne Chiesa. Una storia di genere, Roma 2016.

R. Guarnieri, Donne e Chiesa tra mistiche e istituzioni (secoli XIII-XV), Roma 2004 or

A. Bartolomei Romagnoli, Santità e mistica femminile nel medioevo, Spoleto 2013.

Required reading for students not attending the course:

In addition to the essays contained in the two manuals mentioned above, it is recommended that students read one of the works listed below:

B. Selene Zorzi, “Al di là del genio femminile”. Donne e genere nella teologia cristiana, Roma 2015.

-J. Dalarun, La donna vista dai chierici, in Storia delle donne, a cura di G. Duby e M. Pierrot: Il medioevo, a cura di C. Klapisch-Zuber, Roma-Bari 1990, pp. 24-55.

-Donne cristiane e sacerdozio. Dalle origini all’età contemporanea, cura di D. Corsi, Roma 2004.

-C. Lee, La tradizione misogina, in Lo spazio letterario del medioevo; 2. Medioevo volgare, IV L’attualizzazione del testo, Roma 2004, pp. 509-544.

-Le donne nella chiesa e in Italia, a cura di L. Mezzadri, M. Tagliaferri, Cinisello Balsamo 2007.

Teaching methods:
For students attending the course the main teaching methods will be the traditional lecture, interspersed with seminar type discussions where students will have an opportunity to raise particular questions and issues. In this course there will also be a mid-course evaluation consisting of a paper/presentation to be given by the student on the topics developed in the lectures. During the lectures a collection of sources will be distributed and examined which will constitute part of the programme. Other bibliographic references useful for an exploration of the topic will be provided over the course of the lectures.
Activities supporting the teaching: seminars, meetings and conferences on the topics of Christianity recommended or organized by the teacher.

Bibliography

Examination Methods

The course aims to provide the methodological and cultural foundations for a study of the history of Christianity within the wider context of the history of the Western world. It sets out to develop the skills needed to:
- read and interpret sources and use the tools of historical-religious scholarship;
- critique sources in relation to the issues faced by historical-religious scholarship;
- navigate specialised bibliography, in addition to the manual;
- develop independently a research project in the field of the history of Christianity and religious life.
- read and transcribe an archive source.