Teaching code

4S001216

Teacher

Marco Stoffella

Credits

6

Also offered in courses:

• 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)

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

M-STO/01 - MEDIEVAL HISTORY

Period

Sem 2A dal Feb 17, 2020 al Mar 28, 2020.

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

To show the organization of the course that includes this module, follow this link:  Course organization

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. Give students methodological and critical tools in order to enable them to conduct autonomous researches.

Aims of the course and expected results

The final aim of this course, which is a part of the integrated course in Storia medievale, del Cristianesimo e delle chiese, is to make student comprehend the complexity of researching in history. This will allow students to acquire part of the useful tools, which will permit them to individually lead their own researches and/or autonomous investigations.
Moreover, the aim of this course is also to give students the following knowledge:
- general knowledge of the political and social organization in Europe between 5th and 15th century
- knowledge of the current historical debate on “Urban and rural communities in Italy under the Lombards and the Carolingians”
Through this course students should acquire the following abilities:
- capability of distinguish the different kind of medieval sources
- capability of autonomously analysing sources referred to the subject of this course
- capability of autonomously analysing essays in medieval history written in the mayor modern languages
- capability of autonomously writing papers on topics discussed in class or on topics next to the one discussed during the lectures.

Prerequisites
- In order to follow the topics of this course a basic knowledge of the social and political history of the Middle Ages is asked. Even if it not strictly necessary, a basic knowledge of Latin is welcomed: this will allow the reading and comprehending of the sources presented and discussed during lectures. Latin sources will be translated and discussed by the lecturer.

Program

URBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES IN ITALY UNDER THE LOMBARDS AND THE CAROLINGIANS
The introductory lectures will focus on the historiographical debate on this topic, looking at the entire medieval period. In one fo these general lectures Prof. Wendy Davies, emerita of UCL and Oxford University, visiting professor at the Department Culture e Civiltà, will offer students an overview of her research topics. After this first stage, in the following lectures the role of rural and urban communities in Lombard and Carolingian Italy will be analysed. A special attention will be devoted to central-northern Italy, thanks to dossiers of sources that will be analysed and discussed during lectures and that will be also available in PDF format. The third part of the course will be devoted to the cultural aspects and to the role played by some communities in this respect. Students will be asked to study and analyse original documents and further information will be given them in order to better understand their importance and their meaning. During the last teaching week there will be three excursions; part of them will be held in English together with Master Students in Medieval History from the Freie Universität, Berlin, and with Prof. Dr. Stefan Esders. One trip will take place in Verona, where some monuments and the Capitular Library will be visited. A second trip will be devoted to Brescia and some of its monuments. The third trip will be at Lucca, where monuments and the Archbishopric’s Archive will be visited. The practical aspects regarding the excursions will be discussed with students attending the first lecture: interested students are kindly asked to write an e-mail to the lecture before the 25th of August in order to let him find a co-financing for the trips and cheap prices.

Didactical methods and learning activities asked to students:
The course will be organized as a seminar and will be based on the frontal lecture, class comments, laboratories and on the interpretation of recent historiographical works and of edited sources. After having acquired the historical and historiographical framework, during the second part of the course students will be asked to work autonomously on some sources or will be divided into small groups. Once learned how to use the edited sources, student will have again the opportunity to work on some of the sources that will be seen as originals during the didactical excursions. Students could write short papers autonomously or in small groups on topics related to the excursions; the results can be presented during the different trips, according to the subject.

MANDATORY READINGS FOR ALL STUDENTS:
The general knowledge of Medieval History is absolutely necessary; it can be achieved through manuals or introductions to the study of Medieval History. To those who have a poor knowledge of the Middle Ages I suggest G. VITOLO, Medioevo. I caratteri originali di un’età di transizione, Milan, Sansoni, 2000; alternatively students can choose between the two more recent books of T. LAZZARI, G. ALBERTONI, Introduzione alla storia medievale, Bologna, il Mulino, 2015; A. ZORZI, Manuale di storia medievale, Novara, Utet, 2016. For those who already have a good knowledge I recommend R. BORDONE, G. SERGI, Dieci secoli di medioevo, Turin, Einaudi, 2009. Students will also be asked to individually choose 7 chapters of the volume Storia Medievale, Rome, Donzelli, 1998.

READINGS FOR STUDENTS ATTENDING REGULARLY LECTURES
Students are asked to choose two books among the following titles:
P. BROWN, Il riscatto dell’anima. Aldilà e ricchezza nel primo cristianesimo occidentale, Turin, Einaudi, 2016; S. GASPARRI, C. LA ROCCA, Tempi barbarici. L’Europa occidentale tra antichità e medioevo (300-900), Rome, Carocci, 2012; G. HALSALL, Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West (376-568), Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2007; P.J. GEARY, Il mito delle nazioni. Le origini medievali dell’Europa, Rome, Carocci, 2009; C. WICKHAM, L’eredità di Roma. Storia d’Europa dal 400 al 1000 d.C., Rome-Bari, Laterza, 2014; J.M.H. Smith, L’Europa dopo Roma, Una nuova storia culturale 500-1000, Bologna, il Mulino, 2008; M. MEIER, Giustiniano, Bologna, il Mulino, 2007; S. GASPARRI, Italia longobarda. Il regno, i Franchi, il papato, Rome-Bari, Laterza, 2012; S. COSENTINO, Storia dell’Italia bizantina (VI-XI secolo). Da Giustiniano ai Normanni, Bologna, Bononia University Press, 2008; P. CAMMAROSANO, Storia dell’Italia medievale. Dal VI all’XI secolo, Rome-Bari, Laterza, 2001; P. CAMMAROSANO, Nobili e re. L’Italia politica dell’alto medioevo, Bari, Laterza, 1999; R. MCKITTERICK, History and Memory in the Carolingian World, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2004; R. MCKITTERICK, Charlemagne. The formation of a European Identity, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2008; A. BARBERO, Carlo Magno Un padre dell’Europa, Rome-Bari, Laterza, 2000; T. LAZZARI, Le donne nell’alto Medioevo, Milan-Turin, Bruno Mondadori, 2010; M. COSTAMBEYS, M. INNES, S. MACLEAN, The Carolingian World, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2011; S. PATZOLD, C. van RHIJN (eds.), Men in the Middle. Local Priests in early Medieval Europe, Berlin, De Gruyter, 2016; S. GASPARRI, Voci dai secoli oscuri. Un percorso nelle fonti dell’alto medioevo, Rome, Carocci, 2017; S. GASPARRI, Desiderio, Roma, Salerno, 2019; H. KELLER, Gli Ottoni. Una dinastia imperiale fra Europa e Italia (secc. X e XI), Rome, Carocci, 2012; A.A. SETTIA, Castelli medievali, Bologna, il Mulino, 2017; L. PROVERO, L’Italia dei poteri locali. Secoli X-XII, Roma, Carocci, 1998; G. ALBERTONI, L. PROVERO, Il feudalesimo in Italia, Rome, Carocci, 2003; N. D’ACUNTO, ‪L'età dell'obbedienza‬: ‪papato, impero e poteri locali nel secolo XI, Naples, Liguori, 2007; G. ALBERTONI, Vassalli, feudi, feudalesimo, Rome, Carocci, 2015; C. WICKHAM, Sonnambuli verso un nuovo mondo. L’affermazione dei comuni italiani nel XII secolo, Rome, Viella, 2017; A. AUGENTI, Archeologia dell’Italia medievale, Rome-Bari, Laterza, 2016; Giuseppe Sergi, Antidoti all’abuso della storia. Medioevo, medievisti, smentite, Naples, Liguori, 2010.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

READINGS FOR STUDENTS NOT ATTENDING LECTURES:
Students are asked to choose THREE books among the list.

DOSSIER OF SOURCES: only for students attending lectures. They will distributed by the lecturer as copies or per e-mail.

READING OF ESSAIS OR ANALYSIS OF A CORPUS OF SOURCE FOR THE WRITING OF A PAPER: students are encouraged writing an essay individually or in small groups in order to further deepen topics discussed during lectures. The writing of an assay substitutes one of the mandatory readings of essays. Further bibliographical information will be given during the first lectures; students not attending lectures can receive information during the office hours or per e-mail.

Examination Methods

The target of the final oral exam is to verify the achievement level of the final aim of this course. The oral exam will be divided into two parts: in the first part students will be asked to answer to general questions on the main topics of the Middle Ages, on the topics discussed during lectures or on topics acquired through books that might substitute the missed lectures. If the first part will be successfully concluded, in the second part questions will be asked on the books chosen by students; alternatively, students will present and discuss a paper (max. 10 pages = 20.000 signs) on a topic that will be decided in advance together with the lecturer. The paper must be sent to the lecturer at least three working days before the exam. Depending on the quality and the length of the paper, it will partially or totally substitute one of the individually chosen books. The final evaluation of the course in Medieval History won’t be registered until both results of the integrated course, formed by the average marks of the two parts. The final mark can be registered only by Prof Maria Clara Rossi once the 12 cfu will be acquired and the recording booked by Prof Rossi’s course.

Further information
The attendance of lectures is welcomed. Students not attending lectures will be asked to write an e-mail or to meet the lecturer before exams in order to avoid misunderstandings and/or to choose the topic of their paper.