Summer 2017 - HIST 220 D100

Late Medieval and Renaissance Europe (3)

Class Number: 4544

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 8 – Aug 4, 2017: Tue, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Aug 13, 2017
    Sun, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to the world of late Medieval and Renaissance Europe (c.1200-c.1500). Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

The year is 1072 and in the Roman imperial city of Constantinople a group of notables who have blinded and exiled their emperor are now rethinking strategies for fighting off the Seljuk Turks. Across the Mediterranean Sea, in Spain, King Alfonso VI has united the kingdoms of Castile and Leon and set his eyes on Muslim lands in the Iberian Peninsula. With war on the frontiers, a new idea of Europe was in the making.

This course follows the socioeconomic and cultural transformation of Christendom into Europe as we know it today from the 11th until the 15th centuries. It examines the outcomes of migration, the rise of cities, changes in trade, economy and medieval spirituality, the clash of ecclesiastic and secular authorities, the conflict and integration of Christians, Muslims, and Jews, as well as the birth of institutions relevant to this day, including the university and parliament.

Throughout the semester, students will learn about the shifts in power relations between Western European and Mediterranean states. Under the guise of common faith, the Christians embarked on crusades outside their realms and into the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, and Southern Spain. These expeditions contributed significantly to the medieval Christians’ division of the world into Europe vs. ‘the other’. The contact between Europe and ‘the other’ also encouraged cultural exchange, which helped shape a distinctly European civilization.

By engaging in an in-depth reading and analysis of primary sources, students will be exposed to questions of race, class, social mobility, gender, ethnic and religious minorities, migration, and genocide. By reading and writing about these documents, students will be introduced to the processes by which historians derive interpretative conclusions from primary source material and will deepen their understanding of the vital analytical tools that promote critical thinking.

Grading

  • Tutorial Participation 20%
  • Primary Source Analyses 20%
  • Midterm Exam 25%
  • Final Exam 35%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Barbara H. Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, Volume II: From c. 900 to c. 1500, Fourth Edition (University of Toronto Press: 2014).

All other course materials will be provided on Canvas in PDF form.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS