University of Alabama at Birmingham
Department of History
Hollywood and the Middle Ages
HY490-5Q
Spring 2007
(UW 230, Thur. 2:00 p.m.-4:40p.m.)
Dr. Lesnick
Syllabus
Texts (Available at UAB Bookstore & Snoozy's Bookstore. Also, overstock.com, ecampus.com, amazon.com, and other Internet book merchants are worth checking; they often have good prices and quick delivery; also check addall.com to compare book prices.)
Required
Brian Tierney, ed., The Middle Ages. Volume I: Sources of Medieval History, McGraw-Hill, ISBN: 0073032891.
Brian Tierney, ed., The Middle Ages. Volume II: Readings in Medieval History, McGraw-Hill, ISBN: 0073032905.
Suggested
C. Warren Hollister, Judith Bennett, Medieval Europe: A Short History, 10th edition, McGraw-Hill, ISBN: 0072955155.
Office Hours (402H Ullman Bldg.; tel. 934-5634; dlesnick@uab.edu)
Tuesday & Thursday: 10:45-11:45 a.m. & 1:30-2:00 p.m. And by appointment.
Withdrawing from This Course
You may withdraw from a course and receive a grade of “W” up to and including March 7, 2006. After that date you may not withdraw. (See the most recent Undergraduate Catalogue for the full text of this policy.)
Grading in this course will be based on two essay exams, a midterm exam in class on February 22 (30% of your grade) and a final exam on Thursday, May 3, 1:30-4:00 p.m. (40% of your grade), and a term paper due on April 19 (30% of your grade).
Make-Up Policy: Missed tests may be made up only with the professor’s permission and only for the most serious of reasons (such as incapacitating illness of the student or the student’s child or the death of an immediate family member). In such instances the student must notify the professor at the earliest possible moment and present a valid written excuse, such as a fully explanatory doctor’s letter, a funeral director’s letter, or a newspaper obituary. Excused missed tests will be made up on Thursday, April 26, at 11:00 a.m. in a place to be announced by the professor.
Class Attendance and Participation
Regular class attendance and participation are integral parts of this course and are required. More than three unexcused absences from class will result in a grade of F for the course. Absences may be excused by the professor according to the same rules that apply (above) for making up missed exams – i.e., only for the most serious of reasons, (such as incapacitating illness of the student or the student’s child or the death of an immediate family member). As already stated, in such instances the student must notify the professor at the earliest possible moment and present a valid written excuse, such as a fully explanatory doctor’s excuse, a funeral director’s letter, or a newspaper obituary.
Some Fundamental Rules of Courtesy
Cell phones must be turned off before class begins in order to avoid disruptions.
If you must arrive late to class, enter quietly and unobtrusively.
Do not leave class once it has begun. It is very distracting to other students and the professor. There are men’s and women’s rest rooms in Ullman Building, and it is suggested that you learn to use them before or after class rather than during class. Leaving class to answer personal cell phone calls is not acceptable. If you have a medical condition or personal situation that may necessitate your leaving class while it is in session, let the professor know before class that this may happen.
Do not interupt other people when they are speaking. Let each person finish speaking before you begin to speak.
Readings and Written Assignments (All readings and written assignments must be completed before the class for which they are assigned.)
Jan. 4 & 11 King Arthur – From Roman Civilization to the “Barbarians”
Readings, pp. (Bloch, "Kinship and Lordship")
Jan. 18 Beowulf and Grendel – Germanic Society and Values
Readings, (Geary, “Merovingian Society”).
Sources, pp. 41-48 ("The Law of the Salian Franks" & "Formulae Concerning Ordeals"), 98-101 ("Rural Life").
Jan. 25 & Feb. 1 Becket – Who’s In Charge Here?
Sources, pp. 121-127 ("The Program of Gregory VII" & "Gregory VII and Henry IV").
Readings, pp. 205-209 (Ullmann, "The Hierocratic Doctrine"), 227-239 (Post, "The Emergence of the State"; & Tierney, "Religion and Constitutional Thought").
Feb. 8 & 15 Stealing Heaven – Love & Reason?
Sources, pp. 145-155 (Peter Abelard, "Yes and No"), 266-273 ("University Regulations" & "Student Life"
Readings, (Lewis, “Courtly Love), pp. 144-156 (Southern, "Medieval Humanism").
Feb. 22 Midterm Exam (Bring large bluebooks and pen or pencil.)
Mar. 1 & 8 Brother Son, Sister Moon – Urbanism and Spirituality
Readings, (Hibbert, “The Origins of the Medieval Town Patriciate”).
Sources, pp. 162-165 ("Urban Privileges"), 168-170 ("A Medieval Merchant's Life"), 227-230 ("Peter Waldo and the Waldensians"), 234-238 ("St. Francis of Assisi").
Mar. 15 Spring Break – No Class
Mar. 22 & 29 The Name of the Rose – Monasticism vs. Scholasticism
Sources, pp. 59-66 ("The Rule of St. Benedict"), 156-158 ("Bernard of Clairvaux:The Love of God"), 231-234 ("Heresy and Inquisition").
Readings, pp. 276-282 (Gilson, "Thomas Aquinas: Reason and Revelation").
Ap. 5 & 12 The Return of Martin Guerre – Peasant Life
Sources, pp. 316-317 ("Ideal Marriage").
Readings, pp. 172-182 (Hanawalt, “Peasant Life").
April 19 Monty Python and the Holy Grail – The Middle Ages in a Nutshell
Term papers due.
May 3 1:30 p.m.) Final Exam (Bring large bluebooks and pen or pencil.)