Course Description:

This course is an introduction to Ancient and Medieval Europe, from the beginnings of Ancient Greek civilization through the Black Death of the fourteenth century. Given its time scope of over 2,000 years, we will not be trying to understand all of the events that took place during that time; instead, we will concentrate on several key events and try to use those to understand the cultures of the era and the values that the people of those eras prioritized.

Outcomes:

This course has two goals. The first is to get students to understand the societies of Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and Medieval Europe. The second goal is to help students develop their skills in working with primary texts from the era.

Required texts: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History

Week 1 9/7: Introduction

Week 2 9/14: Homeric greece

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 95-139. Homer’s Iliad (Selection). 

Week 3 9/21: Classical Greece

Readings: oedipus, archimedes, athletes,

pericles’ speech (https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/pericles-funeralspeech.asp);

plato:meno (http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/meno.html)

Week 4 9/28: early roman republic

Readings:Norman Davies’ Europe: A History,149-179. livy: cinncinattus, cannae  – 22:36-61 

 http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/Livy/Livy01.html

Week 6 10/12: late roman republic

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 179-182. spartacus, Plutarch: Life of Caesar http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/plutarch/lives/caesar*.html)

Week 7 10/19: Hebrews and Early Christians

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History,192-206. crux, chastity, diabolos, Genesis 1-4, 11:1-9, Exodus: 3-5, 7, 10-11, 20, John 1:1-23; Luke 4, 6, Mark 16; Romans 1:1-7, Romans 13. Maccabees 1

Week 8 10/26: roman empire

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 206-212. suetonius, Nero (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Nero*.html);  St. Augustine, City of God, I:1-18, 

Week 9 11/2: early mdvel europe

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 213-238, 262-284, 291-320. anno domini, tacitus, germania, selections (https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/tacitus1.asp); battle of hastings 

Week 10 11/9: Islam

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 251-258. Coran: Surahs 1, 2, 48 (http://www.wright-house.com/religions/islam/Quran.html)

Week 11 11/23: high mideval europe

Readings:Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 332-372, 394-401. ghetto, pogrom text (https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/1096jews.asp); Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles, I:2, 7, 15

Week 12 11/30: black death, 100yw, joan of arc

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 403-427, 431-439. Trial of Joan of Arc: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/1431joantrial.asp; Boccacio, The Decameron: Day the First, 

The course assessment scheme will be as follows:

10% attendance

    As well as attending the lectures, each student must contribute 5 pairs of questions over the course of the semester. These questions are due 2 hours before the start of lecture, and must be submitted via email to both the professor and the TA. In these question pairs, at least one must deal with the primary text, and at least one must deal with the secondary source (though either/both of the questions may deal with both texts).

30% mid-semester quizzes

    There will be three brief tests/quizzes during the semester, the first of which will primarily focus on geography. None of these will take a full class period, each will be worth 10% of the final grade.

20% tutorial participation

    Each student is required to attend and participate in the tutorial sessions.

20% primary source assignment

    This assignment is a variation on the traditional college essay. Students will be responsible for choosing a handful of primary sources on a topic. The topic can be geographical/chronological (England in the 12^th century, the Roman Republic, etc.) or they can be thematic (crime and punishment, the status of women, slavery, etc). Accompanying those texts, students must write-up a brief (>1000 words) statement of the potential advantages/drawbacks of the sources they have chosen.

20% final exam (format TBA)

TBA

Week 1 9/7: Introduction

Week 2 9/14: Homeric greece

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 95-139. Homer’s Iliad (Selection). 

Week 3 9/21: Classical Greece

Readings: oedipus, archimedes, athletes,

pericles’ speech (https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/pericles-funeralspeech.asp);

plato:meno (http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/meno.html)

Week 4 9/28: early roman republic

Readings:Norman Davies’ Europe: A History,149-179. livy: cinncinattus, cannae  – 22:36-61 

 http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/Livy/Livy01.html

Week 6 10/12: late roman republic

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 179-182. spartacus, Plutarch: Life of Caesar http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/plutarch/lives/caesar*.html)

Week 7 10/19: Hebrews and Early Christians

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History,192-206. crux, chastity, diabolos, Genesis 1-4, 11:1-9, Exodus: 3-5, 7, 10-11, 20, John 1:1-23; Luke 4, 6, Mark 16; Romans 1:1-7, Romans 13. Maccabees 1

Week 8 10/26: roman empire

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 206-212. suetonius, Nero (http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Nero*.html);  St. Augustine, City of God, I:1-18, 

Week 9 11/2: early mdvel europe

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 213-238, 262-284, 291-320. anno domini, tacitus, germania, selections (https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/tacitus1.asp); battle of hastings 

Week 10 11/9: Islam

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 251-258. Coran: Surahs 1, 2, 48 (http://www.wright-house.com/religions/islam/Quran.html)

Week 11 11/23: high mideval europe

Readings:Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 332-372, 394-401. ghetto, pogrom text (https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/1096jews.asp); Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles, I:2, 7, 15

Week 12 11/30: black death, 100yw, joan of arc

Readings: Norman Davies’ Europe: A History, 403-427, 431-439. Trial of Joan of Arc: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/1431joantrial.asp; Boccacio, The Decameron: Day the First, 

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