MEDIEVAL HISTORY I

The course falls within the complementary disciplines of the undergraduate programs in Lettere and Filosofia, as well as in the foundational courses of the degree program in Conservazione dei beni culturali. Its purpose is to provide students with a solid understanding of the history of medieval Europe from the late antique crisis to the threshold of the early modern era (5th-15th centuries), also through direct engagement with primary sources. To achieve this goal, students will be provided, in addition to relevant bibliographic knowledge, with some fundamental concepts related to historical research tools and historiographical methodology.

• Knowledge and understanding of the issues and methods of medieval history and its periodization;
• Knowledge and understanding of the various forms of secular and ecclesiastical power, social structures, and religious structures, and their evolution;
• Knowledge and understanding of the economic trends and conjunctures of the medieval age;
• Ability to apply knowledge and understanding to identify persistences, developments, and transformations of medieval society;
• Ability to apply knowledge and understanding to frame the main historical problems related to the Middle Ages and to illustrate developments and lines of inquiry;
• Independence of judgment in contextualizing and critically evaluating the sources analyzed in class, placing them correctly in the historiographical debate;
• Communicative skills in acquiring appropriate vocabulary and developing the ability to critically present what has been studied;
• Learning ability in understanding and critically analyzing the complexity of historical developments in reference to other historical periods.

It is useful for the student to be familiar with Roman history.

The Mediterranean space from the 5th to the 15th century constitutes the arena of a millennia-long transformation of the Roman legacy, elaborated in various and complementary ways by the Latin-Germanic West, the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic East. These three historical realities intertwine in a narrative characterized by continuous exchanges, conflicts, overlaps, and alternatives, during which political, social, and cultural identities undergo profound changes and hybridizations. Aligned with the goal of overcoming an exclusively Western perspective of the medieval millennium, this course proposes a global reinterpretation of the Middle Ages to students, starting from a Mediterranean perspective. Such an approach allows for tracing the deep historical roots of civilizations bordering the Great Sea in their multifaceted aspects and interactions. A reconsideration of the Middle Ages from a Mediterranean standpoint will enable students to critically evaluate the history of our time.

LorenzoTanzini and Francesco Paolo Tocco, eds. Un Medioevo Mediterraneo: Mille Anni Tra Oriente e Occidente. 1a edizione. Frecce 299. Roma: Carocci editore, 2020.

The examination aims to assess understanding of medieval history, with a focus on its defining characteristics, pivotal moments, and causal relationships. Additionally, it aims to evaluate the ability to:
- Apply disciplinary methodology;
- Effectively communicate in writing and synthesize information, including content selection, terminology usage, and argumentation skills;
- Analyze and contextualize complex problems.

Students will undergo a written assessment, responding to THREE questions (open-ended, with a maximum of 12 lines each) covering topics discussed in class or studied individually.
Final Evaluation: Each response is graded on a scale of thirty points, with the final grade being the average of the scores received.
The duration of the written assessment is two hours.
Students unable to take the written assessment for valid reasons are requested to contact the instructor to discuss alternative assessment methods, if necessary.

Six hours of classes per week for five weeks. Attendance is recommended, although not mandatory.

Italian

The course is reserved for students of Lettere, Conservazione dei beni culturali e Filosofia who intend to take a 6 credit exam of Medieval History.

Ca' Foscari applies the Italian law (law 17/1999; law 170/2010) for support services and accomodation for students with disabilities or specific learning disabilities. If you have a motor, visual, hearing disability or other disability (law 17/1999) or a specific learnig disorder (law 170/2010) and request support (classroom assistance, technological aids for conducting exams or individualized exams, accessible material, notes recovery, specialistic tutoring to support the study, interpreters or other) contact the Disability and DSA office disabilita@unive.it.

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