John S.Ott
Portland State University
HST 355U: Late Medieval Europe, 1100-1450
Spring 2024 (c)

ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES : COMPARATIVE SOURCE ANALYSIS ESSAY

17.5% OF FINAL GRADE (175 points), in TWO PARTS

THESIS STATEMENT/OPENING PARAGRAPH DUE, IN CLASS, THURSDAY, MAY 2
COMPLETED ESSAY DUE, IN CLASS, TUESDAY, MAY 14


Guidelines

(1) All papers must be typed, double-spaced, and 5 pages in length. They may be slightly shorter or slightly longer (+/- half a page) as needed.

(2) Please number your pages, and make sure that your first page includes a title (other than "Source Analysis Essay"), and your name.

(3) For purposes of citation, parenthetical, in-text references to the sources are fine. For example: (Monodies, 27). Make sure that you cite the work and page numbers for your assertions and clearly attribute all quotations and paraphrases. There is no need to append a list of works cited/bibliography. Papers that do not cite directly from the assigned texts will not receive a passing grade.

(4) Have a clearly articulated thesis statement. A clearly articulated and well-supported thesis statement is the distinguishing hallmark of "A" papers. Your paper should argue a particular perspective or point of view, and your argument should be supported by evidence drawn from the texts. Statements of fact (e.g., "The twelfth century was an important period in Europe.") do not qualify as theses; it must be possible to raise a counter-argument to the assertion you are putting forward. Perhaps most crucially, a good thesis statement will strive to establish the interpretive significance of the argument the paper raises. Put simply, it should be able to pass the "So what?" test. If your thesis statement provides a satisfactory answer to the question, "So what?," then you have established its interpretive significance. If you are struggling, I encourage you to consult with me by making an appointment via e-mail, or contact the Writing Center for assistance.

BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR FINAL PAPER, I WILL ASSESS AND GIVE YOU FEEDBACK ON YOUR THESIS STATEMENT/OPENING PARAGRAPH, which is due May 2.

(5) Write as though your audience (me) is already familiar with the period and the texts. Do not spend an excessive amount of time summarizing the material. (Contextualize your arguments as necessary, however.)

(6) Proofread. Good and excellent papers have been re-read thoroughly before being turned in.

Late paper policy

Late papers will be accepted until Tuesday, June 4, but will receive grade deductions of 3% per day (-3 points/day on a scale of 100). Extensions will be given in cases of genuine and documented need, and only 24 hours in advance of the paper due date. Students are responsible for ensuring that late papers get safely into my hands. Also, I will accept only hard copies of all student papers, although you may e-mail me a copy of your paper as an attachment in order to verify the date on which you completed it (in the case of papers submitted after the due date or on weekends, or in case of student absence from the class), with the expectation that you will furnish me the hard copy as soon as possible.

The following conditions also apply:
Generally, it is better to turn in a less well-written paper on time, than a well-written paper late, as the deductions tend to erase any advantage to turning in a late submission rather quickly.
Assignment / prompts

Craft a lucid essay in response to one of the prompts below. Feel free to approach your essay from any perspective that the texts permit. You are welcome to consider the primary sources (Guibert, Robert the Monk, the German-papal documents, Hildegard of Bingen, the Trotula, Anna Komnene, Usamah ibn Munqidh, etc.) in light of the secondary readings (e.g., the Jordan textbook, Park and Daston), but should exclusively draw on the medieval texts we've read for your analysis. You may use any materials up to and including May 9. Please note: You must use at least four primary sources, one of which must be Guibert's Monodies. Students may not use materials from outside of class for analysis in this particular assignment. The exercise is intended to push you to extract and defend a thesis from the primary source material.

You will submit your thesis, independent of the finished paper, first. Please submit an introductory paragraph which includes your working thesis statement. I will offer you feedback. The thesis portion of the assignment will be graded based not on the quality of the draft thesis but on the completeness of your submission (i.e., a paragraph rather than a single sentence).

Question #1

Miracles, dreams and visions, natural phenomena, marvels, demonic/angelic visitations (or attacks) -- all were part and parcel of the medieval lived experience and imagination. How did medieval men and women experience and understand their place in the wider natural and supernatural worlds of the twelfth century? In what ways did medieval writers understand their environments -- the personal/physical, the local, the natural and supernatural, the cosmological, the divine -- to be connected and ordered? What certainties (religious, moral, scientific) did medieval writers have about the world and the active role of the divine within it?

Question #2

As the borders of Latin Christendom pushed outward in the course of the eleventh-thirteenth centuries, and as European thinkers challenged traditional orthodoxies and engaged with other religious and cultural traditions (e.g., Jews, Muslims, other religious minorities), how did they see and react to these groups? How did non-Latin/Christian writers (the Jews of Blois, Anna Komnene, Usamah ibn Munqidh) react to Europeans? Were the encounters and the authors' perspectives purely hostile and antagonistic? How did European cultural and religious values affect or affect the outcome of these encounters, and vice-versa? How, if at all, did Latin Christendom's meeting with the world beyond its borders challenge or transform its values and orthodoxies?

Question #3

How did the later medieval growth of cities and institutions and the emergence of the profit economy affect traditional social relationships and hierarchies, and drive innovations and experimentation in cultural and religious expression? What new antagonisms did they produce and what existing antagonisms did these changes exacerbate?