Instructor: Prof. John S. Ott
ott@pdx.edu
Office hours: E-mail to set up appointment
Department of History
Portland State University
Spring 2024
All material on this page (c) John S. Ott
HST 355U: Late Medieval Europe, 1100-1450
(T/TH, 12:00-1:50, Lincoln Hall 301)
Course overview and learning objectives
This course surveys the cultural, political, social, intellectual, and religious development of continental Europe between 1000 and approximately 1450, a period that encompasses the high and late Middle Ages. We will survey the expansion and transformation of Europe, with special analysis given to the medieval Church and Christian religiosity on one hand, and, on the other, the impact on Europe as its physical and intellectual boundaries were expanded and reconfigured by the rediscovery of classical tradition and through encounters with the peoples and cultures beyond its borders. We will also consider the transformation of government and the emergence of the medieval state, the changing status and place of women and the lower social orders, the impact of ecological disaster on European mentalities, the position of socio-religious minorities, and other topics. This course is not a simple political/military history of the Middle Ages, and gives only minimal attention to the Italian Renaissance, as that subject is covered in HST 356U: Renaissance and Reformation Europe, 1400-1600.
Our objectives this term, of equal priority, will be:
- to gain a reasonably broad and deep content knowledge of later medieval history;
- to cultivate proficiency at reading contemporary primary sources crticially and historically;
- to develop textual analysis, interpretation, and writing skills through discussion and written assignments;
- to appreciate teh diversity and alterity of the medieval world in its various social, religious, and cultural forms of expression;
- to enhance communication skills and verbal analysis through daily class discussion of the sources
Junior Cluster Elective, History Major/Minor, and Medieval and Early Modern Studies Minor
This course serves as an upper-division elective for the Interpreting the Past Junior Cluster, History Major/Minor, and Medieval and Early Modern Studies Minor. If you are interested in pursuing the MEMS Minor, please contact Prof. Ott with questions of for more information.
Student evaluation
Classes will be structured around discussion of readings (small-group and instructor-led), written assignments, illustrated lectures, and media presentations. As the organization and success of the class depend on daily individual preparation of the readings and participation in discussion, each student's contribution to the class dynamic will be weighted heavily in the assessment of grades. Guidelines for all assignments will be linked below in advance of deadlines. Student performance will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Preparation, class participation in discussion (100), and regular attendance (100) -- 200 points (20%). Class attendance is a key to university success, and I encourage students to attend every possible class. I consider active participation a critical component to every class I teach. Attendance is taken daily and weighted at 5 points/class (5 X 20 days); an attendance sheet will be circulated, and it is the student's responsibility to sign in. Participation in discussion is weighted at 100/200 points; discussion will be carried out as a class and in small group formats. In determining participation portion of grade, excellent attendance without oral participation will usually be assessed a grade of 'C' (thus, around 75/100 points). Note that an 80% rate of attendance can yield no more than an 80% participation grade. You may miss one class (unexcused/no explanation required) without penalty to your overall grade. For absences to be considered excused, the instructor must be notified in advance of class. Excused absences include: documented illness, family emergency, and similar conditions.
- Map quiz -- 100 points (10%). Held in class Thursday, April 11. Makeup quizzes will be given in cases of documentedabsence or emergency, and with instructor notification in advance. A map template will be circulated in advance of the quiz via the class Google e-mail list.
- Pop quizzes on the readings -- 75 points (7.5%). Around 5-6 quizzes, given at random during the term between weeks 3 and 10, on assigned readings for that day. No make-ups given. It will, however, be possible to make up missed or dropped points.
- Two primary source-based reading responses (about 3-4 pp. each) -- 200 points (100 points each) (20%). Responses are due on the following dates:
- Response #1 is due between April 4 and May 7, inclusive (due in class).
- Response #2 is due between May 9 and June 4, inclusive (due in class).
- Comparative source analysis essay (5 pp.) -- 175 points (17.5%), in two parts. Thesis statement (25 points) due in class Thursday, May 2; and the completed paper (150 points) is due in class Tuesday, May 14.
- Final blue-book exam (essay based) -- 250 points (25%). Given in LH 301 on Thursday, June 13, 10:15-12:05. Format TBD. If you have testing accommodations, please contact me to make arrangements at least two weeks before the scheduled exam date.
Course materials
Both books may be purchased at the University Bookstore or through other vendors; one copy of each will also be placed on 2-hour reserve in Course reserves at Millar Library.
The following text is required and is available for purchase at the PSU Bookstore:
The following text is optional but recommended for those who like more background:
- Guibert of Nogent, Monodies and On the Relics of the Saints. The Autobiography and a Manifesto of a French Monk from the Time of the Crusades, trans. Joseph McAlhany and Jay Rubenstein (Penguin, 2011)
- William C. Jordan, Europe in the High Middle Ages (Penguin, 2004).
Plagiarism policy
Plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, including the undisclosed use in class assignments of AI generative software, such as ChatGPT, is an impermissible infraction in an academic setting where ideas are generated, exchanged, and discussed. It also constitutes a violation of PSU's Academic Code of Conduct. My assumption (and PSU's) is that you will submit work that is entirely your own and that you will cite your sources scrupulously. Moreover, unless otherwise stated, I do not give students permission to submit coursework prompts into AI generators. Papers that can be shown to have been plagiarized will automatically receive a '0' grade. Students will be required to resubmit their papers, and will be deducted in their grade an amount appropriate to the late paper policy given in the assignment guidelines. Any repeated or particularly egregious offenses may be the cause for additional action, including referral to the Dean of Student Life for academic disciplinary measures. If you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism, you may test yourself at this web site maintained by Indiana University. Work completed for other classes may not be submitted for this course, and is likewise considered a breach of academic honesty by PSU.
Submission of late work and assignment extensions
I accept late work, though all late work is assessed a penalty on a sliding scale according to the number of days it is submitted after the due date. Refer to the assignment guidelines for more information on late work penalties. Students needing deadline extensions for assignments due to illness, family emergency, or other significant mitigating circumstances must contact the instructor at least 24 hours before the assignment due date to request an extension. Failure to meet extension deadlines, once established, will result in late penalties being assessed per the assignment guidelines.
Accessibility notice
If you have, or think you may have, a disability that may affect your work in this class and feel you need accommodations, contact the Disability Resource Center to schedule an appointment and initiate a conversation about reasonable accommodations. Students who require additional consideration for the timely completion of any of the course requirements due to accessibility needs should speak to the instructor at the beginning of the term, and must be registered with PSU’s Disability Resource Center.Title IX statement
Federal, state, and PSU policies require faculty members to mandatorily report any instances of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and/or other forms of prohibited discrimination. PSU faculty are required by law to file a report if they have reasonable cause to believe that a child with whom they come into contact has suffered abuse, or that any person with whom they come into contact has abused a child. These reports are not confidential. Campus resources where reports may be made confidentially may be found by following this link.
Senior Auditor Expectations
Please refer to hard copy of syllabus for auditor expectations, or ask the instructor.
E-mail policy
E-mail can be a superb tool by which students communicate with the course instructor with questions about the course material, the content, and the assignments. It is especially useful for providing feedback to student ideas and for commenting on student theses or paper topics. But please bear in mind the following:
- I consider 48-72 hours to be a reasonable period in which to respond to inquiries. I am usually much faster than this, but not always.
- I will not, in general, respond to student e-mails received after 5:00 p.m. until the following day(s), nor will I generally respond to student e-mail sent after 5:00 on Friday until Monday morning. Please plan accordingly.
- Please remember to identify yourself and state your query as clearly as possible.
- I will not fill in students who miss class on the details of a particular lecture or discussion. Please seek that information from your fellow students.
Syllabus
Please note that a significant number of our readings this term will be placed on Course Reserve at Millar Library and are available as downloadable .pdfs. Access to Course reserves is through the Library home page. Go to --> Millar Library --> Course Reserves --> type in 'Ott' --> Click on Reading Folder for HST 355U (Spring 2024) --> Click 'Online Access' --> Click 'View Full Text'.
Week 1
Objectives:T (4/2). Introduction to course themes.
- Familiarize yourself with course layout, assignments, and expectations (i.e., please read the syllabus);
- Know where to locate course readings, assignment guidelines, and reading guides;
- Be sure you ask about and/or understand new or unfamliar terms from the reading and lectures (e.g., serf, fief, etc., from Jordan and the lecture today), and be able to identify key figures like King Henry IV of Germany (1056-1106) and Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085), and the transformations underway in Europe c. 1100 (lectures);
- Identify and explain the principal ideological differences between papal (religious) and secular (royal or imperial) conceptions of authority and their roles in the world;
- Start prepping for the map quiz next week!
Lecture: Medieval Europe ca. 1100: the view from ChampagneTH (4/4). The eleventh-century crucible: the contest between pope and emperor
Consult: Reading Guide #1
Readings:
- "The Dictatus papae (1075)"; "Admonition to Henry (1075)"; "Response to Gregory's Admonition (1076)"; "Account of Canossa by Lampert of Hersfeld (ca. 1077)," all in Maureen C. Miller, ed., Power and the Holy in the Age of the Investiture Conflict. A Brief History with Documents (Boston, 2005), pp. 81-100 (find in Course reserves)
Optional reading:*************************
Lecture: Mobility, anxiety, and the reform of Christian society: the eleventh century
- Jordan, Europe in the High Middle Ages, pp. 5-19, 85-99
Week 2
Objectives:T (4/9). Self and society in medieval France
- Understand the intellectual and cultural world of the medieval monastery and its values, as compared to the schools
- Consider how confessional and historical writing (Guibert) was understood to have social and moral utility. Why did Guibert write a memoir? Why did he write history? And why combine them? What was the reader supposed to take away from the study of past events? Is our modern understanding of history's purpose similar? Different? How and why?
- Reflect on how historians confront the limited (if rich) perspective of unique historical sources. Are there ways we can read "against the grain," that is, read both empathetically AND critically when we have but a single source to assess? How?
Consult: Reading Guide #2
Reading:
- Guibert of Nogent, Monodies, Book I, chs. 1-7, 12-19 (pp. 3-21, 30-67)
Optional reading:
Lecture: Ways of thinking and learning in the twelfth century
- Jordan, Europe in the High Middle Ages, pp. 20-79 (background reading for context)
TH (4/11). History and authority
Consult: Reading Guide #2
Readings:
Optional reading:
- Guibert of Nogent, Monodies, Book I, chs. 8-11 (pp. 21-30); Book II, chs. 1-4 (pp. 83-97); Book III, chs. 1-6 (pp. 107-125)
Lecture: Present and past in the twelfth century
- Jordan, Europe in the High Middle Ages, pp. 113-124 (to bottom of page)
MAP QUIZ, IN CLASS
*************************
Week 3
Objectives:T (4/16). Nature, marvels, and miracles
- Be able to describe the difference, from a medieval point of view, between the operation of (a) wonders and marvels, (b) miracles, and (c) medical cures (lecture);
- Explain the logic that informs the medieval perception of the difference among them, using examples from Guibert, Hildegard of Bingen, the Trotula, and Park and Daston (readings);
- Develop a basic understanding of the origin and evolution of the crusades, and the sustained period of contact that followed them between the Islamic and Latin Christian worlds (lecture, readings);
- Consider if/how crusading was both connected to existing social and religious practices, and how narratives about the event were shaped by the histories written afterward. Pay special attention to how Robert's account differs from the Gesta account. Why do think Robert's account was copied so many times (it survives in 94 manuscripts, by far the most of any First Crusade narrative), whereas the Gesta account was deemed unpolished and best revised?
Consult: Reading Guide #2 (for Guibert) and Guide #2.5 (for Hildegard and Daston/Park)
Readings:
- Hildegard of Bingen, Causes and Cures (Holistic Healing), trans. M. Pawlik, et al. (Collegeville, Minn., 1994), pp. 66-69 (Course reserves);
- The Trotula (author unknown), in Reading the Middle Ages, ed. B. Rosenwein (Peterborough, Ont., 2006), pp. 324-326 (Course reseves);
- Lorraine Daston and Katharine Park, Wonders and the Order of Nature, 1150-1750 (New York, 1998), pp. 21-39 (Course reserves);
- Guibert of Nogent, Monodies, Book I, chs. 24-26 (pp. 75-82), and On Saints and their Relics, Book I, pp. 193-206 (bottom of page)