HST 454/554: Saints and Sainthood in Medieval Europe
Fall 2023
ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES: INTERPRETIVE ESSAY #1
Due no later than Thursday, November 9 (175 points / 17.5% of final grade;
essays may be turned in in advance of deadline
General guidelines
(1) The essay should be around 5 pp., typed, and have a title. Please double-space the essay, use 12-point font, and employ 1-inch margins.
(2) In-text, parenthetical citations are fine, in the following format: (author/title, page number). You do not need to append a bibliography. You may use a footnoting system (MLA, Chicago) if you prefer.
(3) Papers should make use of a minimum of five texts we've read this term, and must make use of at least three primary and one secondary source(s). You are welcome to use the textbook (Kleinberg), and may draw on any of the assigned readings through class on 10/31. Your paper should cite directly from these sources, attributing the page/passage; you are also invited to paraphrase from them. Well-written papers usually make use of both direct and indirect citations.
(4) No outside texts are required for this paper, and I would prefer that you not use them.
(5) Please proofread your essay carefully before submitting it.
(6) See syllabus for class expectations on use of AI / plagiarism.
Late paper and point deduction guidelines
- Papers will receive an automatic -4 point deduction (on a scale of 100, so 4%) per day they are late, including weekend days.
- You may submit your late paper as an attachment to an e-mail, but please bring the hard copy to the following class.
- Failure to adhere to the source citation guidelines will result in an automatic -10 point deduction (10%) per infraction.
- ALL papers (including late ones!) must be submitted by November 21 to receive credit.
Assignment
Address one the following prompts. You may approach the prompts from any angle you like. Your paper should clearly state a thesis (have an argument) and support your argument through use of evidence.
PROMPT 1. How did Roman, late Roman, and early medieval audiences understand and interact with saints? What made them appealing and necessary, and/or alternatively, divisive and controversial figures? Examine the social dynamics that surrounded the holy person (and their relics) and develop an argument about the place of saints in their society by comparing at least three distinct examples we have studied this term.
PROMPT 2. Medieval (and post-medieval) sanctity was frequently a fundamentally embodied quality -- sanctity inhered and was reflected through the physical body (or remains) of the saints and their practices. Develop an argument explaining the connection of holiness to body, and examine this theme through at least three of the examples we've studied this term.