John S. Ott
Department of History
HST 454/554
Fall 2023
ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES
MEDIEVAL SAINT / SAINT'S CULT REPORT AND PRESENTATION
Reports presented in the first round of presentations are due, in class, no later than November 15
Reports presented in the second round are due, in class on November 21 (the day of the presentation)
Paper - 150 points / Presentation - 100 points (250 points / 25% total)
Guidelines -- papers
Guidelines -- presentations
- Papers should be roughly 4-5 pages and include an appended bibliography or Works Cited page. Please type them, double-spaced, in 12-point font, with one-inch margins. Bibliography/works cited page should be formatted in Chicago, MLA, or APA style as you prefer.
- Papers must include a minimum of five sources. Of these five, at least one (and preferably more) must be a tertiary source of some kind. Tertiary sources may include but are not limited to academic encyclopedias, dictionaries, and/or reference works, such as Handbooks (print or on-line are both fine). The remaining sources may include both primary and secondary sources.
- No students should choose the same saint, relic, or cultic site; in cases where more than one student is interested in a particular figure or cult, a fair means to resolve the duplication will be determined.
- See above for paper due dates.
Late papers/presentations
- Students should present a brief summary of their research findings to the class. The absolute time limit will be 5 minutes. All presentations will be timed. In their presentations, students should indicate their reasons for choosing the saint/cult they did; offer an overview of the saint's history (life, deeds, reasons for sanctification, etc.), and discuss the saint's significance in the Middle Ages. Make sure to explain/describe the primary sources that exist for the study of the saint: does s/he have a Life? a miracle collection? both, or more than one of each? Are there particular places associated with the saint? traditions?
- Students may make use of powerpoint -- all powerpoints should be limited to no more than 3 slides.
- Presentations may be moved, but only with advance notice and only in documented cases of need, such as illness.
- Papers not submitted by the due dates indicated above will receive a -5 point deduction (on a scale of 100) per day they are late.
Assignment
(1) Pick a saint or cult located somewhere within premodern Christendom (geographical, this would include both Eurasia and Africa), between ca. 200-1500. Obviously, better known and/or universal saints will tend to have more written about them and can be researched with greater ease than obscure figures (like, say, Vodoalus).
(2) Identify at least five sources (at least one tertiary) describing the saint, his/her cult, and veneration over time. In some cases, on-line sources may be acceptable, but you should vet/confirm their reliability. Many sites about saints are purely devotional and cannot be assumed to be historically reliable.
(3) The format you will adopt for your paper should resemble that of an academic encyclopedia in tone. Strive for a descriptive explnanation based on reliable sources.You are not really posing an argument here, nor judging the veracity of claims about a particular saint, but instead offering the most reliable account you can of your subject material.