| Course | Instructor |
|---|---|
| Spring, 2007 | |
| MEDIEVAL STUDIES 20C: The Late Medieval and Early Modern Period | Kevin Roddy |
| A Lower-Division Civilization and Culture Course (Writing) | Lecturer |
| 106 Olson | 350 Voorhies (752-4541) |
| 10:30-11:50 TuTh | Office Hours: MW 2:00-4:00 |
|
Discussion Sections: 47144 M 10:00-10:50A Bainer 1128 47145 W 10:00-10:50A Bainer 1128 | |
| Class Web Page (http://medieval.ucdavis.edu/20C/) | Instructor email (kproddy@ucdavis.edu) |
| Class Email (mst020c-s07@ucdavis.edu) | |
| Class Email Archive (http://listproc.ucdavis.edu/class/200703/mst020c-s07) |
``To the world when it was half a thousand years younger, the outlines of all things seemed more clearly marked than to us. The contrast between suffering and joy, between adversity and happiness, appeared more striking. All experience had not yet to the minds of men the directness and absoluteness of the pleasure and pain of child-life. Every event, every action, was still embodied in expressive and solemn forms, which raised them to the dignity of a ritual. For it was not merely the great facts of birth, marriage and death which, by the sacredness of the sacrament, were raised to the rank of mysteries; incidents of less importance, like a journey, a task, a visit, were equally attended by a thousand formalities: benedictions, ceremonies, formulae.
Calamities and indigence were more afflicting than at present; it was more difficult to guard against them, and to find solace. Illness and health presented a more striking contrast; the cold and darkness of winter were more real evils. Honours and riches were relished with greater avidity and contrasted more vividly with surrounding misery. We, at the present day, can hardly understand the keenness with which a fur coat, a good fire on the hearth, a soft bed, a glass of wine, were formerly enjoyed.'
--Johann Huizinga, ``The Violent Tenor of Life.'' in The Waning of the Middle Ages
Reading the Middle Ages. Ed. Barbara H. Rosenwein (Broadview). ISBN 1-55111-693-6
Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte D'Arthur, 2 vols. (Penguin). 0140430431 (v.1 : pbk.) and 014043044X (v.2 : pbk.)
Medieval Studies Main Page. http://medieval.ucdavis.edu/
March 29 Introduction: The Order of the Course
April 3
Historical Background
Table of Historical
Events
The Year 1300
The Year 1400
The Year 1500
The Year 1600
The Year 1700
Maps and Documents from the Early Modern Period
5
Nation States
Philippe de Commynes: Portrait Of Louis XI (c. 1498)
Machiavelli, The Prince
10
The Black Plague
Boccaccio
Reading the Middle Ages.
8.1 A medical view: Nicephorus Gregoras, Roman History (c.1350), pp. 483-84;
8.2 Processions at Damascus: Ibn Battuta, Travels (before 1368), p. 484;
8.3 Prayers at York: Archbishop William, Letter to His Official at York (July 1348), p. 485;
8.4 Blaming the Jews: Heinrich von Diessenhoven, On the Persecution of the Jews (c.1350), pp. 486-87;
8.5 A legislative response: Ordinances against the Spread of Plague at Pistoia (1348), p. 488-491.
12
The Great Schism and the Councils
Catherine of Siena
Reading the Middle Ages.
8.14 The humiliation of Avignon: St. Catherine of Siena, Letter to Pope Gregory XI (1376), pp. 525-26;
8.15 The conciliarist movement: Jean Gerson, Sermon at the Council of Constance (1415), pp. 526-29;
8.16 The Hussite program: The Four Articles of Prague (1420), p. 530;
8.17 The Catholic rally against the Hussites: Emperor Sigismund, Crusading Letter (1421), p. 531.
17
Popular Spirituality Mysticism, Vision Literature and
Hagiography
The Book of Margery Kempe.
Reading the Middle Ages.
7.24 The feast of Corpus Christi: The Life of Juliana of Mont-Cornillon (1261-1264), pp. 478-81;
8.18 Piety in the Low Countries: Salome Sticken, Formula for Living (c.1435),
pp. 531-535.
Donatus
Margaret
19
The Hundred Years' War
Froissart's Chronicles The Ransom of Bertrand du Guesclin
Reading the Middle Ages.
8.11 Chivalric and non-chivalric models: Froissart, Chronicles (c.1400), pp. 512-18
8.12 National feeling: Jeanne d'Arc, Letter to the English (1429), pp. 517-518
24
The Peasants' Revolts
Images of the English Peasants' Revolt: Meeting King Richard
Peasants' Revolts in
the Tyrol (1525)
Reading the Middle Ages.
8.13 The commons revolt: Wat Tyler's Rebellion (after 1381), pp. 518-24.
26
The Eastern Empire and the
Ottomans
8.6 A Turkish hero: Ashikpashazade, Osman Comes to Power (late 15th c.),
pp. 492-96;
8.7 Diplomacy: Peace Agreement between the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and the
Signoria of Venice (January 25, 1478),
pp. 497-99;
8.8 Before the fall: Patriarch Anthony, Letter to the Russian Church (1395),
p. 500;
8.9 The fall bewailed: George Sphrantzes, Chronicle (before 1477), pp. 501-07;
8.10 After the fall: Archbishop Genady of Novgorod and Dmitry Gerasimov, The
Tale of the White Cowl (end of the 15th c.), pp. 507-11.
May 1
Chaucer and the Pearl Poet
The Nuns' Priest's Tale
Reading the Middle Ages.
7.22 Romance: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (last quarter of 14th c.), pp.
473-76.
3
Literature Various
Petrarch
Villon
Reading the Middle Ages.
7.23 Medieval drama: Directions for an Annunciation play (14th c.), pp. 476-78.
8.22 Defending women: Christine de Pisan, The Book of the City of Ladies (14
04-1407), pp. 543-45;
8.23 Satirizing society: François Villon, Testament (1461), pp. 546-51.
8
Renaissance Thought
Reading the Middle Ages.
8.19 Re-evaluating antiquity: Cincius Romanus, Letter to His Most Learned
Teacher Franciscus de Fiana (1416), pp. 536-38;
8.20 The search for a patron: George of Trebizond, Prefatory letter to Mehmed II (1465-1466), pp. 538-39;
8.21 Old sources criticized: Lorenzo Valla, Discourse on the Forgery of the
Alleged Donation of Constantine (1440), pp. 539-543 (also 172-77);
8.24 An Islamic Renaissance thinker: Ibn Khaldun, Muqaddimah (1377-1381),
pp. 552-55.
10
Renaissance Science
Weapons. Armor. Late
Medieval Technology
Printing
Leonardo DaVinci
15
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare: The Tempest, 1611
17
Renaissance Art
Michelangelo
Fifteenth-Century Italian Culture
Northern Architecture
Music
22
The Reformation
Reformation Timeline
Luther's Ninety-Five Theses
Luther' The Large Catechism
24
Exploration
In Praise of
Merchants
Cathay
Reading the Middle Ages.
Plate 8.1 A new kind of map: Gabriel de Valseca, Portolan Chart (1447), p. 556;
8.25 Taking Mexico: Hernán Cortés, The Second Letter (1520),
pp. 557-560.
29
Cities and the Arts
Florence
Bruges
Rotenburg
Venice
31
The Baroque
The Baroque
June 5 Conclusion
June 11 Final, 1:30-3:30
March 28/April 2 The Logic of Position Papers
The Principles of Letter-Writing
Sample Paper from a Former Class
April 4/9 Le Morte D'Arthur, Books I-II: pp. 3-91
April 11/16 Le Morte D'Arthur, Books III-V: pp. 92-193
April 18/23 Le Morte D'Arthur, Books VI-VIII: pp. 194-380
April 25/30 Le Morte D'Arthur, Books IX-X, chapters 1-39:
pp. 381-468; Vol. II, pp. 1-78
May 2/7 Le Morte D'Arthur, Book X, chapters 40-88: pp. 79-187
May 9/14 Le Morte D'Arthur, Books XI-XIII: pp. 188-274
May 16/21 Le Morte D'Arthur, Books XIV-XVII: pp. 275-372
May 23/30 5 Le Morte D'Arthur, Books XVIII-XIX: pp. 373-455 [Monday group meets on Wednesday 5/30]
June 4/6 Le Morte D'Arthur, Books XX-XXI: pp. 456-581
The major written work in the course will center on short position papers, which will take the form of a letter, written according to the rules given in the Manual. These will be described in the third class; basically, these accounts are meant to describe the speaker's thoughts and emotions, from what would have been considered her or his point of view at that time. Basic research is obligatory, and the Dictionary of the Middle Ages and the Cambridge Medieval History are both excellent starting-points (Humanities/Social Sciences Reference, Main Library). It is permissible and even recommended that you bring rough drafts to office hours for comments and suggestions. Any factual material must be supported by a reference, even if it arises from lectures, office hours, or the texts. If the readers or the Lecturer provide you with information or suggest concepts, please note this in the text and in the works cited section (see the sample Final Copy on the web). Papers without notes and bibliographies will be returned, with some penalty. Late submissions are accepted, though again with a penalty attached. Please refer to the instructions on Bibliography on the web for the correct bibliographic format:
Each student will have the responsibility for writing three of these papers. The assignments will be three full pages, approximately 1,000 words. The three topics and their due dates are
April 26 Bertrand du Guesclin
Describes his Strategy to the French King Charles V
(1369)
Useful Sites:
Froissart's
Chronicles: How sir Bertram of Guesclin was chosen constable
(see also http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/books/Froissart/0202.cfm)
May 17 Ascanio Piccolomini, the Archbishop of Siena, Writes to Pope Urban VIII Concerning Galileo Galilei's
Dialogue on the Two Chief Systems (1633)
Life of Galileo [Cultural Heritage Language Technologies, University of Missouri, Kansas
City]
Craig R. Smith,
"Galileo and the Aristotelian Cardinals: A Study of Suppression"
The Trial of Galileo Galilei, 1633 [University of Missouri, Kansas City]
June 5 Antonio Vivaldi,
the Venetian Composer, Defends his Manner of Living to Cardinal Tomaso Ruffo
of Ferrara (1738)
Antonio Vivaldi and the Women of the Pietá
Notes on Vivaldi
Broadly speaking, writers in the Late Middle Ages sought to prove a point through appeals to passion, as well as through argument by metaphor. The Bible can be used as an authority (especially in the Bertrand du Guesclin and Urban VIII letters), and sentimentality and emotion should dominate. Electronic search engines for the Bible are also available through the Web, for which see the Medieval Studies Home Page.
The degree of participation depends, most importantly, on completing the reading assignments, which are extensive (often thirty pages per class) and more than occasionally difficult, dense, and hard. Students are encouraged to ask questions, or, if they choose, to make appointments during office hours. Participation is not a matter of dominating a class or section discussion, but rather in being able either to contribute an insight, or to articulate the nature of the confusion. I do take roll, because your presence is important to your learning; that presence in and of itself does not constitute participation, however. Missed discussions, for whatever reason, should be made up by attending another discussion group that day. If this is impossible, discussions can be made up by reading the material and meeting the lecturer in or out of office hours, by appointment.
In the final, students will be provided with a source quotation from the early Middle Ages, and will discuss both its relation to the broad culture to which they have been exposed, and its function in the exam document. A sample final can be found at:
A considerable portion of the grade in this class depends on
participation, for which, see above.
As an indication of the various weights distributed
for performance, the following percentages are offered as a guide:
