Course Format: Two 1.5-hour lectures per week

Course Synopsis:

The legacy of the medieval world is all around us.  It has inspired writers J. R. R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) and George R. R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire), served as a backdrop for such feature films as A Knight’s Tale, Monty Python’s The Holy Grail, and Braveheart, and provided aesthetic and content references for creators of video games like World of Warcraft, Dragon Age and The Elder Scrolls series.  Are you interested in learning more about the societies and cultures that inform some of your favourite media?  Then join us as we explore major events and developments throughout Europe, North Africa and Western Asia from the fall of the Roman Empire to approximately 1500CE.

In the space of the semester, we will range far and wide across these regions as we follow the rise and fall of the great religious and political body that was the medieval church.  As we progress, we will detour to take closer looks at specific events (Viking invasions!), interesting historical figures (kings, queens and knights!) and how getting dirty supports textual history (archaeology and material culture!).  Throughout the course, you will read historical sources in translation and some of the latest research on topics that interest you.  You will also produce a research paper that answers a historical question of your choice.

Methods of Evaluation and Weights:

Article Review: 15%
Midterm: 20%
Research Paper & Outline: 35%
Final Exam: 30%

Texts and/or Resources Required:

Rosenwein, Barbara.  A Short History of the Middle Ages.  Fourth Edition.  Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014.
Rosenwein, Barbara H. (ed).  Reading the Middle Ages: Sources from Europe, Byzantium, and the Islamic World.  Second Edition.  Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2013.

*Please note:  This is a preliminary web course description only.  The department reserves the right to change without notice any information in this description.  The final, binding course outline will be distributed in the first class of the semester.