UNDER CONSTRUCTION!
HIST 203:
The History of Medieval Europe: The Early Middle Ages (Fall 2025)
Martha Carlin
Distinguished Professor
Department of History
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00-11:15 AM
Location: Bolton B56
Copyright Martha Carlin 2024, all rights reserved
HIST 203
Syllabus
Lecture outlines
COVID-19 and other issues:
As a member of our campus community, you are expected to abide by UWM’s COVID-Related Health & Safety Rules:
- Self-check for COVID symptoms at https://uwm.edu/coronavirus/symptom-monitor/. Symptoms may include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, loss of sense of taste or smell.
- If you test positive for COVID-19, please follow the instructions at https://uwm.edu/covid/faqs/ive-tested-positive-for-covid-19-what-do-i-do/
If you are ill or have COVID-19:
Do not come to campus or attend any in-person class if you have COVID-19, or if you are experiencing any other symptoms of illness.
Contact me immediately to discuss options for completing coursework while ill or in quarantine.
As your instructor, I will trust your word when you say you are ill, and in turn, I expect that you will report the reason for your absences truthfully.
Class recording:
Our class sessions may be recorded for students who are unable to attend at the scheduled time; students who attend class agree to be recorded.
Potential for switch to online instruction:
If our class needs to move online (such as because of a weather emergency or COVID-19 outbreak), we will meet on our regular day(s) and at our regular time(s), and we will use Zoom as our online class platform. You will access the Zoom class(es) from the course Canvas page, and I will send you full instructions for using Zoom.
* * *
Contact information:
Instructor: Professor Martha Carlin
Office: Holton 320
Messages: History Department, tel. (414) 229-4362
Email: carlin@uwm.edu
Website: people.uwm.edu/carlin/
Office hours: Tuesdays 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM, and by appointment
Grader: Emily Rae Barker
Office: Holton 380
E-mail: erbarker@uwm.edu
Office hours: Thursdays, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM, and by appointment
Emily will be grading your written work and keeping the grade book and attendance records.
Course format: In-person lecture
Prerequisites: None
Course description: This course will survey the history of Europe in the early Middle Ages, c. 500-1000 CE. This period was packed with dramatic events and major developments that shaped later Western history and cultures, including the collapse of the Roman empire in the West and its survival in the East, the spread of Christianity and Islam, the impact of the Germanic peoples on Western Europe (including the Anglo-Saxons, the Franks, and the Vikings), and the rise and fall of the Carolingian empire. During the first ten weeks of the semester we will examine the broad history of the period, and we will look at these events and developments, and trace their long-term effects on European society. In the latter part of the semester we will examine in some detail the conditions of daily life in early medieval Europe. To do all this we will read works by modern scholars who have attempted to reconstruct pieces of the medieval past, and also accounts by medieval people of their own world as they saw it, and we will consider examples of the art, architecture, and material culture of the period.
Course learning objectives: This course should provide you with a good overview of European history between 500 and 1000 CE, and enable you to understand the significance both of outstanding individual careers and events, and of broad and long-term historical patterns. It should also enable you to develop important skills in:
- reading and evaluating sources carefully and critically
- identifying and analyzing a wide variety of types of evidence
- using such evidence to reconstruct and interpret the past
- combining research and analysis with thoughtful writing to produce clear, original, and persuasive arguments
There are two required textbooks, both inexpensive, and both available through UWM’s Virtual Bookstore (https://www.bkstr.com/uwmilwaukeestore/shop/textbooks-and-course-materials). These textbooks were chosen for their high quality, easy accessibility, and affordable cost.
Bennett, Judith M., and Sandy Bardsley. Medieval Europe: A Short History. 12th edition. New York: Oxford University Press (OUP), 2020. ISBN: 9780190064617
You are welcome to buy either the print edition or the e-edition of this book (e-editions are available from OUP and from its eText affiliate, RedShelf.com). Be sure to buy the 12th edition (2020), not an earlier edition.
If you purchase the Bennett and Bardsley e-edition directly from OUP’s website ( https://global.oup.com/ushe/product/-9780190064617?cc=us&lang=en&ebcode=STUDENT25&period=6M), you can use the code “STUDENT25” to get a ten percent discount.
Riché, Pierre. Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne. Trans. Jo Ann McNamara. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1978. ISBN:
- 9780812210965
(There is only one edition of this book, so any copy that you buy, new or second-hand, will be fine.)
There are also numerous required online readings (listed below under Topics and Readings).
Email and internet access: You will require an email account and access to the internet for this class. All UWM students receive a free UWM email account. If you routinely use some other email account (such as a Gmail account), please go immediately into your UWM email account and put a forwarding command on it, to forward all incoming email to the account that you routinely use. This is your responsibility; the History Department will use your assigned UWM e-address only. (To put a forwarding command on your UWM email account: enter your Office 365 account and click on the “gear” icon to enter “Settings.” Type “forwarding,” and follow the instructions to forward email to your desired account.)
Papers: There are six required mini-papers (described at the end of this syllabus), each worth 10% of your final grade. You are welcome to write more than six of these mini-papers, in which case your six best paper grades will be used for your final grade (10% each, for 60% of the final grade).
Exams/quizzes: There will be no midterm exam or final exam. Instead, there will be daily in-class electronic quizzes, which will be taken in Canvas and will count towards the participation portion of your final grade. You will need a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer to take the quizzes. For fast access to Canvas on your Android or iOS smartphone or tablet, go to: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Canvas-Mobile-Users/gh-p/mobile
Attendance and participation: This class is designed to be taught face-to-face; if we need to move it online, it will be a synchronous (“live”) lecture class, taught at the scheduled times. Either in-person or online, your regular attendance and participation are essential. Registered students who fail to attend class during the first two class meetings, or to contact me, may be dropped administratively. The participation portion of your grade will be based on in-class work such as quizzes. Your attendance and participation are EACH worth 20% of your final grade.
Grading and deadlines: Your final grade will be based on your six (or six best) mini-papers (10% each, for 60% of final grade), and your attendance (20%) and participation in class (20%). The mini-papers are due on the dates specified at the end of the syllabus. Late work will not be accepted, except in cases of major illness or emergency (it is your responsibility to contact me immediately in such a case).
Course grade breakdown:
Mini-papers: 60%
Attendance: 20%
Participation (Quizzes): 20%
Grading scale for quizzes:
A- 85-89 A 90-100
B- 70-74 B 75-79 B+ 80-84
C- 55-59 C 60-64 C+ 65-69
D- 35-44 D 45-49 D+ 50-54
F 34 or less
Grading scale for mini-papers: Each mini-paper will be assigned a letter grade (A – F). The grading rubric for the mini-papers can be found on our course Canvas page and also on my website at: https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/criteria-for-grading-mini-papers/
Credit hour breakdown: This is a three-credit course. The expected minimum number of hours expended by students in this class is as follows:
Classroom time: 37.5 hours
Reading: 30 hours
Quizzes: 30 hours
Paper research and writing: 46.5 hours
Total: 144 hours
Electronic devices in class: You may use a laptop, tablet, or smartphone in class, but only for work related to this class. Off-task computer use will result in the forfeiture of the privilege of using the device in class (except for taking the daily quiz) for the remainder of the semester. All electronic devices must be silenced during class.
Disabilities: If you have a disability, it is essential that you contact me ASAP to discuss any help or accommodation you may need.
Students in need: Any student who faces challenges securing food, housing, or technology, or is struggling with mental, physical, or emotional health, and believes this may affect their academic performance, is urged to contact the Dean of Students (dos@uwm.edu) for support.
Academic Advising in History: All L&S students must declare and complete an academic major to graduate. If you have earned in excess of 45 credits and have not yet declared a major, you are encouraged to do so. If you are interested in declaring a major or minor in History, or require academic advising in History, please visit the Department of History’s undergraduate program web page, at: http://uwm.edu/history/undergraduate/.
Academic integrity at UWM: UWM and I expect each student to be honest in academic performance. Failure to do so may result in discipline under rules published by the Board of Regents (UWS 14). The penalties for academic misconduct such as cheating or plagiarism can include a grade of “F” for the course and expulsion from the University. For UWM’s policies on academic misconduct, see https://uwm.edu/deanofstudents/academic-misconduct-2/.
UWM policies on course-related matters: See the website of the Secretary of the University, at: https://uwm.edu/secu/wp-content/uploads/sites/122/2016/12/Syllabus-Links.pdf
Student success: Please feel free to ask for more information after class, during office hours, or by appointment. Please be assured we want you to learn and succeed in the course! Additional ways to get academic support related to this course include:
- Meet with one of UWM’s Writing Tutors to discuss your written assignments. Make an in-person or online appointment at the writing Center: https://uwm.edu/writing-center/
- Meet with your Advisor to discuss time management strategies and your academic progress. Make an appointment on Navigate.
Topics and Readings
IMPORTANT: Each day’s assigned readings are to be done before class. In-class quizzes will be based both on the lectures and on the assigned readings.
Week 1: Introduction
2 Sept. –
Introduction to course
4 Sept. – The Roman Empire
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. xi-xix (introductory matter), 1-10
Week 2: The Origins and Spread of Christianity
9 Sept. –
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 11-16
Acts of the Apostles, Chapters 1-6, 9-11. Use any edition of the
New Testament, or use either of the editions below:
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/acts-asv.html (American Standard Version, 1901)
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+1&version=NASB (New American Standard Version, 1995)
11 Sept. –
Week 2 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM today (see end of syllabus)
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 16-23
Eusebius: The Conversion of Constantine, 312
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/conv-const.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140911025111/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/conv-const.asp
The Nicene Creed, 325
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/the-nicene-creed/
Theodosius the Great, Law-code (excerpts): On religion
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/codex-theod1.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814161845/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/codex-theod1.asp
Hypatia of Alexandria (d. 415): Read the editor’s introduction, and then scroll down and read all three accounts of her life and murder
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/hypatia-of-alexandria/
Week 3: The Collapse of Roman Power in the West; the Barbarian Invasions
16 Sept. –
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 23-27
Tacitus, Germania (read the first of the two texts)
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/tacitus1.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140912074251/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/tacitus1.asp
18 Sept. –
Week 3 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM today (see end of syllabus)
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 28-32
Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks: The reign of Clovis
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/gregtours1.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20110805002306/http:/www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/gregtours1.asp
Biographical sketch of Clotilda, Clovis’s queen
https://medievaleuropeonline.com/retiredclothilde.html
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20210414234039/https://medievaleuropeonline.com/retiredclothilde.html
Theodoric the Ostrogoth (via his secretary, Cassiodorus): Letters
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/theodoric1.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814182556/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/theodoric1.html
Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Book I, Chap. 15: The
coming of the Anglo-Saxons
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/bede/history.v.i.xiv.html
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160409102022/http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bede/history.v.i.xiv.html
Week 4: Early Western Christendom, c. 500-700
23 Sept. –
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 33-47
Venantius Fortunatus: Life of St. Radegund
http://people.uwm.edu/carlin/venantius-fortunatus-life-of-st-radegund/
(If the above website is unavailable, use the following website; it has the same text, but with some editing flaws:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20160303195904/http://mw.mcmaster.ca/scriptorium/radegund.html
25 Sept. –
Week 4 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM today (see end of syllabus)
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 47-60
The Rule of St. Benedict
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/rul-benedict.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140912073807/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/rul-benedict.asp
Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People: Missionaries in England
https://web.archive.org/web/20180317102044/http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/bedeconv.html
Week 5: Byzantium and Islam
30 Sept. –
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 61-82
Procopius, On the Buildings (De Ædificiis): Hagia Sophia
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/procop-deaed1.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814160639/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/procop-deaed1.asp
Procopius, On the Wars (De Bello Gothico): the Byzantine silk industry, and the racing factions (see both websites below)
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/550byzsilk.asp
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/procop-factions.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived versions of these sources at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814172637/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/550byzsilk.asp
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814172738/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/procop-factions.asp
Procopius, The Secret History (Anecdota): read Introduction (by webmaster Paul Halsall), “Contents” (list of chapters in The Secret History), and “By the Historian” (introduction by Procopius)
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/procop-anec.asp
2 Oct. –
Week 5 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM today (see end of syllabus)
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 83-95
The Qur’an: Extracts from Surahs 1 and 47, on faith
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/medieval-sourcebook-the-quran-1-47/
Week 6: the Islamic World
7 Oct. –
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 96-104
The Qur’an: Extracts from Surahs 4 and 2, on women, Moses, Jesus, and righteousness
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/the-quran-excerpts/
The Hadith (extracts): On the 5 pillars of Islam; on trade
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/the-hadith-excerpts/
Watch this entire documentary video:
Islam: Empire of Faith, part 1: Muhammed and the Rise of Islam (54 min.):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF6VPZsHDZQ
9 Oct. –
Week 6 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM today (see end of syllabus)
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 105-107
“The Origins of the Sunni/Shia split in Islam” (short article by Hussein Abdulwaheed Amin, Editor of IslamForToday.com)
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/origins-of-sunnishia-split-in-islam/
Yakut: Baghdad under the Abbasids, c. AD 1000
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/1000baghdad.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814160142/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1000baghdad.asp
Week 7: Carolingian Europe
14 Oct. –
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 108-123
Riché, pp. 41-6 (the palace), 90-8 (life at court)
Einhard, Life of Charlemagne: Extracts from Book III
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/einhard1.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814160700/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/einhard1.asp
16 Oct. –
Week 7 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM today (see end of syllabus)
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 123-132
Riché, pp. 3-23 (the Carolingian world)
Charlemagne: Capitulary De villis
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/carol-devillis.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814160655/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/carol-devillis.asp
Inventory of Charlemagne’s estate at Asnapium [=modern Annapes; the mysterious word “gramalmin” in this inventory is a misreading of “gramalium” (pot-hook)]
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/800Asnapium.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814182105/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/800Asnapium.asp
Week 8: The New Invasion: Muslims, Magyars, and Vikings
21 Oct. –
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 133-143
The Vikings attack the Franks, c. 843-912 (read all three texts)
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/843bertin.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20141028170149/http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/843bertin.asp
Viking ship-building and navigation (see both websites below)
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/britannia/anglo-saxon/maldon/gokstad.html
(if the above website fails to load, use the copy at:)
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/the-gokstad-ship/
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/norse_ships.htm
Viking ships (see all four websites below):
http://www.sjolander.com/viking/museum/Ston3888.jpg
(“Bildsten Stora Hammars 1” – Viking picture stone from the Swedish island of Gotland, depicting land and sea battles; alternative URL: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bildsten#/media/Fil:Bildsten_Stora_Hammars_1_-_KMB_-_16000300017733.jpg)
The Oseberg ship: http://www.vikingskip.com/osebergskipet.htm
The Gokstad ship: http://www.vikingskip.com/gokstadskipet.htm
The Tune ship: http://www.vikingskip.com/tuneskipet.htm
The Cuerdale hoard, c. 905-910: the largest known Viking Age silver hoard from Western Europe
https://web.archive.org/web/20140704015936/http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_mla/t/the_cuerdale_hoard.aspx
23 Oct. –
Week 8 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM today (see end of syllabus)
Saga of Grettir the Strong, Chaps. 1-18
https://web.archive.org/web/20170226152113/http://omacl.org/Grettir/gr1-18.html
Ibn Fadlan: Description of the Rus, 921 (read as far as “Questions and answers about Eaters of the Dead and 13th Warrior“)
https://www.vikinganswerlady.com/ibn_fdln.shtml
Week 9: Europe Survives the Siege
28 Oct. –
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 143-156
Asser, Life of King Alfred
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/asser.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814182212/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/asser.asp
The Peace of God proclaimed in the archdiocese of Bordeaux, 989
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/pc-of-god.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20141009112720/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/pc-of-god.asp
30 Oct. –
Week 9 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM today (see end of syllabus)
Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 156-164
Brenda M. Johnson, “Hrotsvit of Gandersheim, Tenth-Century Poet and Playwright” (biographical essay on the German canoness who was the first medieval playwright)
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/hrotsvit-of-gandersheim/
Week 10: Early Medieval Society; Daily Work
4 Nov. –
Riché, pp. 101-9, 110-30 (Carolingian people)
6 Nov. –
Week 10 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM today (see end of syllabus)
Riché, pp. 133-42 (farming), 142-51 (stock breeding, crafts)
Week 11: The Early Medieval Church
11 Nov. –
Riché, pp. 35-40 (monasteries), 84-89 (prelates), 109-10 (rural priests); 230-42 (liturgy, churches and their furnishings, penance, liturgical calendar), 269-72 (sanctuary and hospitality)
13 Nov. –
Week 11 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM today (see end of syllabus)
Allen J. Frantzen, Anglo-Saxon Penitentials – A Cultural Database:
Penances recommended by Anglo-Saxon manuals of penance (“penitentials”) for paganism, superstitions, and cultic practices:
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/anglo-saxon-penitentials-paganism-superstitions-and-cultic-practices/
Also, practices concerning death and burial:
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/anglo-saxon-penitentials-death-and-burial/
Week 12: Formal Education; Popular Religion
18 Nov. –
Riché, pp. 74-76 (aristocratic training), 191-7 (clerical training), 203-29 (education and learning)
Walafrid Strabo, Hortulus (My Little Garden): The Gourd
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/walafrid-stabo-hortulus-the-gourd/
20 Nov. –
Week 12 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM today (see end of syllabus)
Riché, pp. 181-90 (paganism, magic, astrology, marvels), 197-202 (popular religious instruction), 242-5 (prayer associations), 273-88 (relics and pilgrimage)
Week 13: Lordship and Justice
25 Nov. –
Week 13 mini-paper due in Canvas today (Tuesday) by 8:59 PM (see end of syllabus)
Riché, pp. 67-71 (estate administration), 257-8 (the poor), 259-68 (royal justice and lay protectors)
The law of the Salian Franks
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/salic-law.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814160708/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/salic-law.asp
Judgment by ordeal
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/ordeals1.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814165902/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ordeals1.asp
27 Nov. – THANKSGIVING DAY – NO CLASS
Week 14: Daily Life; Hardships
2 Dec. –
Riché, pp. 47-56, 61-3 (demography, sex, and marriage), 159-77 (housing, clothing, hygiene, food)
4 Dec. –
Week 14 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM today (see end of syllabus)
Riché, pp. 24-8 (landscape), 76-81 (war), 249-54 (hardships)
Aelfric, Colloquy (“On Laborers”), c. 1000
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/1000workers.asp
(if the main website is down, use the archived version of this source at:)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140814200012/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1000workers.asp
Week 15: Riddles, Poetry, and Tales
9 Dec. –
Alcuin of York, “The Debate Between Pippin and Alcuin”
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/alcuin-of-york-the-debate-between-pippin-and-alcuin/
Anglo-Saxon poetry and riddles from the Exeter Book: Excerpts from
The Ruin and The Wanderer, and three riddles
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/exeter-book-excerpts/
Three tales from The 1001 Nights (translated by Sir Richard Burton):
“The Ruined Man Who Became Rich Again Through a Dream”
https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/burt1k1/tale14.htm
“The Sweep and the Noble Lady”
https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/burt1k1/tale12.htm
“The Second Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman”
https://web.archive.org/web/20160910123742/http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/burt1k1/tale19.htm
11 Dec. – Review
Week 15 mini-paper due in Canvas by 8:59 PM (see end of syllabus)
Mini-Papers for History 203
PAPER REQUIREMENTS:
Each paper must be 1-2 double-spaced pages long, in a 12-pt font. (The minimum length is one full page of text; the maximum length is two full pages of text.) It must be submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx) via the course Canvas page.
Your paper must be based entirely on that week’s assigned readings and my online lectures and lecture outlines. No other sources are allowed, including Wikipedia. The point of the papers is to challenge you to read the assigned readings carefully, and to attend and take part in lectures and class discussions thoughtfully, and to hone your analytical and writing skills.
Your papers must address the assigned topic, and be written to a college-level standard, with good grammar, spelling, punctuation, and phrasing.
Fill your papers with solid factual content, not “padding,” and avoid vague or unclear writing. Put everything in your own words; do not include any quotations at all.
Your papers must be entirely your own work. The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not allowed in this class. Generative AI used to assist in assignment completion in part (e.g., generating ideas, brainstorming, summarizing information) or in whole (e.g., submitting direct text from a Generative AI source) will be considered Academic Misconduct as defined by UWS Chapter 14. You may not copy or adapt your papers from someone else’s work; and you may not collaborate on them with anyone else.
You must fully “document” (cite) your sources to make it clear where you found ideas and information. Papers that fail to cite their sources, or that misrepresent their sources, will receive a grade of F.
To document your sources, you must use endnotes. (Do NOT use footnotes or parenthetical citations). The endnote goes at the end of the passage that it documents, which may be only a sentence or two, or may be an entire paragraph. You must use at least one endnote per paragraph.
Use Microsoft Word to create your endnotes – do not create them manually. Depending on which version of Word you are using, to insert an endnote you will either go to the Reference tab and select “Insert Endnote,” or you will click on Insert in the upper toolbar and in the drop-down menu choose “Footnote” — then, in the following screen, you will choose “Endnotes.” Microsoft Word will automatically number your endnotes, and will automatically re-number them as necessary if you revise your text. In using Word, be sure to choose Arabic numerals (1,2,3,4…), NOT Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv…), for your endnote numbers.
Insert an endnote when you switch from one source to another. If you interweave multiple sources in a single passage or paragraph, cite them together in a single endnote. Endnotes go outside punctuation. In most cases, endnotes should be placed at the ends of sentences, after the period. Never insert multiple endnotes in any location. (Examples of endnotes are given below.)
- In citing the two textbooks, you must give the specific pages that you used in writing this part of your text. Do not simply list the full range of pages in the reading assignments – list only the page(s) from which you took ideas or information.
- In citing assigned online sources that are longer than one or two pages, be sure to identify which part(s) you used by some clear reference. For example, cite the relevant chapter, or line number, or section heading, or image, or some other landmark (such as a year date in a chronicle) so that the reader can find the right passage easily.
- If you have used ideas or information from my lectures or lecture outlines, say so, and give the dates.
- If your text fills two pages, your endnotes may go on p. 3.
Examples of how to cite single sources in endnotes:
1Bennett and Bardsley, pp. 211-16, 333-5.
2Riché, p. 76 (war).
3Walafrid Strabo, Hortulus: The Gourd, lines 30-34.
4Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Book I, Chap. 15: The coming of the Anglo-Saxons.
5Carlin, Thursday lecture and lecture outline.
Example of how to cite multiple sources in an endnote:
6Bennett and Bardsley, p. 40; Carlin, Tuesday lecture; Venantius Fortunatus: Life of St. Radegund, chap. 7.
You must submit a minimum of six mini-papers. You are welcome to submit more than six; if you do, your six best paper grades will be used for your final grade. Your six (or six best) mini-papers are worth 60% of your final grade (10% each).
All papers are due in Canvas on THURSDAYS by 8:59 PM, except for Thanksgiving week, when the paper is due on TUESDAY by 8:59 PM. Late papers (including paper topics from an earlier week) will not be accepted.
PAPER TOPICS (choose at least six):
WEEK 2: This week’s readings include three quite different accounts of the scholarly career and murder of Hypatia of Alexandria. Imagine that you are a modern investigator trying to reconstruct why Hypatia was killed and the circumstances of her death. Drawing for background on this week’s readings and lectures, analyze the three documents. For each document, answer the following three questions:
(1) Who is blamed for Hypatia’s death?
(2) What sign(s) of bias can you detect in the account?
(3) Is the account trustworthy or untrustworthy, and why?
WEEK 3: This week we read two propagandistic accounts of the Germans, as seen through Roman eyes. The first account, Germania, provides an important early description of the Germanic people and their culture. It was written c. 98 CE by the Roman senator and historian Tacitus (c. 56-c. 120 CE). The second account is the depiction of the Frankish king Clovis (d. 511), founder of the Merovingian dynasty. It was written in the late 500s by Gregory, the aristocratic Gallo-Roman bishop of Tours (c. 538-594). Identify five features of Germanic culture as described by Tacitus that can also be seen in Bishop Gregory’s account of Clovis.
WEEK 4: Much is known of the life of St. Radegund (c. 520-587), a Frankish princess forced into marriage with a Frankish king, who later fled her marriage and her royal status to live a life of celebrated holiness and self-denial in a convent in Poitiers. When Radegund died there in 587, the whole city wept. She was buried outside her convent, in a church that she had built, and her grand public funeral was conducted by her friend Gregory, bishop of Tours (c. 538-594). Drawing on two early medieval sources — the Life of St. Radegund written by her friend Venantius Fortunatus, and the monastic way of life for monks (and nuns) as represented by the Rule of St. Benedict — together with this week’s lectures and the readings in Bennett and Bardsley, imagine that you are Bishop Gregory at Radegund’s funeral, and write a eulogy for her as he might have delivered it. Be sure to pack your paper with concrete information drawn from the lectures and the assigned readings, including from both the Life of St. Radegund and the Rule of St. Benedict.
WEEK 5: It is the year 541. Justinian and Theodora are planning to erect a grand public monument celebrating their reign. Justinian has asked Procopius to draft the inscription that will be carved on this monument, describing the glorious achievements of the emperor and empress. Produce two versions of this inscription:
(1) A draft that Procopius would have submitted to Justinian and Theodora
(2) A malicious version, which Procopius would have included in his Secret History of their reign.
Each version of the inscription should be one-half page to one page long. You must use ALL of Tuesday’s assigned readings as sources for this paper.
WEEK 6: The rise of Islam rapidly overthrew Byzantine hegemony in the Middle East and North Africa, and established a new dominant religion and a new imperial state. Drawing on the lectures and readings in Week 5 (Thursday) and Week 6, identify:
- Two major reasons for Islam’s early success against the Byzantines
- Three major examples of the political and cultural achievements of the Ummayad and early Abbassid caliphates.
WEEK 7: It is the year 805. You are a distant cousin (male or female) of Charlemagne, whom you are visiting at his court at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle). Write a letter home to your family describing the emperor and his palace, and what you have seen and heard and done there. Fill your description with concrete factual information drawn from this week’s lectures, lecture outlines, and readings. You must use all of this week’s readings as sources for this paper.
WEEK 8: You are a modern archaeologist who has just excavated a large Viking burial mound in Norway. Drawing on this week’s lectures and readings:
- Describe in detail six to eight of your most important finds
- Compare each find with items mentioned in Grettir’s Saga and in Ibn-Fadlan’s description of the Rus Vikings.
WEEK 9: In Week 4 we looked at the cultural flowering in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria; in Weeks 5 and 6 we traced the achievements of early Byzantium and of the early Islamic caliphates. In Week 7 we examined the Carolingian Renaissance in Francia; this week we studied the efforts of Alfred the Great to rebuild literacy and scholarship in Wessex, and some of the achievements of the Ottonian Renaissance in Germany. In an age dominated by war and violence, why did great rulers strive to become the patrons of education, scholarship, art, architecture, and literature? Give five reasons for this. You must use both medieval and modern sources from the assigned readings in this paper. You must use evidence from the Week 9 readings and lectures, but you may, if you wish, supplement this with evidence from earlier weeks.
WEEK 10: You are a male or female peasant living on a farm in Carolingian Francia. Of the four seasons of the year, which one do you consider the hardest in terms of your work, and why? Give plenty of concrete details, drawn from the lectures and assigned readings.
WEEK 11: You are a Carolingian bishop conducting your annual “visitation” (inspection tour) of each abbey in your diocese. You need to check for problems of all kinds, in such matters as proper adherence to the Rule of St. Benedict, the physical maintenance of the abbey buildings and furnishings, the abbey’s finances, the competence and honesty of the abbot or abbess, the behavior and morale of the monks or nuns, the training of novices, the standard of hospitality, the reputation of the abbey in the vicinity, etc. Write a checklist of 20 standard questions to be asked by the bishop at each house of monks or nuns. You must use both medieval and modern sources for this paper.
WEEK 12: Renowned scholars like Walafrid Strabo taught elite students in monastic schools or in royal or aristocratic households.
(1) Identify two ways in which Walafrid might have used his poem on gardening (Hortulus) in the classroom to teach his students,
AND
(2) Identify two things that this poem tells us about monastic life at Walafrid’s monastery at Reichenau
WEEK 13: Identify five features of Frankish society, culture, and concepts of justice that came up in this week’s lecture and readings from Riché, and that are reflected in the two medieval sources.
WEEK 14: Aelfric (c. 955-c. 910), an English monk, wrote his Colloquy (“On Laborers”) to teach Latin to boys being schooled in his monastery. Some houses of nuns had schools for girls. Write a similar dialogue for girls that describes the daily work of girls and women. Using the assigned readings from BOTH Riché and Aelfric, fill your dialogue with concrete factual details, not mere chatter.
WEEK 15: This week we read examples of literary texts from Western Europe and from the Abbasid caliphate. What do they tell us about their respective societies? To compare and contrast these two societies, their lifestyles, and their cultural preoccupations, identify one major feature that they shared, and four major ways in which they differed, which are