Prof. Lisa Wolverton

325 McKenzie Hall   

Office hours:  Wed. 10:00-11:30 am

lwolvert@uoregon.edu

 

History 319
Europe in the Early Middle Ages

This course surveys the social, cultural, intellectual, and religious history of Europe from the late Roman Empire to the ninth century.  Its central theme is the emergence of a uniquely medieval Christian culture in the post-Roman Germanic kingdoms of northern Europe.

Course Texts

Most of the readings, including all those marked with an asterisk (*) in the syllabus, have been gathered in a xeroxed coursepack.  Together with the three books below, it is available for purchase at the UO Bookstore.  Copies have also been placed on reserve in Knight Library.

Augustine of Hippo, Confessions (Henry Chadwick, trans.)
The Burgundian Code (Katherine Fischer Drew, trans.)

Evaluation

This course consists of a combination of lectures and discussion based upon the assigned readings.  Students are expected to have read the assignment before class, and come prepared to discuss it.  The exam will test the student’s familiarity with the assigned readings, as well as their assimilation of material from the lectures.  Regular attendence is strongly advised!   

Students will be evaluated on the basis of three short papers and a final examination, all weighted equally.  The total breakdown is as follows:

75%    Papers (3 @ 25% each)
25%    Final Exam

Syllabus

Sept. 30

Introduction to the Course: The Late Roman World

*Eusebius

Oct. 2

An Intellectual’s Conversion: Augustine of Hippo

Confessions, Bks. 1-2    READING GUIDE  Lecture

 

Oct. 5

The Liberal Arts

Conf. Bk. 3

Oct. 7

Christianities Plural

Conf. Bk. 4-5

Oct. 9

Neo-Platonic Philosophy

Conf. Bks. 6-7

 

Oct. 12

Asceticism

*Athanasius, Life of Antony

Oct. 14

Conversion

Conf. Bks. 8-9

Oct. 16

Translation

*Ambrose

 

Oct. 19

The “Fall” of Rome

Paper #1 due

Oct. 21

The “Barbarians”

 

Oct. 23

Germanic Law

Burgundian Code

Germanic Europe

Oct. 26

Gregory the Great & the Papacy

*Gregory I, Pastoral Care

Oct. 28

Monasticism

*Rule of Benedict

Oct. 30

Ireland & England

*Bede, Ecclesiastical History, pp. 117–46

 

Nov. 2

The Franks

*Gregory of Tours, History, pp. 139-58

Nov. 4

A World of Chaos?

*Gregory of Tours, History, 385-430

Nov. 6

Saints and Miracles

*Gregory of Tours, Miracles

 

Nov. 9

Saints and Society

*Life of Radegund

Nov. 11

8th Century Europe

 

Nov. 13

No class

Paper #2 due

Resurgence and Disarray

Nov. 16

Charlemagne

*Einhard, Life of Charlemagne

Nov. 18

The Carolingian “Renaissance”

*McKitterick

Nov. 20

Ninth-century Disorder

*Annals of St-Bertin

 

Nov. 23

Marauders!

*Keynes, “Vikings in England”

Nov. 25

Anglo-Saxon England

*Asser, Life of Alfred

Nov. 27

Thanksgiving!

 

 

Nov. 30

Ottonian Germany & Capetian France

 

Dec. 1

Missions to the East

Paper #3 due

Dec. 3

Wrap-up

 

Thurs.  Dec. 10

10:15-12:15

FINAL EXAM

Tuesday  Dec.  6                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     10:15-12:15                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           FINAL EXAM 

Paper Topics

Paper #1

How does Augustine’s experience as a reader influence his rhetorical decisions as a writer?

 

(As you answer, think about the role reading plays in the story Augustine tells of his conversion to Catholic Christianity.  Then consider what might this tell us about his aim in writing the Confessions, and the way he decides to tell his story.)

Paper #2

How would you characterize Dhuoda’s didactic program (for instance, it is Augustinian?) and how does it, and her Handbook as a whole, reflect the ideals of the Carolingian Renaissance?

 

(You may need to look up the word “didactic” in a dictionary.)

________________

 

For the topics listed above, answer the question with close analysis of the primary text.  Papers will be evaluated according to how well each student has argued his or her thesis.  There is no one answer, much less a single right answer, to the question. 

 

A well-formulated and -proven thesis is invariably a well-written one:  style will not be evaluated separately from content. Your paper should have a clear thesis and a logically organized argument, supported by specific evidence and citations from the text.  More detailed guidelines are available on-line.

 

Papers should be 3-4 pages long, double-spaced, printed in 12-pt. font, with 1” margins.  Citations from the text may consist simply of page numbers in parentheses.

 

Late papers will be penalized; papers more than one week late will not be accepted.