ITALY DURING THE MIDDLE AGES AND RENAISSANCE ... developments in
medieval Italian history including the rise of the Papacy, the creation of civic.
OBERLIN COLLEGE HISTORY 215 ITALY DURING THE MIDDLE AGES AND RENAISSANCE Instructor: Meetings: Office Hours: Email: Telephone:
Suzanne Mariko Miller TuTh 11:00am-12:15pm (King 237) Tu 4pm-5pm; W 10am-12pm; by appointment (Rice 307)
[email protected] x58528
After the fall of Rome, the social, political and economic landscape of Italy changed dramatically from the cosmopolitan world that had existed under the Caesars. This course examines important developments in medieval Italian history including the rise of the Papacy, the creation of civic communes, the growth of humanism, and the origins of modern banking and corporations, all of which contributed to the phenomenon known as the Italian Renaissance. The course ends with the demise of communal pluralism at the hands of foreign invasion from France and Spain and internal hegemony by Rome, Florence and Venice in the sixteenth century. Each week, we will tackle a different aspect of Italian society in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. In addition, we will contextualize these topics within the broader themes of the course: • The divergence of northern, and southern Italian politics, economy and social structures in the Middle Ages and Renaissance • The role of politics and the economy in shaping cultural output (including religious expression) • The emergence of a common, yet pluralistic Italian culture during the Middle Ages and Renaissance By exploring these themes, the students will learn skills of critical thinking and historical analysis, as well as gaining a sense of how Italians thought, fought, survived and thrived through the years from 400 to 1550. REQUIRED TEXTS David Abulafia, Italy during the Central Middle Ages, 1000-1300 (Short Oxford History) Dante Alighieri, The Inferno Trevor Dean, The Towns of Italy in the later Middle Ages John Najemy, Italy in the Age of Renaissance, 1300-1550 (Short Oxford History) Giorgio Vasari, The Lives of the Artists Moderata Fonte, The Worth of Women Various Texts available online through Blackboard (B) or ERes (ER) Attendance: 10% Weekly Responses: 20% Research Paper: 30%
ASSIGNMENTS Participation: 10% Essays (2): 15% each (2% proposal; 3% outline; 25% final paper)
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Attendance: Attendance is required of all students. 0-3 absences will result in an “A” level grade; 4-5 absences in a “B” level grade; 6-7 absences in a “C” level grade; 8 or more will result in failure of this component of the course grade. Absences may be excused and made-up in light of unavoidable circumstances; students should contact the instructor as soon as they are aware of and able to communicate about them. Participation: During the discussion portions of class, students are expected to be lively and engaged participants. This means speaking intelligently and on-topic; it also means listening to fellow students. This component of the course will be assessed holistically, based on the student’s performance throughout the semester. The following rubric will be used to assess participation: •
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A range: The student is fully engaged and highly motivated. This student is well prepared, having read the assigned texts and thought carefully about the texts’ relation to issues raised in class. This student's ideas and questions are substantive (either constructive or critical); they stimulate class discussions. This student listens and responds to the contributions of other students. B range: The student attends and participates consistently in discussion. This student comes to class well-prepared and contributes quite regularly by sharing thoughts and questions that show insight and a familiarity with the material. This student refers to the materials discussed in lecture and shows interest in other students' contributions. C range: The student meets the basic requirements of section participation. This student is usually prepared and participates once in a while but not regularly. This student’s contributions relate to the texts and offer a few insightful ideas but do not help to build a coherent and productive discussion. Failure to fulfill satisfactorily any of the criteria for C-range participation will result in a grade of "D" or below.
Weekly Responses: Each week, students will be required to post a response (~250-300 words) to the week’s topic and readings on the course Blackboard site. The posting is due on Wednesday by 11:59 pm. Each response will be assessed as a √+, √, √- or 0 and the grade is assessed as an average of scores across semester. • A “√-“ response gives a very basic summary of the texts or contains major historical or conceptual errors. (1.5 pts.) • A “√” response engages with the assigned texts and offers thoughtful assessment of them. (1.75 pts.) • A “√+” response demonstrates masterful understanding of the significance of the texts and connects them to the week’s themes in a thought-provoking way. (2 pts.) • Failure to post will be recorded as 0, as will a post that is completely off-topic. The single lowest scoring response will be dropped. No responses are due in week 1 (Feb. 3-5) and 13 (May 5-7). Essay 1 & 2: Each student will write 2 short (5-7 page) essays offering an interpretive synthesis on the themes of the course. The first essay will be about the divergent paths of northern, central and southern Italy. It is due Mar. 5 in class. The second essay will be about the relationship between cultural output and the structure of Italian society. It is due Apr. 20 in class. More specific instructions will be distributed 14 days before the essay is due. Research Paper: In addition to the two essays, each student will be expected to develop a longer, in-depth research paper on the topic of his/her choice (subject to instructor approval). The History 215 Page 2
student will be expected to turn in a topic proposal and a detailed outline of the paper for assessment in advance of the final product. The proposal should include the line(s) of research the student expects to pursue. It should also name at least one primary source and one secondary source pertinent to the subject. It is due Mar. 17 in class. The outline should express the main argument of the paper as well as the important sub-topics. It should also include the sources used to support the paper’s interpretation as well as the points of argument made. It should be 2-3 pages long. It is due Apr. 28 in class. The final paper should have an analytical, concisely-stated thesis, supported throughout the paper with evidence from primary sources and critical assessment of pertinent secondary texts. It should be 10-12 pages long and include both primary and secondary texts outside the assigned readings. Please turn in a final draft written in clear, proof-read English. Students should use the Chicago Manual of Style format for citation, and append a bibliography at the end of the paper. It is due May 12 at 4 pm. COURSE POLICIES Honor Code: Students should conduct themselves according to the Oberlin College Honor Code, contained in the Student Handbook, available at http://www2.oberlin.edu/students/handbook/. Students should affirm their understanding of the code by copying out the Honor Pledge and signing it at the end of each essay turned in for this class. Accommodation of Student Needs: Many students at Oberlin find themselves in circumstances that affect their ability to fully participate in class. Examples include disabilities, participation in sports and performances for the Conservatory. Students in these situations should contact the instructor as soon as possible with the proper documentation, so that suitable accommodation can be achieved. Late Papers: For each 24 hours that an paper is late without an extension, it will receive a 1/3 grade reduction (e. g. a B+ paper will drop to a B- if it is two days late). Extensions will be given only for unavoidable emergencies and must be cleared with the instructor. Laptops: Students are permitted to use laptops in class as long as it does not interfere with the learning and participation of the user and the people around him/her. Should the laptop prove unduly distracting, the instructor may request that the laptop be put away from the remaining duration of the day’s class.
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SCHEDULE An Age of Disunity or An Age of Diversity? Feb. 3 Can we talk about “Italy” before the modern period? Reading: None Feb. 5 What happened between AD 400 and AD 1550? A Broad Overview Reading: Chris Wickham (ERes) The Slow Rise of the Papacy Feb. 10 In the Wake of Rome’s Fall: the Evolution of Petrine Doctrine Reading: Gelasius (B); Leo I (B); Valentian (B); Gregory the Great (B) Feb. 12 Guelfs and Ghibellines: The Papal-Imperial Feud Reading: Abulafia, ch. 3; Innocent III (B); Villani, (B); Dante, canto XIX The Mixed Heritage of Southern Italy Feb. 17 Greeks, Muslims, Lombards and Normans: The Kingdom of Sicily Reading: Abulafia, ch. 2 Feb. 19 Frederick II Reading: Philip de Novare (B); Salimbene (B); Matthew Paris (B) The Birth of Medieval Communes Feb. 24 Creating a Sense of Place: Italian Cities in Feudal Europe Reading: Abulafia, ch. 1; Dean, docs. 1-9, 58-59, 96-100 Feb. 26 Civic Ritual and Identity Reading: Dean, docs. 15-18, 26-32, 42-43, 73-75, 105; Edward Muir, Civic Ritual in Renaissance Venice, excerpt (B) Medieval Italian Exchange, Commercial and Cultural Mar. 3 Long-Distance Trade at the Crossroad of the Mediterranean Reading: Abulafia, ch. 5; Dean, docs. 44-57 Mar. 5 Italian Others Reading: Abulafia, ch. 10; Dean, docs. 91-95 Essay 1 Due Piety and Politics: Religious Expression Medieval and Renaissance Italy Mar. 10 Urban Piety: Heretics, Saints and the re-personalization of religious experience Reading: Najemy, ch. 3; Little Flowers of St. Francis, Part I (B); Dean, docs. 33-40 Mar. 12 Envisioning Divine Order: Dante’s Morals and Ethics Reading: Dante, canti I-XVII Families and Factions: Units of Social Order during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance Mar. 17 The Ties that Bind: Society and Identity through Dante’s Eyes Reading: Dante, canti XVIII-XXXVII Topic Proposal Due Mar. 19 Trust, Faith and Accountability: The Construction and Function of Italian Families Reading: Najemy, ch. 4, Alessandra Strozzi, Letters, excerpts (B) History 215 Page 4
Spring Break Mar. 21-Mar. 29 Knowledge, Power and Class Warfare Mar. 31 Tools of Society: Notaries, Lawyers and Diplomats Reading: Abulafia, ch. 9; Dean, docs. 22-25 Apr. 2 The Popolo and the Grandi Reading: Najemy, ch. 7; Dean, docs. 64-71, 101-104 Humanism in Culture and Politics Apr. 7 The Quest for Knowledge Reading: Petrarch, Mount Ventoux (B); Petrarch, On Italian Language (B) Apr. 9 Applied Science: Language, Politics and Courtly Culture Reading: ; Najemy, ch. 2; Machiavelli, Art, Patronage and the Display of Status Apr. 14 Production of Art in the setting of the Communes Reading: Vasari, Lives of the Artists: Cimabue, Giotto, Della Robbia, Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Mantegna, Leonardo da Vinci; Najemy, ch. 8 Apr. 16 Collectors and Patrons: Personalizing Culture Reading: Iris Origo, The Merchant of Prato: Francesco Di Marco Datini, 1335-1410 (B) Italian Women during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance Apr. 20 Scholars, Saints and Whores Reading: Najemy, ch. 5; Catherine of Siena (B) Essay 2 DUE Apr. 22 The Worth of Women: Humanists, Women and Social Order Reading: Fonte, pp. 43-117, 249-260 Outsiders: Peasants and the South Apr. 28 Popolo and Peasants Reading: Abulafia, ch. 7; Duccio Balestracci, Renaissance in the Fields (B) Apr. 30: Southern Italy during the Renaissance Reading: Najemy, ch. 10 Outline Due The Legacy of the Renaissance in Italy May 5 Warfare and the decline of independent communes Reading: Najemy, ch. 12; Macchiavelli, The Prince, excerpts (B) May 7 Epilogue Final Paper Due May 12
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