Course Objectives By the conclusion of the course, students should:
be able to identify and describe the basic institutions that defined the High Middle Ages. In addition, they should be able to discuss these institutions and to retell the main narratives of the period using detailed examples.
be able to analyze and interpret primary sources, both “historical” and “literary,” and use them as evidence to support historical arguments.
be able to summarize history books and articles accurately and succinctly, and to evaluate the extent to which their arguments are supported by the evidence.
be prepared to discuss the different ways that medieval people viewed the world.
describe and evaluate the argument that the High Middle Ages represented a “renaissance.”
Course Texts(available at bookstore)
Barbara H. Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages: Volume II: From c.900 to c.1500 (2004): optional
