Course Description
A history of the political, economic, intellectual, and
environmental changes across Europe and the Mediterranean, from
the expansion and contraction of the Roman Empire to the
tragedies and transformation of the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries.
Athena Title
The Middle Ages
Prerequisite
Any HIST course or ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101E or ENGL 1101S or ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1102S or POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about the Middle Ages by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of the Middle Ages has shaped social and cultural identities and attitudes, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
Topical Outline
- Introduction
- The Late Roman Empire
- Early Christianity
- Christianity and the Roman World
- Decline of the West
- The Germanic Kingdoms
- Rise of the Western Church
- Monasticism
- Byzantium
- Rise of Islam
- Byzantium & Islam
- The Franks
- Charlemagne
- New Invaders
- The Post-Carolingian West
- The Ottonians
- Medieval Society
- The Secular Orders of Society
- Church Reform/Investiture Controversy
- Investiture Controversy/Innocent III
- Heresies & Mendicants
- Expansion of Europe/The First Crusade
- First Crusade
- Later Crusades
- Crusaders, Muslims, and Greeks
- High Medieval Monarchy
- Limitations on Government
- Rise of Universities & Scholasticism
- New Intellectual Expressions
- High Medieval
- Literature and Architecture
- The Fourteenth Century
- The Hundred Years’ War and Late Medieval States
- War and Rebellion
- Late Medieval Church and Christian Society
- Conciliarism and Religious Unrest
- End of an Era?
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
