Course Description
Topical studies of the social structures that shaped medieval European life and thought, and how those structures changed. The focal point changes yearly.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Additional research and/or paper(s) are normally required for graduate level coursework.
Athena Title
MEDIEV WEST INSTNS
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course offers an overview of the major trends and developments in western medieval monasticism, in chronological order from the origins of Christian monasticism in late Antiquity in Egypt to the decline of the monasteries in the Late Middle Ages. Thematic considerations include asceticism, the communal life, the theology of monasticism, education, decline and reform, innovation and heresy. The principal objective of the course is to teach students to think critically for themselves about the relationships between the past and the present, to learn to ask questions of the past that enable them to understand the present and mold the future, and to become attuned to both the limitations and possibilities of change. The course seeks to acquaint students with the ways in which past societies and peoples have defined the relationships between community and individual needs and goals, and between ethical norms and decision-making. In general students will be expected to: 1. read a wide range of primary and secondary sources critically. 2. polish skills in critical thinking, including the ability to recognize the difference between opinion and evidence, and the ability to evaluate--and support or refute--arguments effectively. 3. write stylistically appropriate and mature papers and essays using processes that include discovering ideas and evidence, organizing that material, and revising, editing, and polishing the finished papers.
Topical Outline
Introduction The Hermits Early Cenobitism Transmission to the West / The Latin Doctors Cassian of Marseilles Benedict of Nursia Irish Monasticism / Anglo-Saxon Monasticism Carolingian Monasticism Life in a Monastic Community The New Hermits Cistercians The New vs. the Old Military Orders Monastic Women The Mendicants Late Medieval Monasticism
Syllabus