*HIST+327+syllabus

Robert C. Figueira Spring 2018 e-mail: figueira@lander.edu Carnell Learning Center 368 webpage: http://figueira.wikispaces.com phones: 864-388-8218 (o); 864-229-6391 (h) office hours: MW 1:45-2:45PM; TR 9:30-10:30AM

HISTORY 327 THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES

I. __Course readings__:

(a) Roger Collins, //Early Medieval Europe// (third edition; hereafter Collins) (b) Chodorow-Hoyt, //Europe in the Middle Ages// (hereafter C-H) (c) Bede, //Ecclesiastical History of the English People// (d) Einhard, //The Life of Charlemagne// (e) Matthias Becher, //Charlemagne// (f) Eileen Power, “The Peasant Bodo” (ch. two in //Medieval People//)

Items (a), (c), (d), and (e) are available for purchase at the University Bookstore, and copies of (a), (b), (c), (d), and (f) are on closed reserve in Jackson Library. The reserve copies of (a) are the first and second editions of the work. Any other complete editions of (c) and (d) are acceptable, so long as the instructor is consulted regarding page assignments.

II. __Course objectives and content__:

A survey of political, intellectual, and social life in Western Europe during the early middle ages: the new polities, the recasting of society, manorialism, the confrontation with internal and external challenges, feudalism, church reform, and the rise of nation-states.

As in any course of this chronological breadth, only a limited number of topics can be treated in any detail; students should rely on their textbooks – course readings (a) and (b) – for a general acquaintance with those topics not treated in depth during class meetings. In general, examinations will stress assigned primary sources and the lectures/discussions of scheduled class meetings.

Successful completion of this course will enable students to master factual information, to analyze historical sources and compose polished short prose assignments on historical subjects. The mastery of such competencies fulfills in part the following goals and objectives of history major programs at Lander University (//Lander University Catalog, 2017-2018//, p. 195): “Lander University history graduates will: 1. critically evaluate a secondary source of history; … 3. critically evaluate primary sources; 4. narrate a series of events in the history of a country other than the United States; ….”

For the Lander degree programs in History this course fulfills major requirements of 3 semester-hours of credit at the HIST 200+ level. For the Lander minor program in History this course fulfills requirements of 3 semester-hours of credit (a) in European history at the HIST 200+ level, or (b) as an elective at the HIST 300+ level, or (c) as a free elective. This course does not fulfill any General Education requirements.

This course also fulfills requirements in the N.C.S.S.-approved Lander University matrix for Social Studies secondary education (History B.S. degree).

III. __Course requirements, formal activities, and evaluation methods__:

The responsibilities of students in this course are:

(a) Regular attendance at class meetings; attendance will be monitored by the instructor, and students shall be held responsible for any announcements made or information imparted during class sessions. Please consult pp. 19-20 of the //Lander Student Handbook 2017-2018// and p. 54 of the //Lander University Catalog 2017-2018// regarding official university policy on class attendance. __Students who miss 20% of class meetings for whatever reason will receive a grade penalty up to and including “FA”__.

(b) Regular and frequent participation in classroom discussions, especially for those topics marked below with an asterisk. It is expected that students bring required readings (c), (d), and (f) to those class meetings when they are to be discussed.

(c) Completion of two in-class examinations on 13 February and 27 March 2018; these exams each will constitute not more than 20% of the raw final grade.

(d) Completion of a formal book review (5 full typewritten pages) due on 3 April 2018 on Matthias Becher, //Charlemagne//. This book review will constitute not more than 20% of the final raw grade.

(e) Completion of a final examination scheduled by the University Registrar on 1 May 2018, 11AM-1PM. This final will constitute not more than 40% of the final raw grade.

Regular attendance and classroom discussion will be considered in the conversion of the raw final grade into the course mark.

Grading scale - all examinations and the book review will receive a precise numerical grade, percentage based; the operative scale for these and for the course as a whole is thus: “A” = 90% and above, “B” = 80-89%, “C” = 70-79%, “D” = 60-69%, “F” = 59% and below.

A student who __without prior excuse__ does not take an exam at the appointed time earns an "F" for that particular exercise. __Upon the student's request, it is the instructor's prerogative whether to permit the hitherto unexcused student to take a make-up or receive a postponement (with or without penalty)__.

A student who __without prior excuse__ does not submit the book review on or before the appointed date will receive a grade penalty on this assignment (one-half letter grade assessed for each subsequent late class meeting day).

It is expected that all students abide by the rules of academic honesty detailed on pp. 7-11 of the //Lander Student Handbook 2017-2018//. See also p. 45 of the //Lander University Catalog 2017-2018// regarding the Academic Honor Code.

IV. __Additional information__:

Audio recording of class meetings is prohibited without the explicit permission of the instructor. Use of smokeless tobacco is prohibited during all class meetings. Use of cellular phones, PDAs, and similar electronic media devices is prohibited during all class meetings. Use of computers is permitted, with one exception, during class meetings, but their use is limited to note-taking and accessing those websites which the instructor is using in instruction during that class meeting. Use of computers is prohibited, however, during examinations. The foregoing paragraph is not intended to negate the reasonable accommodations accorded by federal law to students with documented physical or learning disabilities.

Student athletes whose coaches request the completion of progress reports by the instructor must, __on each occasion__, inform the instructor __at least twenty-four hours__ in advance of this need and provide the required forms and waiver agreements. As far as he is able, the instructor voluntarily will provide reasonable accommodation to such requests.

On rare occasions extremely inclement weather might discourage road travel to and from the Greenwood campus in order to attend a class meeting. I encourage you __not to risk__ your safety in such cases of bad weather. You are also responsible for your learning in this course, and thus I am confident that you will treat such occasions in a responsible manner. Whenever Lander classes are cancelled due to inclement weather, the University will inform local public communications media. The easiest way to determine whether class meetings have been cancelled is to access Lander’s automated telephone system at 864-388-8000; any cancellation message will be announced first on the system.

The instructor uses Blackboard __only__ to report midterm grades and __not__ for email or any other communication. Students wishing to email the instructor should carefully note his address above and use instead their internet email capability outside of Blackboard. Students should also __regularly__ check their official Lander email addresses for communications from the instructor.

If you have now or develop during this semester a physical or a learning disability and you want me to make reasonable accommodations according to federal law, you must contact the Lander University Student Wellness Center (Genesis Building, phone: 864-388-8885, email: studentwellness@lander.edu) and provide that office with appropriate documentation unless you have done so in the past. Once that office is aware of your disability, it will inform all of your instructors each semester that you attend LanderUniversity unless you ask in writing that this not be done. Students receiving special accommodations for scheduling and supervision of tests and other formal academic exercises must consult the instructor and the AcademicSuccessCenter (864-388-8317) on each occasion where special accommodations are sought.

V. __Teaching strategies used__:

Formal lecture – interrupted often by question-and-answer opportunities – will comprise the greater part of course meetings; on several pre-announced occasions (corresponding with the topics marked below by an asterisk), however, the teaching format will be student discussion moderated by the instructor. The sequence of topics may be changed – after appropriate prior notification – at the instructor’s discretion.

VI. __Class topics__ (each topic equals __at least__ one class period, and often several class periods):


 * 1) Introduction to the Early Middle Ages
 * 2) The Lombard Kingdom [C-H: 76-77; Collins 3rd : 198-219, 230-35 / 2nd : 196-217, 228-33 / 1st : 183-203, 213-218]
 * 3) The Visigothic Kingdom [C-H: 62-66, 77-78; Collins 3rd : 151-60 / 2nd : 153-61 / 1st : 144-151]
 * 4) The Frankish Kingdom under the Early Merovingians [C-H: 70-75; Collins 3rd : 109-13, begin 160-72, begin 236-62 / 2nd : 111-15, begin 161-72, begin 249-61 / 1st : 104-08, begin 151-61, begin 233-44]
 * 5) Anglo-Saxon England [C-H: 78-83; Collins 3rd : 173-97 / 2nd : 173-95 / 1st : 162-82]
 * 6) *Bede, //Ecclesiastical History// [Penguin edition pp. 72-159, 164-72, 176-97, 202-27, 230-35, 240-51, 254-62, 275-95, 298-331; see Addendum below]
 * 7) The Frankish Kingdom under the Later Merovingians and Early Carolingians [C-H: 137-51; Collins 3rd : finish 160-72, finish 236-62; 263-79 / 2nd : finish 161-72, finish 249-61; 262-78 / 1st : finish 151-61, finish 233-244, 245-260]
 * 8) Charlemagne and the Frankish Empire [C-H: 151-61; Collins 3rd : 280-307 2nd : 278-300 / 1st : 260-80]
 * 9) *Einhard, //Life of Charlemagne// [entire work; Ann Arbor/U. of Michigan edition pp. 5-75]
 * 10) The Carolingian Renaissance [C-H: 163-79; Collins 3rd : 307-17 / 2nd : 301-09 / 1st : 280-86]
 * 11) The Decline of the Carolingian Polity [C-H: 181-94; Collins 3rd : 318-43 / 2nd : 333-63 / 1st : 287-312]
 * 12) The Manor and the Fief [C-H: 210-27, 251-63]
 * 13) *“The Peasant Bodo” [entire excerpt: pp. 18-38, 174-77 in Power, //Medieval People//]
 * 14) Consolidation of the English kingdom [C-H: 105-11, 330-40; Collins 3rd : begin 344-70 / 2nd : begin 364-89 / 1st : begin 313-36]
 * 15) Consolidation of the French kingdom [C-H: 202-08, 340-41; Collins 3rd : finish 344-70 / 2nd : finish 364-89 / 1st : finish 313-36]
 * 16) Consolidation of the German kingdom, Church Reform, and the Investiture Struggle [C-H: 195-202, 272-302, 329-30, 354; Collins 3rd : 394-429 / 2nd : 394-422 / 1st : 340-44, 347-52]

ADDENDUM regarding VI., 6 above Bede readings by chapter

bk. I, chapters 22-34 bk. II, all chapters bk. III, chapters 1-10, 14-18, 20-28 bk. IV, chapters 1-13, 15-18, 21-24, 26-29 bk. V, ch. 7-15, 18-24 Autobiographical Note