PRESENTATION COLLEGEABERDEEN, SD

 

THE MIDDLE AGES (HS323)

Three Semester Hours

Spring 2012

NU24/LC1 TR 2:30-3:45 pm CT

 

Welcoming people of all faiths, Presentation College challenges learners toward academic excellence, and in the Catholic tradition, the development of the whole person.

 

 

Instructor:                  Dr. Brad Tennant, Associate Professor, Department of Arts and Sciences

Office Hours:            C333  Office Hours:  M-F 7:00-9:45; 1:00-1:45 CT

                                    TR 7:00-11:00 am; 1:00-1:45 pm CT (or by appointment).

(605) 229-8577 or 1-800-437-6060 ext. 577

E-Mail:  brad.tennant@presentation.edu

 

Text/Readings:

Judith M. Bennett.  Medieval Europe - A Short History (11th Edition).  Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2011.

 

 The Song of Roland

            http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/roland-ohag.html

 

            The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli (1515)

            http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/prince/prince_contents.html

 

            The Book of the Courtier by Count Baldassarre Castiglione (1528)

            https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/671/courtier.pdf;jsessionid=D571EF76E69272C47B7498274448AD8C?sequence=1

 

            Other materials and websites will be used during the semester.  Links will be posted on the HS323 Blackboard page.

 

            THE MIDDLE AGES examines the social, political, and economic changes that occurred during the approximate one thousand years after the fall of the Roman Empire.  Topics also include Byzantine and Islamic Civilization, the role of the church and religion, and state-building in Western Europe.  THE MIDDLE AGES fulfills the requirements for a social science/human culture core elective.

 

Instructional Techniques:

            I will talk a lot; however, I want to encourage everybody to actively participate by asking questions and sharing your thoughts.  Assignments are designed to promote class discussions.  Supplemental materials will be posted via Blackboard.

 

 

 

 

Applicable Presentation College General Education Course Goal and Outcomes for HS323:

3.  Culture and Social Heritage -

Graduates will develop a critical understanding of human cultures and their creative achievements.

 

3a. Analyze historical events, ideas, and societies from a multi-cultural perspective.

3b. Understand interrelationships of individuals and societies in their historical/cultural contexts.

3c. Demonstrate understanding of the concepts and conversation common to a particular humanities discipline.

3d. Critically analyze creative ideas and works in the humanities from a contextual perspective.


3e. Demonstrate reading and critical analysis skills in the context of the humanities and social sciences.

 

 

 

Instructor Goals:

1)      To understand the common elements of all civilizations, past and present.

2)      To understand how cultures differ.

3)      To understand how people and events during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance contributed to our modern world.

4)      To understand the impact of social, political, economic, and religious developments during the Middle Ages.

 

ADA Statement:

            Presentation College is committed to ensuring equal learning opportunities for all students and provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities in accordance with the College’s procedures.  If you are a student requiring accommodations or services, please contact the Office of Disability Services at 1-800-437-6060, Ext. 581.

 

Attendance:

            As stated in the Presentation College catalog, "Each student is expected to attend every class session and be on time.  If for any reason a student must be absent from class, the responsibility of making up work rests entirely upon the student."

--- Topics covered will include a great deal of information NOT necessarily found in the text.

--- Students are expected to contact the instructor AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if an absence will result in missing an exam.  Students should take exams ahead of time if they know that they will be absent.  Make-up tests are not guaranteed.

--- Attendance can be a consideration for raising borderline grades.

--- All weather-related closings are the decision of the administration. Local radio and television stations will announce these.

 

Assessment and Grading:

            Students should be familiar with Presentation College's policies regarding academic integrity.  These are found in the college catalog under "Academic Policies."

 

            Assessment will be based on three exams, two papers, and discussion questions.

 

EXAMS will consist of ten identifications.  You will be given your choice of ten out of fifteen identifications.  Each identification will be marked 0/2/4 points for a possible total of forty points. 

 

PAPERS will each have a specific focus.  There are three topics from which you may choose two.  Papers should be typed, double-spaced, and approximately five pages in length.  A bibliography should also be included.  Each paper will be worth thirty points.  Options for each paper include:

Paper #1 – Byzantine Civilization/Islamic Civilization/Dark Ages

Paper #2 – Feudalism/Manorialism/Monastic Life/Crusades

Paper #3 – Biography of a European Monarch

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS will be based on the outside readings.  There will be one question per reading.  Each question will be marked 0/3/5 with no opportunities for make-up work.

 

The following rubric will be used for assessing the research papers.

·         Advanced (30/28 points): Student includes accurate and specific information in the appropriate historical context with few or no mistakes.

·         Above Average (25 points): Student uses relevant and accurate information but either has mistakes or lacks specifics.

·         Average (23 points): Student provides a general understanding of the topic but is limited in specifics or contains a significant mistake.

·         Below Average (20 points): Student demonstrates a vague or poorly developed understanding of the topic with several significant mistakes.

 

The following rubric will be used for assessing examination topics (0/2/4 points each) and the discussion questions (0/3/5 points each)

*Advanced: Students includes accurate and specific information in the  

  appropriate historical context with virtually no significant mistakes.

*Average: Student provides a general understanding of the topic but is

   limited in specifics or contains a significant mistake.

            *Unsatisfactory: Student does not demonstrate any accurate or specific

               information in the appropriate historical context.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following grading scale will be used based on the highest total number of points earned by any student in either section.

            96% and above                       = A

            90-95%                                    = A-

            87-89%                                    = B+

            83-86%                                    = B

            80-82%                                    = B-

            70-79%                                    = C

            60-69%                                    = D

            59% and below                       = Failing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE MIDDLE AGES  (HS323)

Spring 2012

 

Jan. 10/12        - Course introduction; Ch. 2 "Barbarian Settlement in the West";
                           Jan. 12 – Legislative Reception – No Class

 

Jan. 17/19        - Ch. 4 "Neighbors: Byzantium and Islam"

 

Jan. 24/26        - Ch. 3 "Early Western Christendom"; Paper #1 Due

 

Jan. 31/2          - Ch. 5 "Carolingian Europe";

 Ch. 6 “Division, Invasion, and Reorganization”

 

Feb.7/9            - The Song of Roland; Test #1

 

Feb. 14/16       - Ch. 7 "Economic Takeoff and Social Change"

 

Feb. 21/23       - Ch. 8 "New Paths to God"

 

Feb. 28/1         - Ch. 9 "Conquests, Crusades, and Persecutions"; Paper #2 Due

 

Mar. 6/8           - Spring Break – No Class

           

Mar. 13/15       - Ch. 10 "Worlds in Collision: Papacy and Holy Roman Empire";

                         

Mar. 20/22       - Test #2; Ch. 11 "States in the Making: England and France"

 

Mar. 27/29       - The Prince; Ch. 12 "Literature, Art, and Thought"

 

Ap. 3/5            - The Book of the Courtier; April 5 – Easter Vacation - No Class

 

Ap. 10/12        - Ch. 13 "Famine, Plague, and Recovery; April 12 – SDSHS – No Class

           

Ap. 17/19        - Ch. 14 "Toward the Sovereign State"; Paper #3 Due

 

Ap. 24/26        - Ever After; Course conclusion         

 

Ap. 30-May 3  - Finals Week; Test #3