An Introduction to the Middle Ages: People, Ideas, and Places
HIST 163
Spring 2026
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01
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This course will explore the Middle Ages, focusing on individuals, ideas, and notable places and the sorts of places characteristic of this very dynamic and innovative period from around 1050 till 1450. The precinct of the king's court and castle, the peasant's village, and the cathedral city will get especially close attention, as will certain famous sorts of writing and thinking as we'll explore the forebearers of the modern novel -- romance and sagas from France and the Norse -- as well as the philosophy of figures like St Anselm and Catherine of Siena. Attention to chronicle writing and its politics and the wide ranging scientific reflection of Hildegard of Bingen and Roger Bacon, who supposedly learned from a magical brass head, will also figure large next to the wide-ranging writings Geoffrey Chaucer including his Canterbury Tales and of moralist and feminist defender of Joan of Arc, Christine de Pisan. The course will focus on texts individually and in concert and sometimes on the physical remains of buildings, art, and manuscripts that illuminate crucial elements of European culture, ethics, and power in this period. An important aspect of the course will be reading primary sources closely and critically to learn how to see the wider world of which they are part, a main technique of creating the past through interpretation and integration. We shall also learn about libraries, archives, good internet research techniques and how to assemble primary and secondary sources for historical writing. This course does not provide a chronological overview of the Middle Ages, but will give all necessary context for understanding. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS HIST |
| Course Format: Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (History Minor)(History) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
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Possible Readings: Anselm, "Monologion"; Chrétien de Troyes, "Yvain: The Knight of the Lion"; Geoffrey Chaucer, "The Canterbury Tales" (extracts); Catherine of Siena, selections from her Letters; Christine de Pisan, "The Book of the City of Ladies" (extracts); Hildegard of Bingen selections from her Musical compositions and medical writings; Roger Bacon, "Opus Magus" selections.
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Examinations and Assignments:
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Three two-page papers, weekly response posts other weeks, research exercise, five-page essay. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
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Students who have taken HIST 201 should NOT take this course. |
| Instructor(s): Shaw,Gary Times: ..T.R.. 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 22 | | SR major: 0 | JR major: 0 | | |
| Seats Available: 22 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 0 | JR non-major: 0 | SO: 11 | FR: 11 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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