Europe in the Medieval and Early Modern World (201-1-20)

Meeting Info

University Hall 121: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

The major periods this course considers are the medieval millennium (500-1500 CE) and the Renaissance in order to give a broader view of key historical topics and transitions. While primarily centering European contexts, this class also gestures to Europe's impactful, interconnected histories with Asia and Africa, connections that were often negotiated across the contested waters of the Mediterranean Sea. This expansive approach to premodernity presents an opportunity to explore a range of human experiences as well as the histories of gender, conquest and settlement, art, frontiers, intellectual exchange, power, and interfaith relations. Students will also constantly question what words like "medieval," "western," and "Renaissance" mean, and what role periodization plays in understandings of the past. From Marco Polo to Christine de Pizan, the Crusades to the rise of the Medici family in Florence, the art of illuminated manuscripts and the trade in exotic animals, students will journey into this period through primary sources, and discover that these centuries, far from stagnant, backwards, and insular, were instead filled with innovations, diversity, and vibrancy.

Registration Requirements

Instructor: Alexandra Montero Peters

Learning Objectives

1) Identify the bias of interdisciplinary primary and secondary sources. 2) Craft an argument based directly on primary sources. 3) Interpret and analyze how the biases of the historiography have shaped modern perceptions of the past and its periodization. 4) Practice using Chicago Manual of Style conventions and citation methods.

Class Notes

History Major Concentration(s): European
History Minor Concentration(s): Europe
Instructor: Alexandra Montero Peters

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

Associated Classes

DIS - Locy Hall 213: Fri 2:00PM - 2:50PM

DIS - Harris Hall L04: Fri 1:00PM - 1:50PM

DIS - University Hall 418: Fri 12:00PM - 12:50PM