Brother Charles
History 112
History of the High and Later Middle Ages
Reading List
The Epic of the Cid with related texts
Geoffroy de Charney, A Knight’s Own Book of Chivalry
Chretien de Troyes, Perceval
Charles Homer Haskins, The Rise of the Universities
Johan Huizinga, The Waning of the Middle Ages
Richard Southern, The Making of the Middle Ages
Monday 06 Feb.
Course Introduction
The Epic of the Cid with related texts, trans. and ed., Michael Harney
(Indianapolis: 2011) [Reading of The Cid as a primary text;
supplemented by the 11th century Scholar’s Guide] LO12
Wed.
08 Feb.
Historical context of Spain at the second millennium
The Epic of the Cid with related texts [Supplemented by the spurious
Martyrdom of San Pedro de Cardenas] LO123
Friday 10 Feb.
The Beginning of the Reconquest
The Epic of the Cid with related texts [Documents: Arabic, Portuguese,
Provencal, and other Dawn Songs] LO134
Monday 13 Feb.
Early Medieval Frontiers
The Epic of the Cid exercise due [Who was the intended audience of
the poet? Based on the evidence of the poem, describe the political, social, and religious
background of the audience.] [Powerpoint on Arabic and Jewish adaptation of Visigothic
art and architecture] LO134
Wed. 15 Feb.
A fragmented world
Richard Southern, The Making of the Middle Ages, ch. I.i, “ pp. 1-25
[Documents: Excerpts from writings and Vita of Gerbert of Aurillac; Arabic description of
Cordoba] LO134
Friday 17 Feb.
Europe at the second millennium
Southern, ch. I, ii, a, b.1, pp. 25-49 [Documents related to Fulk Nerra,
ancestor of the Plantagenets.] LO13
Monday 20 Feb.
The Crusades in context
Southern, ch. I, ii, b, 2-3, pp. 49-73 [Documents: Different versions of uf
Pope Urban’s speech at Clermont.] LO123
Wed. 22 Feb.
Law and society
Southern, ch. II, i, pp. 74-98 [Documents: Contracts of serfdom and
vassalage.] LO234
Thursday 23 Feb.
Essay due: El Cid as a Window onto Medieval Castille [Essay on The
Cid in relation to the historical documents on Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar] LO123
Friday 24 Feb.
Southern's view of Europe after the millennium
Southern, ch. II, ii, pp. 98-117 [Artifacts: Croatian relief of King
Zvonimir; Magyar Charter; Excerpt from Njal’s Saga] LO134
Monday 27 March
Medieval Christianity
Southern, ch. III, i and ii, pp. 118-154 [Artifacts: Model of the
Desiderian Basilica at Montecassino; Frescoes of Sant’Angelo in Formis and Santa Fosca at
Torcello] LO134
Wed 29 Feb.
The flowering of the peace society
Southern, chs. III, iii and IV, i, pp. 154-184 [Documents of the Peace of
God and the Truce of God] LO134
Friday 02 March
Southern on the Church and Society
Southern, ch. IV, ii, pp. 185-218 [Secular and monastic charters] LO34
Monday 05 March
Vernacular Literature in the Gothic Era
Southern, ch. V, pp. 219-257 [Powerpoint on Eleanor of Aquitaine;
Documents: Excerpts from Marie de France and Chretien de Troyes] LO134
Wed. 07 March
The origins of the Holy Grail
Chrétien de Troyes, Perceval, pp. i-xxix; 1-20, Translator’s Introduction,
“Prologue,” and “The Meeting with the Knights” [Powerpoint on the
historical background of Perceval and the Grail: Routrou the Great of La
Perce] LO13
Friday 09 March
Initial impressions of Perceval and his world
Perceval, pp. 21-81, “The Maiden in the Tent,” “The Red Knight,”
“Gornemant of Gohort,” and “Blanchefor, Anguingueron, and Clamadeu”
[Documents: contracts of confraternity and affiliation] LO34
Monday 12 March
The problem and meaning of the Grail
Perceval, pp. 82-125, “The Grail,” “Perceval’s Cousin,” “The Proud
Knight of the Moor,” and “Blood on the Snow” [Document: Excerpts
from The Mabinogion] LO3
Wed. 14 March
The twelfth-century renaissance
Perceval, pp. 126-176, “The Ugly Maiden and Guinganbresil,” “The Maid
with Little Sleeves,” “Escavalon”, and “Perceval’s Hermit Uncle”
[Powerpoint on the architecture and art of the 12th century] LO234
Thursday, 15 March Essay on Southern due LO12
Friday 16 March
Perceval: An assessment
Perceval, pp. 177-244, “Greoreas and the Evil Maiden,” “The Wondrous
Bed,” and “The Guiromelant”
Monday 19 March
Midterm Exams [Oral exams looking for comprehension of the
narrative of history, interpretation of the historians read, and the ability to see the relations
and connections between all the informing sources of the course] LO1234
Wed. 21 March
The Hundred Year's War
Geoffroi de Charney, A Knight’s Own Book of Chivalry, pp. 1-66
[Powerpoint on acheiropoietic images and the Shroud of Turin] LO34
Friday 23 March
The problem of chivalry
Charney, pp. 66-107 [Powerpoint on Muslim art and architecture]
LO13
Saturday 24 March Field Trip to the Legion of Honor and Grace Cathedral [To see
artifacts and art, including the Mudejar ceiling from Spain and the labyrinth of Chartres]
LO34
Monday 26 March
The rise of the university
Charles Homer Haskins, The Rise of Universities, pp. 1-57 (handout)
[Powerpoint on the earliest universities] LO14
Wed. 28 March
Medieval students
Haskins, The Rise of Universities, pp. 59-93 (handout) [Documents:
Letters from students and parents of the early universities] LO34
Friday 30 March
Medieval Vernacular Literature [Excerpts from the Dawn Songs (again),
Dante, The Divine Comedy and La Vita Nuova; and The Romance of the Rose] LO134
Monday 02 AprilMonday 09 April
Holy Week Recess
Wed. 11 April
Themes in economic and social history
Stephen A. Epstein, An Economic and Social History of the Later
Medieval Europe, 1000-1500, introduction and chapter 1, "Europe at the
Millennium," pp. 1-39 [Documents: Agricultural deeds and accounts]
LO134
Thursday, 12 April
Essay on chivalry due LO24
Friday 13 April
Assessing peasant life
Epstein, ch. 2, "Agriculture and Rural Life," pp. 40-69 [Document:
Excerpts from George Duby] LO12
Monday 16 April
The birth of the bourgeoisie
Epstein, ch. 3, "Trade 1000-1350," pp. 70-99 [Powerpoint on
Incastellamento] LO12
Wed/ 18 April
Overcoming the pain of usury
Epstein, c. 4, and "Cities, Guilds and Political Economy," pp. 100-128
[Artifact: Frescoes of the Chiesa Madre of San Gemignano] LO34
Friday 20 April
Social and economic development in the High Middle Ages
Epstein, ch. 6, pp. 159-189 LO1
Monday 23 April
The Plague and Famine
Epstein, chs. 6-7, "The Great Hunger and the Big Death" and "Technology
and Consumerism," pp. 159-222 [Documents: Excerpts from
Decameron and I promesi sposi] LO134
Wed. 25 April
"The Calamitous Fourteenth Century"
Epstein, ch. 8, "War and Social Unrest," pp. 223-249 [Documents: Duby
again; descriptions of English scorched earth raids] LO1234
Friday 27 April
Economic and Social Change after the Millennium
Epstein, c. 9, "Fifteenth-Century Portraits, pp. 250-281 [Powerpoint on
portraiture] LO34
Monday 30 April
One's place in the medieval world and society
Johan Huizinga, The Waning of the Middle Ages, chs. 1-3, “The Violent
Tenor of Life,” “Pessimism and the Ideal of the Sublime Life,” and “The
Hierarchical Conception of Society,” pp. 1-55 (handout) [Artifact:
Excerpt of Ingmar Bergman’s film of Mozart’s Magic Flute] LO24
Wed. 02 May
The Burgundian court
Huizinga, chs. 4-7, “The Idea of Chivalry,” “The Dream of Heroism and
Love, ” “Orders of Chivalry and Vows,” and “The Political and Military
Value of Chivalrous Ideas,” pp. 56-94 (handout) [Powerpoint on the
tombs of the dukes of Burgundy] LO34
Friday 04 May
Huizinga's view of the Gothic mentality
Huizinga, chs. 8-11, “Love Formalized,” “The Conventions of Love,”
“The Idyllic Vision of Life,” and “The Vision of Death,” pp. 95-135
(handout) [Powerpoint on the Danse Macabre] LO34
Monday 07 May
The exhaustion of medieval forms
Huizinga, chs. 12-16, “Religious Thought Crystallizing into Images,”
“Types of Religious Life,” “Religious Sensibility and Religious
Imagination,” “Symbolism in Its Decline,” and “The Effects of Realism,”
pp. 136-200 (handout) [Document: Excerpt from Denis the
Carthusian] LO34
Wed. 09 May
Burgundian art
Huizinga, chs. 17-20, “Religious Thought beyond the Limits of
Imagination,” “The Forms of Thought and Practical Life,” “Art and Life,”
and “The Aesthetic Sentiment," pp. 201-251 (handout) [Powerpoint:
Comparison of Renaissance and Burgundian art] LO13
Friday 11 May
The end of the Middle Ages
Huizinga, chs. 21-23, “Verbal and Plastic Expression Compared, I-II” and
“The Advent of the New Form,” pp. 252-308 (handout) [Discussion of
Huizinga] LO13
Monday 14 May
Final Exam [Similar to the Midterm] LO1234
Thursday 17 May
Essay on Europe at the end of the Middle Ages due LO2
Learning Outcomes

Students will learn to examine the history of Europe and the Mediterranean, including the
Byzantine and Arabic Empires from the perspectives of a number of historical constants,
such as social-economic relations, learning, religion, politics, art, literature, and peace
and warfare. The period covered in the course is the turn of the second millennium to the
end of the fifteenth century. Students will also become familiar with the political and
physical geography of the areas studied.
 Students will come to understand the major theories of historical interpretation that have
developed to explain the emergence of high the Gothic culture of Europe. In particular
here are the interpretations of Richard Southern and Johan Huizinga. Students will also
come to understand the relationships and cultural exchanges between the West and the
Greek and Arabic cultures.
 Students will learn how to read and analyze primary resources in translation, drawing upon
their historical context in order to properly understand them and using them, in turn, to
understand the culture and history of their times. Primary documentary evidence, in
translations, art, artifacts, and music, will be offered as part of the lecture of each class.
 Students will learn how to interpret evidence about the social world primarily through daily
discussion of the readings with a focus on critical analysis of the authors' work of
selection and interpretation of evidence.
Course Requirements
Attendance is required. My lectures will supplement in important ways the information that you
gather through reading and your private study. If you know that you will not be present for a
class, then send me word ahead of time.
On Friday discussion days, at 3:20 promptly, I will distribute a question based upon the reading
and ask you to write an answer to the question with the help of your book. This exercise is
intended to refresh your familiarity with the reading and to allow you to gauge the care and the
amount of time that you have given to preparing for the class. Time spent on the reading checks
will be little more than five minutes.
Daily Preparation. Reading ahead of time is important. My remarks each day will be more
understandable and your comprehension and appreciation of the themes presented much richer
by your careful reading.
Discussion Leadership. On Fridays someone will prepare and lead our discussion of the texts that
we have read during the week. You will have considerable leeway in engaging your classmates
in the discussions, so be creative.
Essays. The essays are an opportunity for you to think at length on the readings and to try to
make sense of them in light of the stated goals of the course.
Exams. The exams will be oral, in which you will have a twenty minute conversation with
Brother Charles, the purpose of which will be to determine your comprehension of the readings,
lectures, and discussions and the depth of your reflection on the questions of the course.
Tour. There is a Saturday tour as part of the course. It is of the Early European Art collection of
the Palace of the Legion of Honor and Grace Episcopal Cathedral, designed to look like a Gothic
cathedral. You are expected to attend for the completion of the course requirements. Lunch will
be provided. If you cannot attend then you will need to make special arrangements with Brother
Charles to go on your own and to complete the written part of the visit.
Grade Evaluation. Your grade will be based on occasional essays and writing (40%); the oral
exams combined (40%); and reading checks/participation (20%). Eight absences for whatever
reason will disqualify you for course credit.
Student Disability Services
Student Disability Services extends reasonable and appropriate accommodations that take into account the context
of the course and its essential elements for individuals with qualifying disabilities. Students with disabilities are
encouraged to contact the Student Disability Services Office at (925) 631-4358 to set up a confidential appointment
to discuss accommodation, policies, guidelines and available services. Additional information regarding the services
available may be found at the following address on the Saint Mary’s website: http://www.stmarysca.edu/academics/academic-advising-and-achievement/student-disability-services.html
Academic Honor Code
Always make sure work submitted is entirely your own and credit any and all borrowed ideas and information that
goes beyond common knowledge. According to the Academic Honor Code, “Academic dishonesty is a serious
violation of College policy because, among other things, it undermines the bonds of trust and honesty between
members of the community.” Violations of the Code include but are not limited to acts of plagiarism. For more
information, please consult the Student Handbook at www.stmarys-ca.edu/your-safety-resources/student-handbook
CWAC
Free Writing Advising at the Center for Writing Across the Curriculum (CWAC)
Writers of all disciplines and levels, undergraduate and graduate, are invited to drop in or make appointments for
one-on-one sessions with Writing Advisers – in Dante 202 or via Skype screen-sharing.
5-8 p.m. Sunday; 12-7 p.m. Monday; and 12-8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 925.631.4684. www.stmarysca.edu/center-for-writing-across-the-curriculum.
Writers should bring their assignments, texts, and notes.
Through collaborative discussion, Advisers guide their peers toward expressing ideas clearly and revising their own
papers, always weighing audience and purpose. Writers visit CWAC to brainstorm ideas, revise drafts, or work on
specific aspects of writing, such as grammar, citation, thesis development, organization, critical reading, or research
methods. Writers may discuss any genre, including poetry, science lab reports, argument-driven research, or
scholarship application letters.
Library Statement
Reference/Information assistance is available at the Reference Desk, by phone (925) 631-4624, text message at
(925) 235-4762, or Chat( IM). Check the Library’s “Ask Us” link for details: http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/library/askus.
Extended assistance by appointment is also available with your librarian subject specialist. The specialist for history
is Sue Birkenseer. She may be reached at sbirkens@stmarys-ca.edu