OBERLIN COLLEGE
HISTORY 215
ITALY DURING THE MIDDLE AGES AND RENAISSANCE
Instructor:
Meetings:
Office Hours:
Email:
Telephone:
Suzanne Mariko Miller
TuTh 11:00am-12:15pm (King 237)
Tu 4pm-5pm; W 10am-12pm; by appointment (Rice 307)
smmiller@oberlin.edu
x58528
After the fall of Rome, the social, political and economic landscape of Italy changed dramatically
from the cosmopolitan world that had existed under the Caesars. This course examines important
developments in medieval Italian history including the rise of the Papacy, the creation of civic
communes, the growth of humanism, and the origins of modern banking and corporations, all of
which contributed to the phenomenon known as the Italian Renaissance. The course ends with
the demise of communal pluralism at the hands of foreign invasion from France and Spain and
internal hegemony by Rome, Florence and Venice in the sixteenth century.
Each week, we will tackle a different aspect of Italian society in the Middle Ages and
Renaissance. In addition, we will contextualize these topics within the broader themes of the
course:
• The divergence of northern, and southern Italian politics, economy and social
structures in the Middle Ages and Renaissance
• The role of politics and the economy in shaping cultural output (including religious
expression)
• The emergence of a common, yet pluralistic Italian culture during the Middle Ages
and Renaissance
By exploring these themes, the students will learn skills of critical thinking and historical
analysis, as well as gaining a sense of how Italians thought, fought, survived and thrived through
the years from 400 to 1550.
REQUIRED TEXTS
David Abulafia, Italy during the Central Middle Ages, 1000-1300 (Short Oxford History)
Dante Alighieri, The Inferno
Trevor Dean, The Towns of Italy in the later Middle Ages
John Najemy, Italy in the Age of Renaissance, 1300-1550 (Short Oxford History)
Giorgio Vasari, The Lives of the Artists
Moderata Fonte, The Worth of Women
Various Texts available online through Blackboard (B) or ERes (ER)
Attendance: 10%
Weekly Responses: 20%
Research Paper: 30%
ASSIGNMENTS
Participation: 10%
Essays (2): 15% each
(2% proposal; 3% outline; 25% final paper)
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Attendance: Attendance is required of all students. 0-3 absences will result in an “A” level
grade; 4-5 absences in a “B” level grade; 6-7 absences in a “C” level grade; 8 or more will result
in failure of this component of the course grade. Absences may be excused and made-up in light
of unavoidable circumstances; students should contact the instructor as soon as they are aware of
and able to communicate about them.
Participation: During the discussion portions of class, students are expected to be lively and
engaged participants. This means speaking intelligently and on-topic; it also means listening to
fellow students. This component of the course will be assessed holistically, based on the
student’s performance throughout the semester. The following rubric will be used to assess
participation:
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•
•
•
A range: The student is fully engaged and highly motivated. This student is well prepared, having
read the assigned texts and thought carefully about the texts’ relation to issues raised in class. This
student's ideas and questions are substantive (either constructive or critical); they stimulate class
discussions. This student listens and responds to the contributions of other students.
B range: The student attends and participates consistently in discussion. This student comes to class
well-prepared and contributes quite regularly by sharing thoughts and questions that show insight and
a familiarity with the material. This student refers to the materials discussed in lecture and shows
interest in other students' contributions.
C range: The student meets the basic requirements of section participation. This student is usually
prepared and participates once in a while but not regularly. This student’s contributions relate to the
texts and offer a few insightful ideas but do not help to build a coherent and productive discussion.
Failure to fulfill satisfactorily any of the criteria for C-range participation will result in a grade of "D"
or below.
Weekly Responses: Each week, students will be required to post a response (~250-300 words)
to the week’s topic and readings on the course Blackboard site. The posting is due on
Wednesday by 11:59 pm. Each response will be assessed as a √+, √, √- or 0 and the grade is
assessed as an average of scores across semester.
• A “√-“ response gives a very basic summary of the texts or contains major historical or
conceptual errors. (1.5 pts.)
• A “√” response engages with the assigned texts and offers thoughtful assessment of
them. (1.75 pts.)
• A “√+” response demonstrates masterful understanding of the significance of the texts
and connects them to the week’s themes in a thought-provoking way. (2 pts.)
• Failure to post will be recorded as 0, as will a post that is completely off-topic.
The single lowest scoring response will be dropped. No responses are due in week 1 (Feb. 3-5)
and 13 (May 5-7).
Essay 1 & 2: Each student will write 2 short (5-7 page) essays offering an interpretive synthesis
on the themes of the course. The first essay will be about the divergent paths of northern, central
and southern Italy. It is due Mar. 5 in class. The second essay will be about the relationship
between cultural output and the structure of Italian society. It is due Apr. 20 in class. More
specific instructions will be distributed 14 days before the essay is due.
Research Paper: In addition to the two essays, each student will be expected to develop a
longer, in-depth research paper on the topic of his/her choice (subject to instructor approval). The
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student will be expected to turn in a topic proposal and a detailed outline of the paper for
assessment in advance of the final product.
The proposal should include the line(s) of research the student expects to pursue. It should also
name at least one primary source and one secondary source pertinent to the subject. It is due
Mar. 17 in class.
The outline should express the main argument of the paper as well as the important sub-topics. It
should also include the sources used to support the paper’s interpretation as well as the points of
argument made. It should be 2-3 pages long. It is due Apr. 28 in class.
The final paper should have an analytical, concisely-stated thesis, supported throughout the paper
with evidence from primary sources and critical assessment of pertinent secondary texts. It
should be 10-12 pages long and include both primary and secondary texts outside the assigned
readings. Please turn in a final draft written in clear, proof-read English. Students should use the
Chicago Manual of Style format for citation, and append a bibliography at the end of the paper.
It is due May 12 at 4 pm.
COURSE POLICIES
Honor Code: Students should conduct themselves according to the Oberlin College Honor
Code, contained in the Student Handbook, available at
http://www2.oberlin.edu/students/handbook/. Students should affirm their understanding of the
code by copying out the Honor Pledge and signing it at the end of each essay turned in for this
class.
Accommodation of Student Needs: Many students at Oberlin find themselves in circumstances
that affect their ability to fully participate in class. Examples include disabilities, participation in
sports and performances for the Conservatory. Students in these situations should contact the
instructor as soon as possible with the proper documentation, so that suitable accommodation can
be achieved.
Late Papers: For each 24 hours that an paper is late without an extension, it will receive a 1/3
grade reduction (e. g. a B+ paper will drop to a B- if it is two days late). Extensions will be
given only for unavoidable emergencies and must be cleared with the instructor.
Laptops: Students are permitted to use laptops in class as long as it does not interfere with the
learning and participation of the user and the people around him/her. Should the laptop prove
unduly distracting, the instructor may request that the laptop be put away from the remaining
duration of the day’s class.
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SCHEDULE
An Age of Disunity or An Age of Diversity?
Feb. 3 Can we talk about “Italy” before the modern period?
Reading: None
Feb. 5 What happened between AD 400 and AD 1550? A Broad Overview
Reading: Chris Wickham (ERes)
The Slow Rise of the Papacy
Feb. 10 In the Wake of Rome’s Fall: the Evolution of Petrine Doctrine
Reading: Gelasius (B); Leo I (B); Valentian (B); Gregory the Great (B)
Feb. 12 Guelfs and Ghibellines: The Papal-Imperial Feud
Reading: Abulafia, ch. 3; Innocent III (B); Villani, (B); Dante, canto XIX
The Mixed Heritage of Southern Italy
Feb. 17 Greeks, Muslims, Lombards and Normans: The Kingdom of Sicily
Reading: Abulafia, ch. 2
Feb. 19 Frederick II
Reading: Philip de Novare (B); Salimbene (B); Matthew Paris (B)
The Birth of Medieval Communes
Feb. 24 Creating a Sense of Place: Italian Cities in Feudal Europe
Reading: Abulafia, ch. 1; Dean, docs. 1-9, 58-59, 96-100
Feb. 26 Civic Ritual and Identity
Reading: Dean, docs. 15-18, 26-32, 42-43, 73-75, 105; Edward Muir, Civic Ritual in
Renaissance Venice, excerpt (B)
Medieval Italian Exchange, Commercial and Cultural
Mar. 3 Long-Distance Trade at the Crossroad of the Mediterranean
Reading: Abulafia, ch. 5; Dean, docs. 44-57
Mar. 5 Italian Others
Reading: Abulafia, ch. 10; Dean, docs. 91-95
Essay 1 Due
Piety and Politics: Religious Expression Medieval and Renaissance Italy
Mar. 10 Urban Piety: Heretics, Saints and the re-personalization of religious experience
Reading: Najemy, ch. 3; Little Flowers of St. Francis, Part I (B); Dean, docs. 33-40
Mar. 12 Envisioning Divine Order: Dante’s Morals and Ethics
Reading: Dante, canti I-XVII
Families and Factions: Units of Social Order during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance
Mar. 17 The Ties that Bind: Society and Identity through Dante’s Eyes
Reading: Dante, canti XVIII-XXXVII
Topic Proposal Due
Mar. 19 Trust, Faith and Accountability: The Construction and Function of Italian Families
Reading: Najemy, ch. 4, Alessandra Strozzi, Letters, excerpts (B)
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Spring Break
Mar. 21-Mar. 29
Knowledge, Power and Class Warfare
Mar. 31 Tools of Society: Notaries, Lawyers and Diplomats
Reading: Abulafia, ch. 9; Dean, docs. 22-25
Apr. 2 The Popolo and the Grandi
Reading: Najemy, ch. 7; Dean, docs. 64-71, 101-104
Humanism in Culture and Politics
Apr. 7 The Quest for Knowledge
Reading: Petrarch, Mount Ventoux (B); Petrarch, On Italian Language (B)
Apr. 9 Applied Science: Language, Politics and Courtly Culture
Reading: ; Najemy, ch. 2; Machiavelli,
Art, Patronage and the Display of Status
Apr. 14 Production of Art in the setting of the Communes
Reading: Vasari, Lives of the Artists: Cimabue, Giotto, Della Robbia, Brunelleschi,
Botticelli, Mantegna, Leonardo da Vinci; Najemy, ch. 8
Apr. 16 Collectors and Patrons: Personalizing Culture
Reading: Iris Origo, The Merchant of Prato: Francesco Di Marco Datini, 1335-1410 (B)
Italian Women during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance
Apr. 20 Scholars, Saints and Whores
Reading: Najemy, ch. 5; Catherine of Siena (B)
Essay 2 DUE
Apr. 22 The Worth of Women: Humanists, Women and Social Order
Reading: Fonte, pp. 43-117, 249-260
Outsiders: Peasants and the South
Apr. 28 Popolo and Peasants
Reading: Abulafia, ch. 7; Duccio Balestracci, Renaissance in the Fields (B)
Apr. 30: Southern Italy during the Renaissance
Reading: Najemy, ch. 10
Outline Due
The Legacy of the Renaissance in Italy
May 5 Warfare and the decline of independent communes
Reading: Najemy, ch. 12; Macchiavelli, The Prince, excerpts (B)
May 7 Epilogue
Final Paper Due May 12
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