last revised 8/13/15
The Medieval Origins of the Modern World
HI 208-004
Withers 150
M / W 10:15-11:05
Fridays Online
Course website located on Wolfware in Moodle at:
https://moodle1516-courses.wolfware.ncsu.edu/course/view.php?id=1229
Contact Information
Julie Mell, Associate Professor of History
Office: Withers 272
Office hours: see Moodle
jlmell@ncsu.edu
Tech Support for website: NCSU Help Desk (919-515-HELP) or help@ncsu.edu
Delivery
The course will be taught as a "blended learning course." Students will meet in
class on Mondays and Wednesdays for discussions. Fridays, students will work
independently online.
Course Description
This course introduces students to the history of medieval Europe and the
discipline of history. Students will be exposed to the basic history of Byzantine,
European, and Islamic civilizations from their roots in the late Roman Empire (c.
300 CE) to their demise or transformation at the beginning of the early modern
period (c. 1450 CE). Topics that will be covered include: the Christianization of
the Late Roman Empire, the integration of 'Barbarians' into the Empire, the notso-fast 'Fall of the Roman Empire,' the emergence of Byzantium and early
medieval Europe, the Islamic Conquests, European expansion and the
Crusades, Islamic Spain, the origins of European state formation, guilds and
universities, Gothic architecture, lords and vassals, lords and serfs, monasticism,
chivalry and courtly love, the Black Death, the Hundred Year's War and
emergence of the Ottoman Empire.
The course is designed around two parallel and complimentary components: (1)
a general overview of medieval history and (2) a series of in-depth units exploring
specific aspects of medieval civilization.
(1) The general overview will be covered in Friday assignments online.
Students will work independently through textbook readings with the aid of the
instructor's lectures and tutorials. This portion of the course will culminate in a
creative project in which students produce their own creative narrative of
medieval history that covers politics, economy, demography, religion, cultural and
last revised 8/13/15
intellectual life, and gender and family in Europe, Byzantium and the Islamic
world from c.300-c. 1450 CE.
(2) The in-depth units will be covered in face-to-face discussions Mondays
and Wednesdays. The class will explore the medieval origins of our modern
world in regard to law, power, and love. Each unit will begin by contrasting a
modern institution with its medieval counterpart: trial by jury with trial by ordeal,
capitalism with feudalism, and companionate marriage with courtly love. Our
purpose is two-fold: to better understand the differences that separate medieval
society from our own and, in grasping this historical difference, to pose more
clearly the fundamental problem of historical analysis: how did we become what
we are today? Through the course, students will gain a better understanding of
history as a discipline that analyzes change over time in order to comprehend the
present.
Learning Objectives
 Students will learn to narrate the major historical changes in European,
Byzantine, and Islamic culture from c.500 to c.1500.
 Students will be able to recognize and understand institutional and cultural
structures from medieval Europe that shape our society today.
 Students will understand better the intellectual discipline of history as a
study of change over time and will be exposed to different methods and
subfields in the discipline such as political, religious, cultural, institutional,
and legal history.
 Students will improve their skills in critical thinking, writing, speaking, and
data visualization.
Course Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course. This course fulfills the requirements of
a GER course.
Course Requirements

Readings, Lectures, and Multi-Media Materials
Students are expected to read, listen, and view all the assigned material and
come to class ready to talk!

Attendance
Students are expected to attend all classes. Students are allowed 2 absences
per semester (excused or unexcused). After 2 absences, final course grades
will be dropped one grade level for each absence, for example from a B to a
B-. This is a small class -- I want to hear from you by email when you are
absent!

Participation in discussions (15%)
last revised 8/13/15
Students are expected to arrive on time, have read all the material, and
participate actively in class discussions. Grades will be based on a
combination of attendance, frequency and quality of verbal participation, and
a short written response at the beginning of class. During the first 5 minutes
of class, students will write a response to a question posed on the readings.
Responses will be graded on a scale of −
+,
recorded in the grade book as 75, 85, or 95. Final participation grade will be
based on the a combination of oral and written response following the scale
below:
Assessment of Class Participation:
You will be graded both on the frequency and the quality of your
participation; attendance is clearly important for participation.
Students are expected to arrive in class having read and considered
the material for discussion that day. Attendance alone is not sufficient
for full participation credit. Students must actively engage.
A Student is well prepared, attentive, always responds when
called upon and volunteers often with pertinent answers or questions.
B Student is usually prepared, responds when called on and
volunteers on occasion.
C Student shows evidence of being unprepared on occasion, has
trouble when called on and does not volunteer often.
D Student is unprepared, inattentive, never volunteers, or comes
to class late.
F Student exhibits a lack of concern for the class, sleeps in class,
or disturbs the class.

Tutorials (25%)
Each week after completing the textbook readings (and occasional multimedia assignments), students work through a Moodle tutorial designed to
help students assimilate and digest the reading material. All tutorials are open
book, and students have the opportunity to take the tutorials twice. Each
tutorial is worth less than 2% of the course grade. If the tutorial is taken twice,
the grades are averaged. Students may not work with other students or use
any outside materials other than the assigned readings. Tutorials will remain
open for 1 week after the due date to accommodate illness or tech problems.
No extensions beyond the week late will be given. (Please note that the date
the "tutorial closes" displayed in the moodle quiz is 1 week after the assigned
date.)
In the beginning of the course, PowerPoint lectures with embedded Tutorial
questions are available for students to use as an additional learning aid. As
students reach the middle of the course, students are expected to be able to
master the reading material more independently. For full information, see the
'Tutorials' page in Moodle.

Concept Map Project: "Medieval History in a Nutshell" (25%)
Over the course of the semester, students work individually or with a partner
to produce a ‘concept map’ of medieval history. (Group size is limited to 2
students.) The 'Nutshell Project' replaces the traditional mid-term and final
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exams with a project that promotes ‘deep learning.’ The instructor will give
detailed feedback with a temporary grade at the mid-term. Students will have
the opportunity to respond to the instructor's feedback in the second half of
the semester. The final grade will go up or down in relation to the students’
response to the instructor's feedback. For full information, see the Concept
Map Project' webpage in Moodle.

Formal written assignments (total of 35%)
Paper on Unit 1 (13%)
Paper on Unit 2 & 3 (22%)
Students will write two papers. The papers will give students an opportunity
to make a formal statement about their observations emerging from the indepth readings and discussions in units 1-3. For full information, see the
'Papers' webpages in the 'Course Requirements' block on Moodle.
Grading Scale
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
100 - 98.00
97.99 - 95.00
94.99 - 92.00
91.99 - 88.00
87.99 - 85.00
84.99 - 82.00
81.99 - 78.00
77.99 - 75.00
74.99 - 72.00
71.99 - 68.00
67.99 - 65.00
64.00 - 60.00
59.99 - 0
Required Readings and Films
Books
Barbara Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, 4th ed.
(University of Toronto Press, 2014) [3rd ed. is also OK. (University of
Toronto Press, 2009)
ISBN 9781442606111 (paper)
ISBN 9781442606135 (ebook)
approx. new $60
Robert Bartlett, Trial by Fire and Water: The Medieval Judicial Ordeal
(Echo Point Books, 2014)
ISBN: 978-1626549142
last revised 8/13/15
new $17.95; used $14.95
Constance Bouchard, Strong of Body, Brave and Noble: Chivalry and
Society in medieval France, (Cornell, 1998).
ISBN: 0-8014-8548-7
approx. new $21.00; used $15.75
The Song of Roland, trans. Glyn Burgess, (Penguin Books, 1990) (Or any
other translation)
ISBN: 978-0-14-044532-9
approx. new $10.00; used $7.50
Gottfried von Strassbourg, Tristan: With the Surviving Fragments of the
Tristran of Thomas, trans. A.T. Hatto, (Penguin Classics, 1960). (This
version only!)
ISBN: 9780140440980
approx. new $12; used $3 (based on Amazon prices)
Xerox Pack (recommended) - The Xerox pack includes short additional
readings required for class. It can be purchased from wolfexpress.
Alternatively, you can download the texts from the course webpages and
print them to bring to class. Note: electronic devices are not allowed in
class, but readings are required.
Students can purchase books in the NCSU bookstore or borrow them from the reserve
desk in D.H. Hill library on 2-hour reserve. Books may be purchased on-line and shipped
to your home through the North Carolina State University Bookstores or other on-line
suppliers such as Barnes & Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com).
Helpful Hints on book orders!
 Students regularly report that prices for new books are better at Barnes & Noble.
Barnes & Noble will ship for free if you spend more than $25.
 Used books are widely available on Amazon.com, but one usually pays an
additional $3.99 for each book shipped unless they fall under Free Supersaver
Shipping. Service can vary widely depending on the supplier.
 As you are ordering, pay careful attention to the ISBN numbers, editions, and
translators or editors for the book to make sure that you are buying the book the
instructor designated for the course.
E-materials
E-readings are available as links directly from the webpages. But
students should bring a hardcopy to class. Electronic devices are not
allowed during class. For convenience, the e-readings are available as
a Xerox pack.
last revised 8/13/15
Some e-materials are short videos. Should you run into difficulties
accessing links, try accessing them directly from course reserves via the
library homepage. Need help? Call the D.H. Hill Reference Desk at (919)
515-2935 or toll free at (877) 601-0590.
Films
Two films are required viewing for the course. Both are on reserve in the
library, but they may be available online for a small rental fee or free.
"12 Angry Men" (1957 version)
United Artists; story and screenplay by Reginald Rose; produced by
Henry Fonda and Reginald Rose; directed by Sidney Lumet.
Originally produced as a motion picture in 1957. Published: Santa
Monica, CA: MGM Home Entertainment Inc., c2001. Description: 1
videodisc (ca. 96 min.): sd., b&w; 4 3/4 in.
"Pride and Prejudice" (2006 verison)
Focus Features presents; in association with Studiocanal; a Working Title
production; produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster; screenplay,
Deborah Moggach; directed by Joe Wright. Published: Universal City, CA :
Universal Studios Home Entertainment, [2006] Description: 1 videodisc
(129 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in
Policies
1) Attendance
Attendance is required and will be accounted for as part of the participation
grade. The university's definition of excused absences will be applied in cases
where work could not be submitted on time:
www.ncsu.edu/policies/academic_affairs/pols_regs/REG205.00.4.php
2) Electronic devices
Electronic devices are not allowed during class time. Please bring books and
reading materials with you to class in a hardcopy form.
3) Academic Integrity
It is the understanding and expectation of the instructor that the student's
signature on any test or typed name on any written assignment means that the
student neither gave nor received unauthorized aid. The University policy on
academic integrity can be found in the Code of Student Conduct:
www.ncsu.edu/policies/student_services/student_discipline/POL11.35.1php
4) Students with disabilities
last revised 8/13/15
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable
disabilities. In order to take advantage of available accommodations, students
must register with Disability Services Office at 1900 Student Health Center,
Campus Box 7509, 515-7653 AND notify the instructor about the nature of the
special needs. For more information on NC State's policy regarding working with
students with disabilities, please see the Academic Accommodations for
Students with Disabilities Regulation (REG02.20.1).
Resources
CAREER SERVICES for HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES MAJORS
Explore career options related to your major, make decisions about your major or
minor, build resumes and cover letters, prepare for interviews, develop
internship/ job search strategies, maximize career fairs, and more. Use ePACK to
make an appointment with your career contact-- Woody Catoe -at ncsu.edu/epack. Career Development Center: careers.ncsu.edu.
University writing & speaking tutorial center
The University Tutorial Center provides several types of free assistance to suit
the needs of students in many 100- and 200-level courses, as well as all writing
and speaking needs across the curriculum.
http://tutorial.dasa.ncsu.edu/about/
Counseling Center http://counseling.dasa.ncsu.edu/
Getting help can be hard. The Counseling Center at NC State is here to make it
easier. The Center's diverse staff is trained to address problems common on
college campuses, from social anxiety to academic performance issues.