HIST 331,    Medieval Mediterranean
Spring Semester 2012

Meets: Days 2-4-6, 1:00-2:10, Quad 361

Course website: http://www.hmml.org/centers/malta/mediterranean/mediterranean.htm

Moodle site: https://moodle.csbsju.edu/course/view.php?id=1487 Passkey: HIST331 (note all caps)

Instructor: Dr. Theresa Vann
Office hours: Quad 359D, Days 2-4-6, x 3198; or Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, x 3993.
e-mail: tvann@csbsju.edu

Course description:  This course will explore the Mediterranean world from the age of Constantine to the fall of Constantinople (4^th century - 1453). The student will learn the social, economic, ecological, and religious factors that shaped the history of this region.

Book: (Available in the SJU bookstore; also available through Amazon.com and other sites.)

On-line resources:

Reading Assignments: Reading assignments are listed on the syllabus.  The readings are from the required books, articles, and primary sources in translation. They will provide background information and bibliography for the lectures, classroom discussions, and the presentations.  You are responsible for the assigned material.

Written Assignments (March 22nd, May 3rd): You  will select one region of the Mediterranean and research its history, geography, and economy from the fifth through the fifteenth century. For the first assignment you will create a historical profile for the region, describing its people, their religion, culture, society, language, the major cities, trading partners, natural resources, and government structures. The second assignment will examine a major event in the history of the region, with a discussion of the primary sources. These papers are to be no more than seven pages in length. More details about this assignment.

Group Discussions: Groups of three to six students will lead class discussions that explore issues related to the readings. The class discussions may take any format, except that of reading from a prepared text or a book (unless for the purpose of quotation). Grading will be based on content and participation.

Exams: There will be two written exams, a midterm and a final.  The midterm will be FRIDAY, March 16th.  The final will be a take-home, and will be due on the date assigned by the registrar.  There will be no make-ups for missed exams.  If you know ahead of time that you will not be able to take a scheduled exam, please notify me and we will reschedule the exam.

Plagiarism Policy: CSB/SJU has defined Plagiarism as the "act of appropriating and using the ideas, writings, or works of original expressions of another person as one's own without giving credit to the person who created the work. This may encompass portions of a work or an entire work. Works of original expression include but are not limited to papers, speeches, poetry, movies, videos, protected pieces of art, illustrations, and musical compositions." Plagiarism can result in failure of the course and/or expulsion from the university. It is in your best interests to ensure that you DO NOT plagiarize. Paraphrasing the words of another does not protect you from charges of plagiarism. Copying information directly off the web constitutes plagiarism. Consult with the instructor if you have any questions about what constitutes fair use. If you plagiarize, you will receive a failing grade on the assignment. Blatant plagiarism will result in failure of the course.

Use of Web Materials: This course will use materials that are posted on the internet. Students must write a brief summary of the required readings from the website and bring it to class. Students may only cite web-based materials that: 1) name the author; 2) name the institution sponsoring the site; and, when in doubt 3) pass review by the instructor.

Cell phones must be shut off during class. Texting, IM, Facebook, or other personal electronic communications are not allowed during class.

Attendance: The student is responsible for attending each class and arriving on time.  The student should inform the instructor if he/she knows that he/she cannot attend a class.  The student is responsible for making up any work or assignments.  Students are excused for religious observations.

Grades:

Class Outline:

I. What is the Mediterranean? (January 17th-January 19th)

A. Definition of the region, its ecology and climate.
B. The economy, trade, and agriculture of the Mediterranean world.
C. The people of the Mediterranean, their languages and occupations

Reading assignments:

• David Abulafia, The Great Sea, Introduction.
• John Pryor, Geography, Technology, and War: Studies in the Maritime History of the Mediterranean 649-1571 (Cambridge: 1992 [1988]), pp. 12-24. (Moodle)
• Ostia -- A Mediterranean Port (http://www.ostia-antica.org/med/med.htm)
• NASA map of the Mediterranean
  

Map assignment: Due January 23rd

II. The Roman Sea (January 23rd-January 27th)

A. The creation of an empire
B. The grain trade
C. Pirates!

Maps

• Expansion of the Empire in the Age of Augustus
• Map: Eastern Expansion of the Roman Empire in the Early Second Century A.D.

Reading assignments:

• Abulafia, The Great Sea, pp. 191-211

     Primary Sources

• Plutarch, The Parallel Lives, vol. 7, chapters 1 and 2, "Julius Caesar and the Pirates" (Moodle)
• New Testament, Acts 27-28:10, Paul's shipwreck on Malta (Moodle). Also look at Jefferson White's Historical Examination of Acts 27-28.

III. Mediterranean religion and culture (January 31st-February 2nd)

A. Paganism
B. Judaism
C. Eastern mysticism
D. Christianity

Reading assignments:

• Abulafia, The Great Sea, pp. 212-224
• "Why Did Christianity Succeed?" From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians, Frontline April 1998, accessed at PBS online http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/why/legitimization.html

 Primary Sources for Group Discussion, February 6th

• Constantine's conversion
• Augustine's conversion
• Mark the Deacon, Life of Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza. (Moodle)
• Severus of Minorca, Letter on the Conversion of the Jews. Edited and translated by Scott Bradbury. Oxford: 1996. (Moodle)

Images:

• A Visual Tour through Late Antiquity  Site compiled by Steve Muhlberger,  Nipissing University.