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History 4260, May 2016 (8W1)
Topics in History: Archaeology and History of Ancient & Medieval Sardinia
Instructors:
Dr. Silvio De Santis (), 405A Language Building
Dr. Christopher Fuhrmann (), 264 Wooten Hall
Course Description.
This class entails an intensive study covering the major archaeological and historical sites of the beautiful Mediterranean island Sardinia. It is linked to a section of HIST 3762 in Rome just after this class; together, the whole travel portion runs from May 15/16 – June 5, 2016, with some meetings before and after the trip. This course provides a thorough exploration of this large island and its archaeology, as a way of understanding its unique place in Mediterranean history. Sardinia offers phenomenal pre-historic sites (e.g. nuraghe), and significant Phoenician and Roman remains. The class will also cover the island’s medieval and modern history, including the impact of foreign rule and Sardinia’s contested place in the modern Italian nation-state. There will be some opportunities to go to a beach, but this is not a tourist excursion and we will avoid (like the plague) the lamentable high-money tourist enclaves on the northern shore.
There are no course prerequisites. For History majors, this class can count as a group B or C credit, depending on your research projects. It counts for the Classical Civilization minor and might be applied to other programs depending on the student’s research project and consultation with the instructors and the relevant advisors. This class entails preparatory work during Spring 2016, and the completion of long papers (described below) during the first five-week Summer 2016 term. The travel portion does not extend beyond Maymester (3Wk1), and students who take this class will be able to be back in Denton in time for Summer 5Wk1 classes.
Course Goals.
*To gain extensive experience interpreting archaeological sites and unpacking their historical significance;
*To understand the different phases of Sardinian history and how they compare to the broader patterns of Mediterranean history;
*To conduct guided research on relevant subjects of interest to each student, chosen in consultation with the faculty; and to communicate this knowledge in an oral presentation and papers;
*To appreciate how ancient traditions and modern culture intermingle in an island undergoing social transitions
Required textbook purchase:
Archaeology and History in Sardinia: Shepherds, Sailors, and Conquerors by Stephen L. Dyson and Robert J. Rowland, University of Pennsylvania, 2007.
All students must buy and read the Dyson/Rowland book. We will also read from D. H. Lawrence (the great English novelist who wrote extensively on the island), Margaret Guido (Sardinia: Ancient Peoples and Places), Gary Webster (A Prehistory of Sardinia), Francesco Casula (The History of Sardinia), and Michelle Hobart (“Merchants, Monks, and Medieval Sardinian Architecture”).
Each student will conduct independent research before and after the trip. Each student will need to bring a durable notebook for the journal requirement (see below).
How your grade will be determined:
Pre-test, covering the Dyson/Rowland book, and geography: 15%
On-site report: 20% of your final grade Participation: 25%
Journal: 10% Final paper(s): 30%
Final grades will be evaluated as follows, based on percent-averages of your grades:
100-90=A (excellent); 89-80=B (good); 79-70=C (mediocre); 69-60=D (poor); >60=F (fail)
Further details:
Pre-test (15%): In late April or early May, you will write an exam on Dyson & Rowland’s Archaeology and History in Sardinia. There will be a multiple-choice portion and an open-book take-home portion. There will also be questions covering the major geographical features of Sardinia. The main purpose of this exercise is to familiarize yourself with Sardinia’s major historical periods and the basic geography of the island.
Oral report (20%): BEFORE the trip, the instructors will help each student to develop a research topic on Sardinian history, and conduct independent research for an oral report. Each student will need to show Drs. De Santis or Fuhrmann a presentation outline and produce any necessary handouts by the time we depart from the U.S. The co-teachers will provide further guidance for oral reports at the Spring 2016 organizational meetings.
Journal (10%): During the course of the travel portion of class, you will see many different sites. Consequently, it is imperative that you keep a journal to keep track of the various places we visit. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to complete the final paper portion of your grade. The journal is due with the rest of your papers by July 7, and can be returned to you after grades are posted.
Participation (25%). The program is intensive and, for the most part, runs all day, every day. You are expected to participate in all group activities, make appropriate comments in discussion, and maintain proper comportment. In general, you should be engaged, occasionally ask or answer questions, and follow the golden rule: treat us and your classmates as you would want to be treated. And please be mindful that we will be academic ambassadors of our country and our state.
Final paper(s) (30%, due July 7): The final paper project will be a multi-part work, which will consist of three parts:
1. Final site report: incorporate first-hand impressions into a written version of your oral report. What did you learn or realize about your topic after actually seeing Sardinia, that you found particularly striking or surprising? You will need to provide a full bibliography for this part of your paper. (6-7 pp.)
2. A research paper, which discusses some aspect of Sardinian culture or history. Topics and guidelines will be discussed at pre-trip meetings and individual consultations. (12-14 pp.)
3. A general review of the trip: what you found most interesting, ways the trip could be improved, etc. (2-3 pp.)
NOTE: This is a Summer 8-Week 1 course; your work must be turned in no later than the end of that term, i.e. July 8, 2016. An “I” grade (“incomplete”) for this class will be assigned only in extraordinary circumstances, in accordance with official UNT policy. Travel for this course takes place during the 3-Week 1 “Maymester term, and you should be able to return in time to take a Summer 5W1 class. However, please keep in mind the paper-writing requirements outlined above when considering your course load.
Meetings in March, April, early May 2016: About four organizational group meetings will be scheduled to provide general overview, travel guidelines, and introduction to UNT Study Abroad Center services. The professors will also be available by appointment for individual consultation.
May 11: Outlines for oral reports due (email to both co-teachers, and bring two paper copies). By this date, each student must have completed the exam on the Dyson/Rowland book (administered at our last pre-departure meeting, and/or in the History Help Center).
Concise tentative itinerary:
N.B. All itineraries in Italy are tentative; there can (and most likely will) be some changes. Unforeseeable circumstances may compel us to move things around after we arrive.
Sunday May 15: Departure from America. Students will book their own overnight flights from the US to Italy (roundtrip from DFW to FCO). You must choose an itinerary that will put you in Rome’s big Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport (a.k.a. Fiumicino, code: FCO) by 10am (earlier the better) of Monday May 16. We will then board a regional flight together FCO to Cagliari, Sardinia.
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1a) Basic Itinerary
v Cagliari, May 16-19 (3 nights)
Ø Hostel Marina, Scalette San Sepolcro 3, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
v Oristano, May 19-21 (2 nights)
Ø Casa per Ferie Stella Maris. Via Millelire 42, 09170 Oristano, Italy
v Alghero, May 21-23 (2 nights)
Ø Alma di Alghero Hotel. Lido 29, 07041 Alghero, Italy
1b) in more detail:
Day 1 (May 16, Monday) (Staying in Cagliari)
v Cagliari
Ø Arrival in the afternoon from Dallas/Rome
Ø Public transportation to the Hotel
Ø Free evening as we get our bearings together and recover from jetlag; possibly we will visit the Botanical Garden, which has an ancient cistern, and a quick trip to the Cripta di S. Restituta (ancient cave church)
Day 2 (May 17, Tuesday) (Staying in Cagliari)
v Cagliari
Ø The Pisan City (Torre dell’Elefante, Torre di San Pancrazio, Cattedrale di S. Maria)
Ø The ancient Roman city, including amphitheater (http://www.anfiteatroromano.it )
Ø Saline (salt-works) Molentargius and Quartu (http://www.parcomolentargius.it/articolo.php?mid=4&sub=2&sub1=2&art=0
Day 3 (May 18, Wednesday) (Staying in Cagliari)
v Cagliari
Ø National Archaeological Museum www.archeocaor.beniculturali.it
§ Cittadella dei Musei, piazza Arsenale, 1 - 09124 Cagliari tel. +39 070 684000
Ø Basilica di Bonaria and the church of San Saturnino
Ø Castello di San Michele (http://www.camuweb.it/centro.php?sede=sanmichele&mod=scheda#_=_
§ Cagliari, Via Sirai s.n. Tel. e fax: +39 070 500656 cell. 3466673657 e-mail:
Day 4 (May 19, Thursday) (In the morning our charter bus takes us from Cagliari; tonight we sleep in Oristano. We will have the bus and driver for four days, for every full day from now until the last full day of the trip on May 22.) (BUS day 1)
v Nora (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/j/v/253?s=19148&v=2&c=2488&c1=2094&visb=&t=1 ; Punic and Roman archaeological site)
v Barumini (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/j/v/253?s=20710&v=2&c=2488&c1=2127&visb=&t=1 ; UNESCO World Heritage Site and our first Nuraghe, Su Naraxi)
v Go to Oristano and check into our hotel
Day 5 (May 20, Friday) (Staying in Oristano) (BUS day 2)
v Tharros (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/j/v/253?s=21268&v=2&c=2489&c1=2125&t=1)
v Cabras
Ø Medieval fishery still in use
§ Sa Pischera 'e Mar 'e Pontis
· Strada Provinciale 6 - Direzione San Giovanni 09072 Cabras OR
Ø Scavi di Monte ‘e Prama (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giants_of_Mont%27e_Prama )
§ Nuragic sculptures of heroic giants!
v Bonarcado
Ø S. Maria (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/j/v/253?s=17764&v=2&c=2471&c1=2633&visb=&t=1)
v S. Giusta
Ø Phoenician-Punic city of Othoca (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/index.php?xsl=253&s=18869&v=2&c=2471&c1=2621&visb=&t=1)
Ø Church of S. Giusta (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/j/v/253?s=17827&v=2&c=2471&c1=2633&visb=&t=1)
v Oristano
Ø Visit to the Antiqurium Arborense (www.antiquariumarborense.it)
Day 6 (May 21, Saturday) (Moving to Alghero, where we stay till leaving Sardinia) (BUS day 3)
v Bosa
Ø Castello Malaspina (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/j/v/253?s=17803&v=2&c=2488&c1=2339&visb=&t=1)
Ø Cattedrale di S. Pietro and the Roman cemetery (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/j/v/253?s=17811&v=2&c=2465&c1=2633&visb=&t=1)
v Alghero
Ø Visiting the city, and possibly a beach
Day 7(May 22, Sunday) (Staying in Alghero) (BUS day 4)
v Sassari: Guided walking tour through the medieval quarter, led by a local university professor.
v Porto Torres
Ø Archaeological park of Turris Libisonis
Ø National Archaeological Museum- Antiquarium Turritano (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/j/v/253?s=22589&v=2&c=2487&c1=2126&t=1)
§ Via Ponte Romano, 99, Porto Torres SS, Italy
Ø Basilica di San Gavino (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/j/v/253?s=17894&v=2&c=2488&c1=2126&visb=&t=1)
v Medieval churches and castles
Ø S. Maria di Saccargia, (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/j/v/253?s=17842&v=2&c=2511&c1=2633&visb=&t=1)
Ø S. Michele di Salvennor (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/j/v/253?s=17873&v=2&c=2488&c1=2126&visb=&t=1)
Ø S. Maria di Ardara (http://www.sardegnacultura.it/index.php?xsl=253&s=17761&v=2&c=2488&c1=2126&visb=&t=1)
May 23, Monday: The travel portion of this class ends as we fly together from Alghero, Sardinia to Rome in the early morning. We will get to the airport via public transport.
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Program travel for the HIST 3762 companion course on Rome ends on June 5.
July 7: all papers due. The professors will be in contact with students before then to provide guidance.
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ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: If you cheat or commit any other act of academic dishonesty, you fail the course, or worse. Your papers must be individual endeavors (though I encourage you to use the Writing Lab). We are particularly determined to prevent WEB PLAGIARISM. If you cut and paste from the web on for any class assignment, and fail to credit your source, we will do everything in our power to have you expelled from the university. See www.unt.edu/csrr/academic_dishonesty.htm for more information.
ADA STATEMENT: We fully intend to comply with the American Disabilities Act in making reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. However, students with special needs must do two things: first, they must successfully apply for services with UNT’s Office of Disability Accommodations (http://www.unt.edu/oda/ ); second, they must take initiative in communicating with us so that we can help provide the necessary accommodations.
*** The instructors reserve the right to alter this syllabus, which is still in draft form. ***