History 6940: Directed Research—Early Medieval Europe

University of North Texas, Spring Semester 2017

Department of History

Instructor: Dr. Walter Roberts

Office: Wooten Hall 227

Office Hours: MWF 2-4 PM; or by appointment

Office Phone: 940-565-2489

E-Mail:

Course Description and Objectives

This course is meant to provide you with preparation for comprehensive exams in the field of Early Medieval Europe (the period roughly from 300-1000 CE). Thematically, we will be looking at the following five topics—change vs. continuity with Greco-Roman continuity in the so-called “barbarian successor states;” the development of a Christian cultural identity in this region; the development of Muslim Spain; the development of the Carolingian empire; and the so-called “Feudal Revolution” of the tenth century. You will look at the historiography of how modern scholars have viewed these subjects with an eye towards conveying this information in a standard world history or western civilization sequence.

Required Texts

Matthias Becher, Charlemagne (Yale University Press, 2005) ISBN: 9780300107586

Marc Bloch, Feudal Society (Routledge Classics), 1st edition (Routledge, 2014)

ISBN: 9780415738682

Peter Brown, The Rise of Western Christendom: Triumph and Diversity, A. D. 200-1000, 3rd edition (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013) ISBN: 9781118301265

Roger Collins, The Arab Conquest of Spain: 710-797 (Wiley-Blackwell, 1995)

ISBN: 9780631194057

Richard Fletcher, Moorish Spain, 2nd edition (University of California, 2006)

ISBN: 9780520248403

Peter Heather, Empires and Barbarians: The Fall of Rome and the Birth of Europe (Oxford, 2010) ISBN: 9780199735600

Rosamond McKitterick, Charlemagne: The Formation of a European Identity (Cambridge University, 2008) ISBN: 9780521716451

Thomas F. X. Noble, The Republic of St. Peter: The Birth of the Papal State, 680-825 (University of Pennsylvania, 1986) ISBN: 9780812212396

Bryan Ward-Perkins, The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization (Oxford University, 2006) ISBN: 9780192807281

Charles West, Reframing the Feudal Revolution: Political and Social Transformation between Marne and Moselle, c.800-c.1100 (Cambridge University, 2016)

ISBN-13: 978-1316635506

Optional Text

The following is a good survey text of the period and issues in question:

Roger Collins, Early Medieval Europe, 300-1000, 3rd ed., (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2010) ISBN: 9780230006737

Grading and Evaluation

My overall evaluation of your performance in this course will be broken down as follows:

10 Book Reviews: 5% each (50% total)

Annotated Bibliography: 50%

The value for all grades in this course will be based on a standard collegiate scale: A=90-100%; B=80-89%; C=70-79%; D=60-69%; F=59% or lower

Book Reviews
You will be asked to write 10 short papers reviewing each of the required readings. At the dates noted under the class schedule, you will turn in a 3-5 page paper on the relevant book. Further details on these writing assignments will be made available through a handout. Each paper will be worth 5% of your grade, so the 10 papers combined will be 50% of your final course grade.

Final Paper

You will be required to write a 30-50 page annotated bibliography that includes 2 additional books from each of the 5 main topics we are studying. More specific guidelines will be provided in a handout. This assignment will be worth 50% of your final course grade.

Class Schedule (Order of topics and assignments subject to change)

February 3: Heather and Ward-Perkins reviews due electronically by 4 PM

February 17: Brown and Noble reviews due electronically by 4 PM

March 3: Collins (Arab Conquest) and Fletcher reviews due electronically by 4 PM

March 17: Becher and McKitterick reviews due electronically by 4 PM

March 31: Bloch and West reviews due electronically by 4 PM

May 10: Annotated Bibliography due electronically by noon

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