Undergraduate Course: Italy and the Mediterranean from Constantine to the Crusades (HIST10074)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | A study of the economic, political, cultural and religious history of Italy from the fourth to the twelfth century in the context of developments in the wider Mediterranean world. Within a broadly chronological approach, certain thematic issues are addressed, such as problems of 'decline' and 'transformation', and the nature of regional and local identities. Major historiographical controversies are discussed and a range of primary sources are examined in translation. a range of primary sources are examined in translation. |
| Course description |
The course examines the history of Italy during a key period of its historical evolution from the Late Roman world to the rise of communal cities to become wealthy city-states. It will concentrate on three main themes:
(i) Continuity and change in the society and culture of Italian cities
(ii) General economic, political and cultural change within the Mediterranean zone over the period c.300 and 1200 and the effect this had on Italy
(iii) Internal and external causes of the precocious development of Italian economic and urban life, especially from the eleventh century.
An additional aim will be to acquaint students with a number of sources which illuminate the developments studied and to develop skills in the analytical use of such primary evidence. The course also aims to impart important transferable skills, such as articulate oral presentation, ability to present written work clearly and well, time management, and the collection, organisation and analysis of complex material.Although course concentrates on Italy, in addition to general economic and ecological changes in the Mediterranean some attention will be paid to the comparative study of other areas. The themes tackled in this course are the subject of considerable scholarly debate at present the main contributions to the subject will be studied in their historiographical context. Students will be encouraged to discuss and question such views.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | A pass or passes in 40 credits of first level historical courses or equivalent and a pass or passes in 40 credits of second level historical courses or equivalent.
Before enrolling students on this course, Personal Tutors are asked to contact the History Honours Admission Administrator to ensure that a place is available (Tel: 503780). |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 History courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course **
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| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, command of the body of knowledge considered in the course;
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, an ability to read, analyse and reflect critically upon relevant scholarship;
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, an ability to understand, evaluate and utilise a variety of primary source material;
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, the ability to develop and sustain scholarly arguments in oral and written form, by formulating appropriate questions and utilising relevant evidence;
- demonstrate independence of mind and initiative; intellectual integrity and maturity; an ability to evaluate the work of others, including peers.
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Reading List
D. Abulafia, The Great Sea, updated edition (London 2014)
G. Arnaldi, Italy and is Invaders (Cambridge, Mass., 2005)
T.S. Brown, Gentlemen and Officers. Imperial Administration and Aristocratic power in
Byzantine Italy (London, 1984)
N. Christie, The Lombards: the ancient Longobards (Oxford, 1995)
R. Hodges and D. Whitehouse, Mohammed, Charlemagne and the origins of Europe:
Archaelogy and the Pirenne thesis
P. Horden and N. Purcell, The Corrupting Sea (London, 2001)
C. La Rocca, ed., Italy in the early Middle Ages: 476-1000 (Oxford, 2002)
M. McCormick, The Origins of the European economy (Cambridge, 2001)
G. Tabacco, The Struggle for Power in Medieval Italy (Cambridge, 1989)
C . Wickham, Early Medieval Italy (London, 1981)
C. Wickham, Framing the Early Middle Ages (London, 2005)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Italy Mediterranean |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Tom Brown
Tel: (0131 6)50 3761
Email: T.S.Brown@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Clare Guymer
Tel: (0131 6)50 4030
Email: clare.guymer@ed.ac.uk |
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