HISTORY 3346: THE AGE OF CHIVALRY

Section 001; CRN 57636
Spring 2019: MWF10:00-10:50
Holden Hall 155

TEACHER 

John Howe,
Professor of History,
Advisor,
Medieval and Renaissance Studies Center
Office
: 143 Holden Hall,    
Office Hours: MW 11-12:15am; M 9:45-10:15pm;
W 9:45-10:15pm, and by appointment
    Telephone: 806 834-7544      
E-mail
:  john,howe@ttu.edu
          Web http://myweb.ttu.edu/jhowe    
  Image result for lewis chessmen knight 

PURPOSES OF THE COURSE
            To acquire a general knowledge of medieval Western European civilization from ca. 1000 to ca. 1400.  To examine in detail medieval Western Europe's martially oriented aristocratic culture, its effects on almost all aspects of society, and its changes made under the influence of social and technological developments.  To gain self-knowledge by recognizing vestiges of chivalry still remaining today.

Expected Learning Outcomes

               
“Students graduating from Texas Tech University should be able to think critically and demonstrate an understanding of the possibility of multiple interpretations, cultural contexts, and values.”
        Upon successful completion History 3346 students will be able to:
                    1.  Describe major events and individuals associated with the high medieval Latin West;
                    2.  Discuss the documentary foundation that underlies this historical narrative;
                    3.  Appreciate in more detail how the development of the high medieval Latin West relates to basic themes and developments of “Western Civilization”;
                    4.  Appreciate human behaviors and ideas in greater depth by studying chivalry and nobility as manifested in medieval social institutions and epic and romance literatures; and
                    5.  Achieve greater proficiency in the following genres of historical writing:  essay examination and short research paper.
 

 Methods for Assessing the Expected Learning Outcomes
            The Expected Learning Outcomes of the course will be assessed through quizzes, examinations, a term paper, class discussions, and miscellaneous classroom assessment activities.

 

 COURSE REQUIREMENTS 

Required Texts
                   
Chrétien de Troyes, Perceval: The Story of the Grail. Trans. by Ruth Cline.  Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 1985.
                    Maurice Keen, Chivalry.  New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984.
                    Barbara H. Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages.  Fifth edition. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2018.
                    Song of Roland.  Trans. by Guy Burgess.  New York:  Penguin, 1990.

            Documents taken from the Web are also required. You can "click" to these directly when you access this syllabus via the internet. Print out texts a few days in advance to avoid last minute server or network problems.

Required Reading
            Reading assignments for each class are specified in the “Reading and Lecture Schedule.”  Each assignment is the subject of the class listed just below and to the left.  Read so that you are prepared to explain, praise, criticize, and question.  Readings are manageable when read on schedule, overwhelming if neglected. The scheduled quizzes are based exclusively on the readings assigned for that particular class.

Class Attendance

            Attend class.  In the classroom difficult reading assignments are interpreted, additional subject matter is introduced, and visual materials are displayed.  Part of the course grade is based on class participation, and you cannot participate when absent.  If you cannot attend at least 80% of the classes, then you should not be enrolled.

 Examinations
             Seven multiple-choice in-class quizzes are scheduled on the readings assigned for particular days. No make-ups will be allowed for these quizzes, but this should not present any insuperable problems inasmuch as only the top five grades out of the seven scheduled quizzes will actually count in your course grade.  So, if you read the asigned texts, you could theoretically miss two quizzes without adversely affecting your grade.
            Midterm tests are scheduled for Wednesday, February 20, and Friday, March 29.  Each will include  multiple-choice questions, identifications,  and a single essay (to be selected from two or more choices), and perhaps map work.  If, for good reason, a test is missed, a make-up test may be taken at 2:00-3:00pm on Monday, May 6.  Students receiving a grade below "C" on a midterm are expected to discuss that examination with the teacher (not doing so adversely affects the class participation grade).
            The final examination on Saturday, May 11 at 10:30am - 1:00pm will feature multiple-choice questions, identifications,  and perhaps map work on the material covered since the second midterm, and then several essay questions covering the material of the entire course.  Bring blue books for the final.        

Term Paper
           
Each student will write a 10-12 page, double-spaced, typed paper about a medieval person, analyzing whether or not he or she was "chivalrous.” A list of  possible candidates will be provided.  Each paper should use at least two primary and four secondary sources.  For aid in locating sources, see the Medieval Academy of America's list of Medieval Digital Resources.  The paper should also demonstrate knowledge of relevant points in the required readings.  Subjects must be chosen by Wednesday, February 20. The papers are due on Wednesday, April 10.  Late papers will be penalized one letter grade, and no first draft papers will be accepted after Monday, April 15.  Papers received by the due date will be returned with corrections on Monday, April 15.  Students may keep the grade earned or rewrite the paper for a higher grade, but no rewritten papers will be accepted after 5:00pm on Tuesday, May 14.


Extra Credit: 
           
At the Museum of Texas Tech University (4th St. & Indiana), up through March 3, there is an exhibition on "Pre-Modern Bibles: From the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Complutensian Polyglot Bible." First read (and perhaps photocopy), the text presented in the textbook by Rosenwein, pp. 152-55.  Then visit the exhibition, take notes on how the items displayed there document what Rosenwein says, and write a two or three page double-spaced report describing how the exhibition does or does not support what Rosenwein has to say. The report can be submitted up to Friday, March 29, but, obviously, the exhibit visit itself will need to take place prior to its closure on March 3.

 GRADING
         
The course grade will be computed as follows:  25% from the midterm tests (that is, 12.5% from each); 10% from the quizzes (2% from each of the top five quiz grades); 25% from the paper; 10% from class participation; and 30% from the final.   Extra Credit 5%
            The class participation grade is determined in this way.  At the end of the semester, students are divided into three groups on the basis of attendance, class preparation, and class contributions:  1) individuals who were outstanding; 2) individuals who were generally average; and 3) individuals who were well below average.  In computing the course grade, the first group gets the class participation component credited as an ‘A’; the second group has these points dropped out (so they neither help nor hurt); and the third group has them credited as an ‘F’. 

OFFICIAL NOTICES

Religious Holy Days

"Religious holy day" means a holy day observed by a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property taxation under Texas Tax Code §11.20. A student who intends to observe a religious holy day should make that intention known in writing to the instructor prior to the absence. A student who is absent from classes for the observance of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence. A student who is excused under this provision may not be penalized for the absence; however, the instructor may respond appropriately if the student fails to complete the assignment satisfactorily.

 

ADA Statement:

Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary arrangements. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services during the instructor’s office hours. Please note: instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability Services has been provided. For additional information, please contact Student Disability Services in West Hall or call 806-742-2405.

 

TTU Statement of Academic Integrity:

Academic integrity is taking responsibility for one’s own work, being individually accountable, and demonstrating intellectual honesty and ethical behavior. Academic integrity is a personal choice to abide by the standards of intellectual honesty and responsibility. Because education is a shared effort to achieve learning through the exchange of ideas, students, faculty, and staff have the collective responsibility to build mutual trust and respect.  Ethical behavior and independent thought are essential for the highest level of academic achievement, which then must be measured. Academic achievement includes scholarship, teaching and learning, all of which are shared endeavors. Grades are a device used to quantify the successful accumulation of knowledge through learning. Adhering to the standards of academic integrity ensures that grades are earned honestly and gives added value to the entire educational process. Academic integrity is the foundation upon which students, faculty, and staff build their educational and professional careers.

Students are responsible for understanding the principles and policies regarding academic integrity at Texas Tech University, and abide by them in all class and/or course work at the University. Academic misconduct violations are outlined in the Code of Student Conduct. The University policies and procedures regarding academic integrity can be found in the Student Handbook.  The Code of Student Conduct can be found online in the Student Handbook.

It is the aim of the faculty of Texas Tech University to foster a spirit of complete honesty and high standard of integrity. The attempt of students to present as their own any work not honestly performed is regarded by the faculty and administration as a most serious offence and renders the offenders liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension.

Academic or “Scholastic” dishonesty includes, but it not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student (such as, but not limited to, submission of essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor) or the attempt to commit such an act.
 

 

READING AND LECTURE SCHEDULE                
            
 

W  Jan 16       Introduction

                               
Rosenwein vi-vii, xv, 1-5, 24-25, 96, 102;  Eurasia; Mediterranean Topography; Spaghetti Map" of the Wanderings of Peoples; Europe in 526; Map of Charlemagne's Empire;  
Map of the divided Carolingian Empire; Europe 900 

F  Jan 18      Geography

                               
Rosenwein 129-35;
Annals of the Abbey of Xanten; Viking  Ship

[M  Jan 21     Martin Luther King Holiday]

 

 [Tu Jan 22    Last day for student-initiated Drop/Add]

W  Jan 23     Quiz #1 / The Last Invaders of the West

                                Rosenwein 135-40; Encastellation ; Motte and Bailley Castles

F  Jan 25      Europe Recovers

                                Rosenwein 140-51;  Germany in mid 10th cent ;  Italy in Early Eleventh Century 

M  Jan 28    New-Style Kingships

                              
Rosenwein 161-75; Europe 1000; new horse collar

W   Jan 30    A Wider World

                               Rosenwein 176-79;
Truce of GodHowe, "Nobility's Reform of the Medieval Church"

F  Feb 1      Quiz #2 / Religious Reform

                                Rosenwein 179-83; Henry IV to Gregory VIIGregory VII to Henry IV 

[Sat  Feb 2  Last day to drop without penalty; last day to drop and receive a refund]

M  Feb 4     Empire and Papacy

                                Rosenwein 172-76 and 183-89; Ekkehard ; Fulk

W  Feb 6    The Expansion of Europe

                                Rosenwein 190-92; Richer ; Guibert

F  Feb 8     New Schools

                               
Keen ix-x, 1-23


M  Feb 11   Quiz #3 / The Problem of Chivalry

                              
 Keen 23-43

W  Feb 13   Secular Origins of Chivalry

[W Feb 13   Last Day to Withdraw from the University with a Partial Refund]

                                Keen  44-82

F  Feb 15   Chivalry and the Church

                                Keen  83-101

M  Feb 18   The Rise of the Tournament 

                              Study; finalize your choice of term paper subject

W  Feb 20   Midterm No. 1 

                              Roland
7-49; Rosenwein 192-203;
Life in a Medieval Castle ; Romanesque architecture

F  Feb 22    Romanesque Architecture


                               
Roland 51-104

M  Feb 25   Quiz #4 / Epic Literature


                              Roland
104-44

W  Feb 27   Epic Themes / Discussion


                               Roland
144-203

F  Mar 1     Discussion of Roland

                                Keen 102-42; heraldry

M  Mar 4    Chivalric Learning

                              Rosenwein 214-21;  Trade ; Exchequer ;
Magna Carta

W  Mar 6    The Birth of the State in Western Europe: England, Spain, France

                              Rosenwein 221-27; Wool Merchants and the Florentine Government ; Florence's Treaty with San Gimignano

F  Mar 8     Empire and City States

                               Rosenwein 228-31; Perceval ix-xxix

[Mar 9-17    Spring Vacation]

M  Mar 18  Romances


                                Perceval
2-20

W Mar 20   Perceval Meets Chivalry


                                Perceval
21-81

F  Mar 22   Quiz #5 / Perceval Becomes a Knight


                                Perceval
82-167

M Mar 25   The Grail Quest


                                Perceval
168-244 ; Rosenwein 230-31

W Mar 27   The Arthurian Cycle

[W  Mar 27 Last day for student-initiated drop (with penalty); last day to declare pass/fail intentions]

                                Study

F Mar 29   Midterm #2

                                Rosenwein 233-37; Amiens

M Apr 1    The Gothic Style

                               
Rosenwein 237-39; Innocent III Biography;
Lateran IV

W  Apr 3   Roman Leadership in the Church


                                Francis:  The Authoritative Life; Rosenwein 231-33

F  Apr 5     Mendicants and Universities

                               
Rosenwein 239-47, 265-68

M  Apr 8   Future Shock

                                Rosenwein 268-75; finish the semester paper

W  Apr 10   Stronger Monarchies

                               
Rosenwein 275-89; Tips on Reading Aquinas
Summa Theologiae 

F  Apr 12    Quiz #6 / The Scholastic Synthesis and Its Fraying

                               
Rosenwein 267-75, 282-84;
Butcher of Abbeville ; Chaucer's Wife of Bath ; Butcher of Abbeville

M  Apr 15   Later Medieval Lay Literature

                               
Everyman

W  Apr 17   Later Medieval Drama

                                Rosenwein 289-322

F Apr 19    Plague, Violence, Economic Depression

 [M Apr 22   Easter Holiday:  Day of No Classes]

                                Rosenwein 322-25

W  Apr 24  The Church in Crisis


[
W Apr 24 Open registration begins]

                                Rosenwein 325-41

F  Apr 26   Renaissance?

                                Keen 143-78

M  Apr 29  Quiz #7 / Nobility in the Later Middle Ages

                                Keen 179-99

W  May 1   Secular Orders of Chivalry

[Th May 2 Last Day to withdraw from the university]

                                Keen 200-218; Jacques de Lalaing

F May 3      Late Medieval Chivalry

                                Rosenwein 341-42; Keen 219-53

M  May 6    Chivalry and Ourselves

[M  May 6   Make-Up Test at 2:00-3:00pm]

[W May 8   Dead Day]

                                Study

Sat May 11 10:30am - 1:00pm               FINAL EXAMINATION

Tu May 14 at 5:00pm                             Deadline for submitting rewritten papers

May 17-18  Friday / Saturday  Graduation

 
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