COURSE SYLLABUS

  • Women in Medieval Europe
  • Class Time: M-F, 10:40-12:40, BMC 110
  • Instructor: David Perry
  • Email: perry@stolaf.edu
  • Office Hours: 1:00-2:00 Monday and Wednesday in 601A Holland Hall
  • Office Phone: (507) 646-3534

Course Description:

The purpose of this course is to examine the roles and experiences of European women from about 500-1500. We will consider religion, family, politics, and everyday life, and look at these subjects through many different types of primary sources. These will include religious texts, legal codes, chronicles, art and literature. Our focus on historical sources will also lead to discussions about the challenges of working with different types of evidence. By the end of this course, we should have an excellent grasp of the role of women in the Middle Ages, and gained experience in the process of analyzing historical issues and sources.

Warning:

This class meets every day and will move very quickly. If you fall behind in the reading or assignments, or fail to attend class, you will never catch up.

Assignments:

  • Informal Writing: You will need to keep a reading journal on the primary documents. For each day that primary documents are assigned for you to read at home, you need to write a few discussion questions or comments about the documents.
    • Consider the following types of issues. What can we learn from the documents? What should we ask about them in class? What problems do they present? You do not need to address all of the documents equally, but can focus on the sources you find most interesting.
    • Each entry should be a paragraph or two long. THEY MUST BE TYPED AND DOUBLE SPACED.
    • There are 12 days which require journal entries, and the best 10 will count for your grade. Entries will be graded S(atisfactory) or U(nsatisfactory). Each S is worth 1% of your final grade.
    • I will collect reading journals every Monday, but will often use them as the basis for class discussion. If you fail to have yours with you when called upon, you will receive a U for the day.
  • Formal Writing: Every Monday you will be expected to turn in a 3-4 page analysis of one primary source (of your choosing from the sources assigned for the weeks before). Information on these assignments will be forthcoming.
  • Exams:
    • Midterm: The mid-term will be short and involve analyzing a document which you have not seen before. You will have some choice.
    • Final: This will be a take-home exam. I will hand it out on Tuesday of the last week.
  • Participation:
    • Participation is more than just showing up (that's attendance). It's about doing the reading, being prepared to talk about it, volunteering your input, being involved in your group work, preparing for the debates and other discussions, and generally being an asset to the class as a whole.
  • Attendance:
    • Show up. There are 20 days of class. Attendance will be taken every day. Each day is worth .5% of your grade, for a total of 10%. If you miss a class due to severe illness, death in the family, or act of God, I will expect documentation (note from doctor, funeral program, etc.) to prove it.
    • Poor attendance generally leads to poor grades. In the highly unlikely event of an excused absence, you are responsible for making sure it does not harm your grade - you must do the reading, get your responses in on time, and get class notes from another student.

Grading:

  • 3 Textual Analysis Papers (10% each) - 30%
  • Reading Journal Entries (1% each) - 10%
  • Midterm Exam - 10%
  • Final Exam - 25%
  • Participation - 15%
  • Attendance - 10%

Readings and Schedule:

SST = Margaret LaBarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life (textbook)
WLME = Emilie Amt, ed., Women's Lives in Medieval Europe (sourcebook)
WWME = Carolyne Larrington, ed., Women and Writing in Medieval Europe (sourcebook)

  • You will notice several different types of reading assignments on the schedule.
    • First, there is the textbook. Skim this material. Do not spend the bulk of your limited time on it. I will cover relevant points in class as needed. Focus on the primary sources. Use this book as a way to answer your questions when you are confused, to help you with your exams, and otherwise as a resource.
    • There are four different types of primary source assignments.
      1. Everyone read the same texts in class: A part of class time will be set aside for you to quickly read sources, or for us to read them as a group. We will then discuss them as an entire class or in small groups.
      2. The sources will be divided into two-four groups, as will the students. Each group will read their documents, discuss them, and present them to the class.
      3. Everyone read the same texts at home: We may discuss the texts in class, and you will be expected to be prepared. A reading-journal entry will be required for these days (look for the (R) in the schedule).
      4. Texts split into groups and assigned to different students. Expect, in class, to discuss the sources with your groups and then present them to the class. A reading-journal entry will be required for these days (look for the (R) in the schedule).

Each class has its own page with any handouts, notes, images, and so forth. It will be password protected. Password information will be given out on the first day of class.

  1. Monday, January 3 - Introductions and Early Medieval Women and the Law .
    • Primary sources to read IN class:
      • Laws of the Salian Franks (WLME: p. 39-44)
      • Laws of the Burgundians (WLME: p. 45-49)
      • Angolo-Saxon Wills (WLME: p.130-36)
  2. Tuesday, January 4 - Early Medieval Women II
    • Everyone Read FOR class - SST chapter 1
    • GROUP READING FOR CLASS (R-1)
      • Group 1 read FOR class- Gregory of Tours: WWME: p 164-69 and WLME: p.121-24
      • Group 2 read FOR class - Bede: WWME, p. 126-28; p. 194-97
      • Group 3 read FOR class - Nordic Women: WWME: p. 169-73, 175-77, 198-200
  3. Wednesday, January 5 - Intellectual Traditions I: Jerome vs. Christine
    • Everyone read FOR class SST chapter 2
    • GROUP READING FOR CLASS (R-2)
      • Group 1 read FOR class - Bible, St. Jerome, Augustine: WLME 13-28 (also print out the other group's ONLINE MATERIALS)
      • Group 2 read FOR class - Christine de Pisan WWME p. 251-53 and ONLINE MATERIALS (print them out and bring them to class)
  4. Thursday, January 6 - Intellectual Traditions II. Jerome vs. Christine
    • DEBATE. Read the other group's materials before class!
  5. Friday, January 7 - Land and Power I
    • Everyone read SST chapter 3
    • Primary sources FOR class (R-3):
      • Guibert of Nogent and Christine de Pisan, WLME p. 142-49, 163-65.
  6. Monday, January 10 - Land and Power II
    • FIRST TEXTUAL ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT DUE
    • Read FOR class SST chapter 4
    • Read IN class and discuss as a class (as much as we have time)
      • Group 1 - Norman Laws, WLME p. 53-60
      • Group 2 - Charters and rolls, WLME p. 152-57
      • Group 3 - Paston Letters, Alice de Bryene, p. 165-74.
  7. Tuesday, January 11 - Religious Women I
    • Read FOR class SST chapter 5
    • READING FOR CLASS (R-4)
  8. Wednesday, January 12 - Religious Women II
    • Read FOR class SST chapter 6
    • Read For class and discuss (R-5)
      • Group 2 - St. Clare WLME p. 235-245.
  9. Thursday, January 13 - Religious Women III and preview Women and Work.
    • Primary Sources to read IN class.
      • Margery Kempe - WLME p. 267-74
  10. Friday, January 14 - MIDTERM
    • Read FOR class SST chapter 7
    • Midterm Exam. You cannot study for this other than by catching up on your reading (particularly SST)
  11. Monday, January 17 - Women and Work I
    • SECOND TEXTUAL ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT DUE
    • READING JOURNAL DUE (for R 4-5)
    • Reading IN class
      • Group 1 read - Gower, Margery Kempe, Ballad, WWME p. 105-112.
      • Group 2 read - Christine di Pisan - WWME, p. 31-34; Manorial Court Rolls - WLME, p. 184-188.
  12. Tuesday, January 18 - Women and Work II and Love and Marriage I
    • Lecture - Women at work.
    • Source reading FOR class (R-6)
      • Canon Law, Marriage liturgy (other secular documents), Holy Maidenhood, Blessings of Marriage - WLME, p. 79-94
  13. Wednesday, January 19 - Love and Marriage II
  14. Thursday, January 20 - Medicine and Health
    • Read FOR class SST chapter 8
    • Primary sources FOR class (R-8):
      • Hildegard, WWME, pp. 200-204; Trotula, parish records, WLME, pp. 98-112.
  15. Friday, January 21 - Movie - The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) provisionally.
    • Notice all the writing due for Monday. Work ahead!
  16. Monday, January 24 - Prostitutes and marginal women
  17. Tuesday, January 25 - Heretics and Jews
    • Primary sources FOR class (R-10):
      • Beatrice de Planissoles, WLME, p. 306-13 and handout/online materials
      • Maimonides, Judah Asheri, Eleazar of Mainz, sumptuary laws, responsa: WLME, p. 285-96
  18. Wednesday, January 26 - Leaders and Rebels
    • Read FOR class SST chapter 10
    • Primary sources FOR class (R-12):
      • Joan of Arc, WWME 181-4 and online/handout-materials
  19. Thursday, January 27 - Historiography
    • Read FOR class (R-12) - Judith Bennet, " "Medieval Women, Modern Women, Across the Great Divide." (handed out in class).
  20. Friday, January 28 - Take home exam due. In class discussion of Exam planned.
    • Final reading journals also due (R 9-12
 

Follow the St. Olaf Code of Student Conduct.
If you are unsure about whether something is plagiarism or cheating, ask before you do it.

 

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This site last updated: 12/3/04
Course Instructor: David Perry
Homepage URL: http://www.stolaf.edu/courses/2004int/History/237
© 2004 by David Perry and St. Olaf College