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Week 6 tutorial blog follows below...
Wednesday 28 March 2012
Tuesday 27 March 2012
Library Tutorial Week
Hi everyone,
A reminder that our week 6 tutorial will take place in the Mattheson library in the ground floor Training Room 1 (a library floor plan is here). It's compulsory to attend this class and complete a worksheet based on what you learn. The aim is to give you the skills you will need to research your essay and reference it properly using the expected footnote style. It's a very important week for setting you up to study history in general as well as specifically to prepare for your essay in this unit. To get ready for next week, first use Monash's Search system to try and identify any book about Charlemagne that was published in the last 10 years and is available in the Mattheson library. Then try to find a journal article about Carolingian law written in the same period. Write down all the publication details you can find for these two items. Try to articulate what strategies you used to find the two items, and any difficulties you encountered. Come prepared with your results and any post any questions or problems that want solving below. In addition...
if this is your first year at Uni: Try to define these terms for yourself:
if none of this is new to you: Think about your experience of researching and writing an essay. What are your top tips for finding relevant books and other sources? What problems have you encountered when referencing essays? What useful feedback from tutors have you gained? Be ready to share your expertise with the rest.
And since there is no required reading, here are some links you might want to peruse to keep you thinking medieval!
A reminder that our week 6 tutorial will take place in the Mattheson library in the ground floor Training Room 1 (a library floor plan is here). It's compulsory to attend this class and complete a worksheet based on what you learn. The aim is to give you the skills you will need to research your essay and reference it properly using the expected footnote style. It's a very important week for setting you up to study history in general as well as specifically to prepare for your essay in this unit. To get ready for next week, first use Monash's Search system to try and identify any book about Charlemagne that was published in the last 10 years and is available in the Mattheson library. Then try to find a journal article about Carolingian law written in the same period. Write down all the publication details you can find for these two items. Try to articulate what strategies you used to find the two items, and any difficulties you encountered. Come prepared with your results and any post any questions or problems that want solving below. In addition...
 |
| Love and Devotion is on at the State Library of Victoria |
- reference
- citation
- primary source
- footnote
- plagiarism
- secondary source
- bibliography
if none of this is new to you: Think about your experience of researching and writing an essay. What are your top tips for finding relevant books and other sources? What problems have you encountered when referencing essays? What useful feedback from tutors have you gained? Be ready to share your expertise with the rest.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And since there is no required reading, here are some links you might want to peruse to keep you thinking medieval!
- For those of you fascinated by the difference between the East and West in the medieval period, you might want to look at the exhibition currently showing at the State Library of Victoria, Love and Devotion, which is a lavish display of Persian manuscripts from the 11th century onwards. It looks at Eastern literature on its own terms, and in relationship to contemporary and modern Western society. It's free and it's on until the 1st of July.
- For those interested in the weird and wonderful world of religious relics, you might be interested in this review of Treasures of Heaven, a recent exhibition of reliquaries (i.e. containers for relics) that was held at the British Museum in 2011.
You can watch the official introduction to the Treasures of Heaven exhibition here:
Tuesday 20 March 2012
Commenting
 | |
| eMonk from the University of Edinburgh |
Some people were unable to make comments previously and I am trying to trouble shoot for them. Please bear with me!
Read on below for the week 5 tutorial blog and for info on the Historical Argument Exercise...
Town & Gown
Hi everyone,
In week 5 it's going to be another bumper discussion! Lectures will be introducing us to the rise of two important components of late medieval urban life: communes and universities. The twelfth and thirteenth centuries saw the foundation of some of the most famous universities in Europe, for example, these two, which in some ways still look as though one might bump into a medieval student around any given corner...
And in tutorials we will be discussing universities and education in more detail. In particular, we'll use the story of the two people pictured below as a juicy entrée into issues related to education at the time. Think about Abelard's Historia Calamitatum in light of the questions in the reading guide. What does his story tell us about intellectual and philosophical life and thought in twelfth-century France (apart from some pretty gory things about castration...)? If the extract whets your appetite, or you just want to know Heloise's side of the story (!), look for their letters which are published in various editions and available in the library; or look for the works of Monash's own Professor Constant Mews, who is a world expert on their correspondence.
In week 5 it's going to be another bumper discussion! Lectures will be introducing us to the rise of two important components of late medieval urban life: communes and universities. The twelfth and thirteenth centuries saw the foundation of some of the most famous universities in Europe, for example, these two, which in some ways still look as though one might bump into a medieval student around any given corner...
 |
| Cambridge streetscape, by Andrew @ Cuba Gallery |
 |
| Hertford Bridge, Oxford, by Jamie @ Daily Info |
And in tutorials we will be discussing universities and education in more detail. In particular, we'll use the story of the two people pictured below as a juicy entrée into issues related to education at the time. Think about Abelard's Historia Calamitatum in light of the questions in the reading guide. What does his story tell us about intellectual and philosophical life and thought in twelfth-century France (apart from some pretty gory things about castration...)? If the extract whets your appetite, or you just want to know Heloise's side of the story (!), look for their letters which are published in various editions and available in the library; or look for the works of Monash's own Professor Constant Mews, who is a world expert on their correspondence.
 |
| Abelard & Heloise |
Monday 19 March 2012
Our discussion
These are the questions we discussed on Monday
- What is the relationship between local land holding and organisation, and cross-continental trade routes and goods? How are both of these things related to arguments about early medieval economics? How do they each fit into Davis’ discussion?
- (According to Davis) what is Pirenne’s thesis? What assumptions underlie Pirenne’s conclusion that Muslim conquests brought about an economic standstill in Western Europe?
- What objections does Davis raise to Pirenne’s thesis? What does he argue instead?
- What is an economy of no outlets? What is an economy of restricted outlets? Which does Davis think characterised early medieval Europe? Why?
- Which came first: Charlemagne or feudalism? (According to Davis) how did Pirenne argue the two are related?
- What are Pirenne’s assumptions about coins? What does Davis argue about coins? What might money be used for? How did this affect what kinds of money existed?
- What is the manorial system? Is it the same as feudalism? [How] are the two related?
- What is the difference between Demesne and Tributary land?
- What kinds of wealth did abbeys have? What kinds of surpluses might their lands generate?
- What social and economic pressures resulted in the formation of big estates?
- What is a serf? What is a colona? What is a servi? What does Davis argue about these words?
- What were the effects on local society of cultivation in open fields, or in “bosky” land? What explanations can you offer for why land might have been cultivated in one way or the other?
Historical Argument Exercise Due
Don't forget your Historical Argument Exercise is due on Friday (30th March) by 5pm.
[Update: here is the link to information about formatting
http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/OffCampus/Improve/9.1.html]
- The task is described in the Unit Guide
- It is worth 15%
- The word limit is 800 words
- The assignment should be submitted online via Blackboard
- find Blackboard via the my.monash link to the right
- AND please hand in a hard copy to me in week 6 tutorials
[Update: here is the link to information about formatting
http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/OffCampus/Improve/9.1.html]
Tuesday 13 March 2012
It's the economy, stupid!*
Hi everyone,
In week 4 we're going to be considering some heavy hitting economic theories about how medieval Europe worked. In particular, we're going to be comparing the theories of these two historians:
Davis' work will form the basis of the Historical
Argument Exercise, due in week 5, so come prepared to think about and
discuss it in depth to assist in your preparation.
Remember, the first assessment task is also coming up next week. There will be an in-class test in the second lecture hour on Monday 19th March (unless you have already agreed an alternate arrangement with Clare and myself).
And just because I can't leave a whole blog post with no pretty pictures except photos of eminent old men, here's a completely gratuitous picture of Merton College, Oxford, where Davis worked for a time. It has, in my opinion, the most beautiful sounding bells in the world (or maybe they just make me nostalgic). You can hear them here.
* This is a quote from Bill Clinton, nothing personal!
In week 4 we're going to be considering some heavy hitting economic theories about how medieval Europe worked. In particular, we're going to be comparing the theories of these two historians:
 |
| R.H.C. Davis |
 |
| Henri Pirenne |
Remember, the first assessment task is also coming up next week. There will be an in-class test in the second lecture hour on Monday 19th March (unless you have already agreed an alternate arrangement with Clare and myself).
And just because I can't leave a whole blog post with no pretty pictures except photos of eminent old men, here's a completely gratuitous picture of Merton College, Oxford, where Davis worked for a time. It has, in my opinion, the most beautiful sounding bells in the world (or maybe they just make me nostalgic). You can hear them here.
 |
| Merton College, Oxford (Image by J. Gollner) |
Monday 12 March 2012
SBS goes medieval
So, this is the link I was talking about: The Beauty of Maps
It's a documentary about the amazing Hereford Mappa Mundi, a thirteenth-century map of the known (and unknown) world. The link is active for the next 6 days, so take advantage quickly!
It's a documentary about the amazing Hereford Mappa Mundi, a thirteenth-century map of the known (and unknown) world. The link is active for the next 6 days, so take advantage quickly!
Thursday 8 March 2012
No rest for the wicked...
Please note that Monday is not a University holiday. Please join me for tutorials as normal.
This week's blog follows below.
Kathleen
This week's blog follows below.
Kathleen
Tuesday 6 March 2012
Charlemagne and the Idea of Empire
Hi everyone,
In week 3 we're going to be talking about a famous text known as the Life of Charlemagne by Einhard. There are some leading questions in the reading guide which we'll be trying to answer. In order to kick us off, I've selected (what I hope are) some thought-provoking images gathered from the webosphere to show the different ways in which Charlemagne and the idea of Empire have been linked. I hope these will help you to think about the kinds of messages of cultural and political superiority that are being sent in the text, as well as in these visual representations. Note that these images also come from different periods. Does the image of Charlemagne's power seem to have changed much over time? How?
1. A denier (small denomination coin) of Charlemagne, with the inscription KAROLVS IMP AVG, "Charles, Emperor Augustus". (Cabinet des Médailles, Paris); 2. A 9th century equestrian statue of Charlemagne. (Le Louvre); 3. Charlemagne in an initial from a 9th century manuscript, written in Carolingian miniscule. (BnF, Lat 5927); 4. A 14th century manuscript painting of Charlemagne being crowned Holy Roman Emperor by pope Leo III. (BnF, Fr 2813); 5. A 15th century manuscript painting of Charlemagne building his new capital at Aix-la-Chapelle. (BnF, Fr 6465); 6. Portrait of Charlemagne by Albrecht Dürer, late 15th century. (Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum). All these images sourced from Wikimedia Commons, or the BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France) website.
Other contemporaries wrote about Charlemagne too. You can check out the Life of Charlemagne by the fabulously-named Notker the Stammerer here. Both Notker and Einhard's lives are available together in a Penguin edition, Two Lives of Charlegmagne, which is in the library if you want to know more.
PS. While we're talking Carolingians, I can't resist showing you this photo of me meeting Rosamond McKitterick - one of the world's foremost scholars of this period - at a conference in the UK in 2010. There's more to this than me showing off; I think it's important to realise that the historians whose work we are reading are actually real people! A number of Rosamond's wonderful works on this period are on the extended reading list and come very highly recommended! (No wonder I'm looking pretty pleased with myself...)
In week 3 we're going to be talking about a famous text known as the Life of Charlemagne by Einhard. There are some leading questions in the reading guide which we'll be trying to answer. In order to kick us off, I've selected (what I hope are) some thought-provoking images gathered from the webosphere to show the different ways in which Charlemagne and the idea of Empire have been linked. I hope these will help you to think about the kinds of messages of cultural and political superiority that are being sent in the text, as well as in these visual representations. Note that these images also come from different periods. Does the image of Charlemagne's power seem to have changed much over time? How?
 |
| Einhard, as scribe. (14th century; BnF, Fr 2813). Wikimedia commons. |
Other contemporaries wrote about Charlemagne too. You can check out the Life of Charlemagne by the fabulously-named Notker the Stammerer here. Both Notker and Einhard's lives are available together in a Penguin edition, Two Lives of Charlegmagne, which is in the library if you want to know more.
PS. While we're talking Carolingians, I can't resist showing you this photo of me meeting Rosamond McKitterick - one of the world's foremost scholars of this period - at a conference in the UK in 2010. There's more to this than me showing off; I think it's important to realise that the historians whose work we are reading are actually real people! A number of Rosamond's wonderful works on this period are on the extended reading list and come very highly recommended! (No wonder I'm looking pretty pleased with myself...)
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