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:
 

R.H.C. Davis

Henri Pirenne

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.

Merton College, Oxford (Image by J. Gollner)

* This is a quote from Bill Clinton, nothing personal!