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...

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

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!