Crispy
HIST 115.01: The Medieval Millennium, 500-1500
Spring 2013
Prof. J.L. Welsh
Primary source analysis paper
Due date: Friday, April 19th
Length: 3-5 pages (double-spaced)
To turn in: Primary source analysis sheet, response paper checklist, and primary source paper
Over the course of the semester, you have encountered many aspects of the “Medieval Millennium,” including various primary sources which provide a window onto this complex period in European history and culture. For this assignment, you will be working directly with these sources. Your goal is to focus on a particular theme or question within medieval European history and analyze what we can learn regarding that theme using at least two (but not more than three) short primary sources/excerpts from primary sources. One of the sources must be from our in-class readings, and one must be from outside of class (please see the “Content” section on this assignment for links to other potential sources). For example, you could compare one of the sources on the First Crusade with a source on a later crusade, or compare the lais we read for class with other pieces of courtly literature.
After you have selected your sources, you should fill out a primary source worksheet for each of them. This preliminary stage will help you to think carefully about the sources and what we can learn from them.
Suggested themes and questions (other ideas also welcome):
1) What can medieval literature tell us about medieval material culture (ie, objects, clothing, household furnishings, etc.)?
2) In what ways was Western Europe connected to the rest of the world in the 14th and 15th centuries?
3) How and why did religious life in Western Europe change in the 13th and 14th centuries?
4) How do earlier periods of medieval renewal compare/contrast to the “Renaissance”?
5) Which century is the most significant for the history of Christianity in the Middle Ages, and why?
Secondary materials: Your analysis must be supported
Spring 2013
Prof. J.L. Welsh
Primary source analysis paper
Due date: Friday, April 19th
Length: 3-5 pages (double-spaced)
To turn in: Primary source analysis sheet, response paper checklist, and primary source paper
Over the course of the semester, you have encountered many aspects of the “Medieval Millennium,” including various primary sources which provide a window onto this complex period in European history and culture. For this assignment, you will be working directly with these sources. Your goal is to focus on a particular theme or question within medieval European history and analyze what we can learn regarding that theme using at least two (but not more than three) short primary sources/excerpts from primary sources. One of the sources must be from our in-class readings, and one must be from outside of class (please see the “Content” section on this assignment for links to other potential sources). For example, you could compare one of the sources on the First Crusade with a source on a later crusade, or compare the lais we read for class with other pieces of courtly literature.
After you have selected your sources, you should fill out a primary source worksheet for each of them. This preliminary stage will help you to think carefully about the sources and what we can learn from them.
Suggested themes and questions (other ideas also welcome):
1) What can medieval literature tell us about medieval material culture (ie, objects, clothing, household furnishings, etc.)?
2) In what ways was Western Europe connected to the rest of the world in the 14th and 15th centuries?
3) How and why did religious life in Western Europe change in the 13th and 14th centuries?
4) How do earlier periods of medieval renewal compare/contrast to the “Renaissance”?
5) Which century is the most significant for the history of Christianity in the Middle Ages, and why?
Secondary materials: Your analysis must be supported