Scand & Medieval Europe

Catalog description

(PP, G) This course will address crucial moments in late antiquity and the medieval era, including the collapse of the western Roman Empire, the flowering of Byzantium, periodic invasions and transmigrations of peoples like the Germanic tribes and the Vikings, the development of medieval Christianity, and birth of the university. As a thematic focus, this course will locate the peoples and cultures of the Nordic region in its broader medieval context. Though peripheral to Europe at the beginning of the period, this region was thoroughly integrated by the end of the Middle Ages. Special emphasis will be laid on developing students' ability to write their own historical interpretations through a critical use of eyewitness accounts.