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History Through Film (HIST
3900 Fall 2012)
In this course well investigate major
themes in medieval history through lectures, reading, and films. No
background in medieval history or film studies is necessary to do well in this
course, only diligence. To make sense of the films and to perform
satisfactorily in this class requires that you have a firm grasp of the
reading and lecture material. With guidance from the questions I provide, you
will argue ways in which the films successfully portray important themes and
problems of medieval history. It is your responsibility to demonstrate your
preparation and comprehension in discussions, announced and unannounced
quizzes, and exams. Most quizzes will take the form of Blackboard
assignments. Exams are closed-book and may consist of identifications, short
answers, and short essays. The final exam will
include simple questions on reading and films and one essay
written in advance and submitted at the beginning of the exam period. The group project
includes a document and presentation, due in the final class meeting. In all
assignments, I evaluate your answers for clarity and argument as well as for
content, so make your best possible effort. All cheating or plagiarism acts
generate a failing grade for the course and referral to the judiciaries: no exceptions. Students who attend class, take notes, and think will have
no difficulty earning a satisfactory grade. Never hesitate to contact me
about the course in my office or over email. Outcome Goals 1. Students demonstrate a grasp of major
developments in the social, religious, and political history of medieval
Europe. 2. Preparedness is evident from clear,
coherent, and substantive contributions to class discussion and written
assignments. 3. Students can distinguish between
interpretation and distortion, perspective and bias in their own analyses of
films. 4. The ability to analyze medieval literary sources and modern films
within a historical framework. Grade distribution 20% preparation & participation (including Blackboard
assignments) 25% first exam 25% final
essay 30% final exam Required
reading I indicate new list-prices. But discount and used
copies of most these books are widely available, including at Little Professor Book Center (65 S. Court St.). 1.
Gerald of Wales, History & Topography of Ireland
(Penguin, 1983). $14 (amz,
abe) 2.
Beowulf, tr. Heaney (Norton, 2001).
$13.95 (amz,
abe) 3.
The Poem of the Cid, tr. Raffel (Penguin, 2009). $15
(amz,
abe) 4.
Chrtien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances, tr. Kibler
(Penguin, 1991). $16 (amz,
abe) 5.
Short Reader of Medieval Saints, ed. Stouck
(Toronto, 2008). $26.95 (amz,
abe) 6. Little Flowers of Saint Francis, tr. Okey (Dover, 2003). $3 (amz,
abe) Readings marked (pdf)
are available online by following the link. You will be prompted to provide
your Ohio ID and password. Print and bring these readings to class. Schedule of Classes
Final Essay is due on Blackboard no later than Tues. December 11 at
11:59PM. The University Registrar has schedule the
Final Exam for Wed. December 12 at 12:20PM. Option #1 Does film offer a viable
means of interpreting and representing significant aspects of medieval
history? Choose a topic (violence, justice, gender, religion, social class)
and write an essay that answers the question with specific reference to your
chosen topic. Your essay must accomplish two things. First, it
must explain the importance of your topic for understanding medieval society.
This will probably determine your thesis. Second, it must look critically at
the ways contemporary sources and modern film manage to convey the aspects of
your topic that you have explained to be important. Your focus can be as
specific as you like. Just be certain that your analysis is grounded in texts
and films and doesnt stray into vague generalizations. Option
#2 Pitch an idea for a film
on any significant subject of medieval history, preferably thematic (e.g.
justice, violence, gender, religion, technology, etc.) although persons or
events are permissable. I have provided a detailed outline for how you might
structure your proposal and the information it should contain.
Requirements for both options The essay must be 5 typed pages
(roughly 1500 words) and include either parenthetical citations or footnotes
for all references to class readings. Bibliography
or other appendices do not count toward 5 pages. No outside research is
expected but you must cite everything (books, articles, websites) from which
you quote, paraphrase, or heavily borrow information and ideas (please review
the policy on plagiarism in the syllabus). Submit your essay as an attachment
via Blackboard anytime before Tuesday, December 11, 11:59PM. Remember, regardless of which
option you choose, your essay should accurately reflect what you have learned
and the effort you have put into this class over the entire semester. In
other words, it should be apparent that you
could not have written this essay with the same insight and detail three
months ago. Each essay will be evaluated according to the following
criteria:
Essays that score above
satisfactory in all or most categories may receive an A. Those that score mostly satisfactory
with nothing below satisfactory may receive a B. Those with a mix of scores may receive
a C. Essays that are mostly
unsatisfactory will receive a D or lower. Not sure what a thesis is or how
it is different from a topic? A
thesis is an assertion which you will defend in the body of the paper.
It is not a hunch, feeling, or opinion. It is a potentially falsifiable
claim that you make and defend on the strength of the evidence as you
understand it. For example: Revelation was important in the Middle
Ages is not a thesis because no reasonable and informed person would
object. Medieval people were more superstitious than
religious or Medieval justice was cruel and heartless are rotten theses.
Both rely more on skepticism or personal judgment than they do on trying to
understand the evidence on its own terms. Visions in the Middle Ages were not only
supernatural experiences, but also provided a means of coping with tensions
in ordinary society is a promising thesis. Much will depend on the evidence
that is chosen and how the argument is made. Thats what the rest of the
introduction will explain and the essay will demonstrate. Do not stuff your essay with long quotations or summaries. Your
analysis is what matters. Treat lecture material as common knowledge: no
citation necessary. Again, make this essay represent, as fully and accurately
as possible, the amount of attention and work you have given to this course
throughout the term. Further
Reading Kevin J. Harty, The
Reel Middle Ages: American, Western and East European, Middle Eastern, and
Asian Films about Medieval Europe (McFarland, 1999). Bert Olton, Arthurian
Legends on Film and Television (McFarland, 2000). Robin Blaetz, Visions
of the Maid: Joan of Arc in American Film and Culture (University of
Virginia, 2001). <alice> Kevin J. Harty (ed.), Cinema Arthuriana: Twenty Essays (McFarland. 2002) <g-bk> John Aberth, A
Knight at the Movies: Medieval History on Film (Routledge, 2003). Tom Shippey with Martin Arnold (eds.), Film and Fiction: Reviewing the Middle
Ages (Brewer, 2003). Amy de la Bretque, Limaginaire mdival dans le cinma occidental (Champion, 2004). Martha W. Driver and Sid Ray (eds.), The Medieval Hero on Screen:
Representations from Beowulf to Buffy (McFarland, 2004). Christian Kiening and Heinrich Adolf (eds.), Mittelalter im Film (De Gruyter,
2006). [essays on many of our class films, all in German] Susan Lynn Aronstein, Hollywood Knights: Arthurian Cinema and the Politics of Nostalgia
(Palgrave, 2005). Robert Rosenstone, History on Film/Film on History, (Longman / Pearson, 2006). Richard Francaviglia and Jerry Rodnitzky (eds.), Lights, Camera, History: Portraying the
Past in Film (Texas A&M University, 2007). Richard Burt, Medieval
and Early Modern Film and Media (Palgrave, 2008). [includes an essay on El
Cid] <g-bk> Nickolas Haydock, Movie Medievalism: The Imaginary Middle Ages (McFarland. 2008). Anke Bernau and Bettina Bildhauer (eds.), Medieval Film. (Manchester University,
2009). Nickolas Haydock and E. L. Risden, Hollywood in the Holy Land: Essays on Film
Depictions of the Crusades and Christian-Muslim Clashes (McFarland,
2009). [includes two essays on El Cid] Laurie A. Finke and Martin B. Schichtman, Cinematic Illuminations: The Middle Ages
on Film (Johns Hopkins, 2009). Kathleen Coyne Kelly and Tison Pugh, Queer Movie Medievalisms (Ashgate,
2009). Andrew B. R. Elliott, Remaking the Middle Ages: The Methods of Cinema and History in
Portraying the Medieval World (McFarland, 2011). Bettina Bildhauer, Filming the Middle Ages (Reaktion Books, 2011). Andrew B. R. Elliot, Remaking the Middle Ages: The Methods of Cinema and History in
Portraying the Medieval World (McFarland, 2011). <g-bk> Related
Websites http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages_in_film http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medfilms.html http://www.medievalists.net/movies/ |