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Medieval Lowlands

Vak
2018-2019

Year

Bachelor year 2.

Admission requirements

Bachelor Archaeology first year obtained.

Description

Medieval Lowlands is a course about a region in North-Western Europe (the Netherlands, Belgium, German Rhineland) that used to belong to the periphery of the former Roman Empire and the Merovingian Kingdom.
However, in the course of all of the Middle Ages, this area, gifted with exceptional infrastructural advantages (rivers, coastline) developed into one of the first fully working market economies in Europe and, along with northern Italy, into the most urbanised area in Europe.

In this class we will analyse how peripheral these Lowlands actually were in the early Middle Ages, what the agency of various groups was in its post-Roman economic development, and how it was connected to the rest of Europe.
In class we will also deal with theoretical aspects of economic development and the economic agency of various groups. You will learn about peasant household economics, exchange systems and the theory of market development.

Set-up of the course:
There will be 6 lectures (2 hours from 9.00-11.00 hrs) on various themes related to the early Medieval Lowlands.
Following the lectures there will be 5 workshops/tutorials (from 14.00-17.00 hrs) on various aspects such as:

  • Learning to evaluate the high potential of early Medieval cemetery data to various topics discussed (which successive steps have to be taken to interpret a cemetery successfully? What themes can be studied on the basis of those cemeteries?)

  • Learning about material culture (early middle ages)

  • Visits to Museum Volkenkunde (Museum of Ethnology).

The time available outside these contact hours must be spent on reading the compulsory literature.

Course objectives

  • Ability to understand the debate on the economic development of early Medieval Europe;

  • Ability to understand the debate on the economic development of late Medieval and early Modern North-Western Europe;

  • Ability to evaluate archaeological datasets from the Middle Ages and the Modern Period in relation to theoretical models of economic development;

  • Obtaining basic skills in handling datasets and material culture from Medieval and Modern North-Western Europe.

Timetable

Course schedule details can be found in the BA2 time schedule.

Mode of instruction

  • Lectures;

  • Workshops/tutorials;

  • Autonomous study (literature).

Course load

The course load will be distributed as follows:

  • 12 hours of lectures;

  • 15 hours of tutorials/workshops;

  • Literature.

Assessment method

  • Written exam (on the contents of the classes and the compulsory literature) (75%);

  • Written assignment (on subjects related to the general topic of the class, ca. 2,500 words) (25%).

Both should be a pass, the final mark is the outcome of the weighed results. The exam and paper can be retaken once.

All exam dates (exams, re-sits, paper deadlines etc.) can be found in the BA2 examination schedule.

Reading list

The compulsory literature will be announced on BlackBoard prior to the start of the course.

Registration

Registration via uSis is mandatory.

  • The Administration Office will register all BA1 students for their tutorials (not lectures; register via uSis!).

  • BA2, BA3, MA/MSc and RMA/RMSc students are required to register for all lectures and tutorials well in time.

  • Start registration for the BA2 seminars:
    Series 1: 10 September 2018, 07:00 hrs
    Series 2: 7 January 2018, 07:00 hrs
    Series 3: 11 March 2018, 07:00 hrs

  • The Administration Office registers all students for their exams, students are not required to do this in uSis.

Contact

For more information about this course, please contact prof. dr. F.C.W.J. (Frans) Theuws.

Remarks

  • There will be a maximum of 14 students for this class, in order to successfully carry out the workshops.

  • Compulsory attendance.