Admission requirements
This course is part of the (Res)MA History Programme. Students from within the specialization the course belongs to have right of way. It is not accessible for BA students.
Description
In this course we will examine two current debates in the history of medieval and early modern Europe. The aim of the literature seminars is both to let students get acquainted with historiographical developments and have them think about the production of historical knowledge itself. We will therefore not just be charting how historical debates develop, but crucially also investigate why they do so.
Debate I: Common Good, Balance, and Conflict in the Middle Ages (Claire Weeda), week 1-3
Constructing arguments about the common good inadvertently means responding to often conflicting interests and aspirations of different members of a community, while using concepts and ideas about how society works. These concepts interact with various concerns and tools that groups and individuals have at hand to pursue their own goals. Moreover, social, economic, legal, health, and environmental inequalities have an effect on individuals’ and groups’ own position towards a common good. Unpacking the transformations in the rhetoric of a common good helps historians to understand how decision-makers imagined the social and political community, while raising questions about the interaction between changing rhetoric, concepts, interests, and needs. Joel Kaye’s seminal study A History of Balance argues that in European scholastic thought between 1280 and 1360, a new model of equilibrium emerged. Scholastics significantly expanded the sense of balance in economic, political, medical thought, and natural philosophy, opening up new ways of thinking about how the world worked. In this literature seminar we shall discuss the usefulness of the development of concepts of common good and balance for historical analysis.
Debate II: Political Cultures of Elective Monarchy in Early Modern Europe (Jasper van der Steen), week 5-7
Scholarship on early modern European history has long approached the rise of the modern state as a top-down phenomenon. It was in the personal and family interest of monarchs to consolidate their power and secure dynastic succession, often through the imposition of a uniform legal system, the creation of standing armies, and the expansion of bureaucratic institutions. Yet unlike hereditary monarchy, where power was passed down within a family, elective monarchy allowed subjects to choose their ruler from a pool of candidates. The concept can thus offer a new perspective on how power was negotiated and contested during the early modern period. For elective monarchies often had greater levels of political participation and representation, as different factions competed for control over the selection process. In this literature seminar we will discuss questions about power, authority, and the role of the state in elective monarchies and compare and contrast their political practices with those of hereditary monarchies.
Course objectives
General learning objectives
The student has acquired:
The ability to analyse and evaluate literature with a view to addressing a particular historical problem;
The ability to give a clear and well-founded oral and written report on research results in correct English, when required, or Dutch, meeting the criteria of the discipline;
The ability to provide constructive feedback to and formulate criticism of the work of others and the ability to evaluate the value of such criticism and feedback on one’s own work and incorporate it;
The ability to participate in current debates in the specialisation;
(ResMA only:) The ability to participate in a discussion of the theoretical foundations of the discipline.
Learning objectives, pertaining to the specialisation
The student has acquired:
Thorough knowledge and comprehension of one of the specialisations or subtracks as well as of the historiography of the specialisation, focusing particularly on the following;
-in the specialisation Europe 1000-1800: broader processes of political, social and cultural identity formation between about 1000-1800; awareness of problems of periodisation and impact of ‘national’ historiographical traditions on the field.(ResMA only): Thorough knowledge and comprehension of the theoretical foundation of the discipline and of its position vis-à-vis other disciplines.
Learning objectives, pertaining to this Literature Seminar
The student:
Will have a thorough knowledge of two current historiographical debates on cross-cultural interactions in medieval and early modern history: one related to the environment, the other to information management and power;.
Understands the complexity of these debates in terms of the use of historical concepts; has the capacity to engage with current debates on the relationships between environment, diseases, and the economy as well as on early modern information management, and the social, political and cultural history of archival practices;
Will be able to develop her/his own critical view of a specific aspect of these debates through oral presentations and written papers, based on the reading of several recent monographs and a selection of articles.
Timetable
The timetables are available through MyTimetable.
Mode of instruction
- Seminar (compulsory attendance)
This means that students must attend every session of the course. Students who are unable to attend must notify the lecturer beforehand. The teacher will determine if and how the missed session can be compensated by an additional assignment. If specific restrictions apply to a particular course, the lecturer will notify the students at the beginning of the semester. If a student does not comply with the aforementioned requirements, the student will be excluded from the seminar.
Assessment method
Assessment
Final written paper(s)
measured learning objectives: 1-6, 8-10 (ResMA also: 7)Active articipation in class:
measured learning objectives: 2, 4-6, 8-10 (ResMA also: 5)Oral presentation
measured learning objectives: 1-6, 8-10
Weighing
Final written paper, debate I: 35%
Active articipation in class, debate I: 7,5%
Oral presentation, debate I: 7,5%
Final written paper, debate II: 35%
Active articipation in class, debate II: 7,5%
Oral presentation, debate II: 7,5%
The final grade for the course is established by determining the weighted average with the additional requirement that the written papers must always be sufficient.
Deadlines
Assignments and written papers should be handed in within the deadline as provided in the relevant course outline on Brightspace.
Resit
Should the overall mark be unsatisfactory, the paper is to be revised after consultation with the instructor.
Inspection and feedback
How and when a review of the written paper will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the results, a review of the written paper will have to be organised.
Reading list
Debate I:
- J. Kaye, A History of Balance, 1250-1375: An Emergence of a New Model of Equilibrium and its Impact on Thought (Cambridge, 2014). Further readings will be announced on Brightspace.
Debate II:
- t.b.a.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For course related questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Huizinga.
Remarks
Not applicable.