GERMAN 298 A / GITS 313 A/ ITAL 354 A, Au2024
TuTh 2:30-3:50 pm, GUG 218
Taught by Annegret Oehme and Beatrice Arduini, this class explores inflections of cross-cultural interactions in the Middle Ages as well as representations of "Otherness" in various cultural settings and discourses. Students will engage with a wide range of literary texts; explore how diversity and interconnectivity materialize in the contexts of politics, commerce, migration, religion, and similar philosophical and cultural frameworks; and examine how such ‘modern’ global phenomena, find root in the medieval period, defined here as the pre-1500 centuries. While focusing on German and Italian-speaking areas, we will take a critical view of Eurocentric approaches.
Note:
The syllabus is going to be available on Canvas and may be changed at any time if necessary.
We will communicate changes to the schedule via Canvas.
When and What are the Middle Ages? |
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Thursday, 09/26 |
Introduction |
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Tuesday, 10/01 |
Introduction (continued): Christians, Jews, and Muslims |
Ryan Szpiech: "Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in Medieval Europe," 2021. |
Medieval Saints |
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Thursday, 10/03 |
Saints |
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Tuesday, 10/08 |
Saints and Satire |
Decameron Day 1, Story 1, and Day 2, Story 1 |
Tolerance and Turmoil |
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Thursday, 10/10 |
Religious Tolerance |
Decameron Day 1, Story 3 and Day 10, Story 9 |
Tuesday, 10/15 |
The German Boccaccio Reception Guest Lecture |
TBD |
Thursday, 10/17 |
Heretics, Schismatics and Sowers of Discord: Dante, The Divine Comedy |
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Tuesday, 10/22 |
Library Workshop |
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Encounters of Religious and Racial Otherness |
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Thursday, 10/24 |
Geraldine Heng, “Race in the Middle Ages” |
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Tuesday, 10/29 |
Slavery in the Mediterranean |
Decameron, Day 5, Story 7, and Hannah Barker, The Most Precious Merchandise, Penn 2019 |
Thursday, 10/31 |
Maurice |
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Mapping the Medieval World and Its Wonders |
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Tuesday, 11/05 |
Maps and Fantastic Races |
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Thursday, 11/07 |
Special Collections Visit |
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Tuesday, 11/12 |
Duke Ernst |
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Traveling the Medieval World |
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Thursday, 11/14 |
Arabic, Persian and Ottoman Sources and Reworkings of the Decameron |
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Tuesday, 11/19 |
"Resourceful Women" Guest Lecture | Decameron Day 2, Story 9, and Li Yu |
Thursday, 11/21 |
Project Workshop |
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Tuesday, 11/26 |
The Travels of Marco Polo (excerpts), and Decameron Day 10, Story 3 | |
Thursday, 11/28 |
No Class - Thanksgiving |
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Tuesday, 12/03 |
Ibn Batuta and Benjamin of Tudela |
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Thursday, 12/05 |
Final Review and Discussion |
Course-Level Objectives
▪ Describe depictions of cross-cultural encounters in diverse cultures and languages.
▪ Explain the origins of these depictions.
▪ Compare and contrast medieval, modern, and contemporary depictions.
▪ Critically examine representations of "Otherness" in pre-modern sources.
▪ Contextualize diverse historic voices in dialogue.
Assignments
▪ a short response paper
▪ an annotation/collaborative reading exercises
▪ posting an image and description
▪ participating in graded discussions
▪ a final project