| Welcome to Medieval and Early Modern European
Women’s History. This introductory survey examines
women’s changing historical roles in Europe from the
eighth to the eighteenth century. Women were vital
participants in medieval and early modern economies,
religion, society, and culture. This course uncovers the
essential, and often overlooked, roles of women in this
period and highlights the fascinating daily lives of
ordinary women and their families. Among the major
themes of our discussion will be women and Christianity
in the medieval and early modern eras. We examine the
place of women in the Catholic Church and Protestant
movements as members and as outsiders. What roles did
women play in the Reformation, Reaction, the Inquisition?
Many, as we shall see. We examine how Christianity
incorporated as well as excluded and repressed women in
different periods, how women became saints and
visionaries, what opportunities organized religion
offered for women’s political, economic, and social
mobility, as well as spiritual growth. We examine how
changing religious beliefs and the secularization of
Europe shaped women’s social and economic positions,
including their family, sexual, and reproductive lives
throughout this long era.
The key purposes of this course are: to uncover the
history of women’s involvement in the evolution of
Europe; to explore current scholarly and theoretical
interpretations in the field of women’s history;
and, then, to re-examine the traditional assumptions,
categories, and periodizations of European history in
light of women’s historical experiences.
Required Readings:
- Marilyn Boxer and Jean Quataert, Connecting
Spheres. European Women in a Globalizing World,
1500 to present. 2nd Edition (2000).
- Bridenthal et al, Becoming Visible. Women in
European History. 3rd Edition. (1998).
- Lisa DiCaprio and Merry Wiesner, Lives and
Voices: Sources in European Women's HIstory.
- Lorna Hutson, Feminism and Renaissance
Studies.
Bring copies of DiCaprio and daily assigned readings
to class.
Course Format and Requirements:
This course consists primarily of short
lectures, discussions, and activities. Students
are required to attend all meetings on time and
participate in class exercises and discussions.
Attendance and participation will be graded, and
poor attendance will result in a lower grade in
the course. All readings are due on the date
listed on the course calendar. There may be 1 or
more unannounced quizzes. Students who arrive to
class after roll call will be marked absent. Students
who are absent or late for more than 5 classes
will automatically fail the course.
In addition to a number of short assignments, two
take-home tests, a 5 page paper, and 20 minute
oral report detailing a topic related to our
study are required. All assignments are due at
the beginning of class on the date due, unless
otherwise specified. The take-home midterm and
final examinations, composed of short and long
essay questions, are not cumulative. Students
will receive zero credit for all
tests/papers/other work submitted late, or missed
during unexcused absences. Avoid copying text
from your books, and do not copy anything from
your textbooks without citing it. Students who
submit work purchased or copied from others or
who fail to cite or acknowledge other people's
ideas are subject to university penalties for
academic dishonesty, including, but not limited
to, a grade of F for the course.
Paper format:
All tests and papers must be typewritten,
spell-checked, double-spaced with one-inch
margins, collated, and stapled. A page of text
must contain 250 words minimum -- a paragraph
consists of at least three complete sentences. Do
not begin or end a paragraph with a quotation.
Avoid passive voice. Proofread carefully. Papers
must provide Turabian-style footnotes or end
notes (tests may use parenthetical references)
and a complete bibliography. All papers will be
graded on the thoroughness of their research,
quality of argumentation, use of evidence, and
correctness of style and form.
Oral Reports
This is a semester-length research project
designed to allow you to pursue a topic covered
in this survey in greater depth. You must receive
approval for your topic. No changing topics after
the midterm. You must submit a preliminary
bibliography, a progress report, and a final
bibliography at the time of your report. It must
have a minimum of 5 sources, including at least
one primary source. All students must be prepared
to present their reports on 12/11. If you are
late/absent/unprepared, you will receive a zero
grade. Missing bibliographies will result in a
loss of a full letter grade. No extensions will
be permitted. Creativity is encouraged.
Historiographical Paper:
Students will write a 5-page paper comparing
and contrasting the methodologies, sources, and
arguments of the chapters within any section of
the Hutson text on Feminism and Renaissance
studies. The paper is due 11/29.
Grade Weights:
| Class
participation |
20% |
| Take-Home
Examination I |
25% |
| Historiographical
Paper |
15% |
| Oral Report |
15% |
| Take-Home
Examination II |
25% |
| Final
Grade |
100% |
| Scale: |
88-89 = B+ |
78-79 = C+ |
68-69 = D+ |
| 94-100 = A |
84-87 = B |
74-77 = C |
66-67 = D |
| 90-93 = A- |
80-83 = B- |
70-73 = C- |
65 or less= F |
Course Calendar:
| Week 1 |
Introduction |
| |
Wed. 9/6 |
Course
Introduction |
| Week 2 |
Women
in Early Medieval Europe |
| |
Mon. 9/11 |
Bridenthal,
Introduction and Ch.4 |
| |
Wed 9/13 |
DiCaprio/Wiesner,
102-116 |
| Week 3 |
Women’s
Lives in the Middle Ages |
| |
Mon. 9/18 |
DiCaprio/Wiesner,
116-139 |
| |
Wed 9/20 |
Oral
Report Descriptions due. |
| Week 4 |
The
Domination of Gender |
| |
Mon. 9/25 |
Bridenthal,
Ch. 5 |
| |
Wed. 9/27 |
DiCaprio/Wiesner,
140-157 |
| Week 5 |
Household
and Family |
| |
Mon. 10/2 |
DiCaprio/Wiesner,
157-171 |
| |
Wed. 10/4 |
Bridenthal,
Ch. 6 |
| Week 6 |
Did
Women Have a Renaissance? |
| |
Mon. 10/9 |
Hutson,
Ch. 1 and DiCaprio/Wiesner, 163-175 |
| |
Wed. 10/11 |
Review
and examination issued |
| Week 7 |
Midterm |
| |
Mon. 10/16 |
No
Meeting |
| |
Wed. 10/18 |
Take-Home
Exam I due |
| Week 8 |
Humanism
after Feminism |
| |
Mon. 10/23 |
Hutson,
Ch. 2 and 5 |
| |
Wed. 10/25 |
Hutson,
Ch. 6 and 7 |
| Week 9 |
The
Reformation of Women |
| |
Mon. 10/30 |
Bridenthal,
Ch. 7; DiCaprio/Wiesner, 177-196 |
| |
Wed. 11/1 |
Boxer/Quataert,
Ch. 1 and 2 |
| Week 10 |
Women
in the Early Modern Era |
| |
Mon. 11/6 |
DiCaprio/Wiesner,
210-235 |
| |
Wed. 11/8 |
Boxer/Quataert,
Ch. 4 and 5 |
| Week 11 |
Women's
Agency |
| |
Mon. 11/20 |
Hutson,
Ch. 13; DiCaprio/Wiesner, 235-242 |
| |
Wed. 11/22 |
Hutson,
Ch. 15 and 16 |
| Week 12 |
Women's
Work |
| |
Mon. 11/27 |
Bridenthal,
Ch. 8 and Boxer/Quataert, Ch. 3 |
| |
Wed. 11/29 |
Historiographical
papers due. |
| Week 13 |
Oral
Reports |
| |
Mon. 12/4 |
Oral
Reports |
| |
Wed. 12/6 |
Oral
Reports |
| Week 14 |
Final
Examination |
| |
Mon. 12/11 |
Final
Exam issued |
| |
Wed. 12/13 |
No
meeting. |
| Final Exam
papers due 12/18 by 10:00 in Atrium 202. |
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