The purpose of this course is to explore the nature, practice, and limitations of History. We will accomplish this by examining how scholars have tried to understand the Middle Ages, that thousand-year period of European history between the end of the Roman empire and the advent of the Renaissance. During the semester we will read both classic works of medieval history as well as recent approaches that challenge long-standing interpretations. Overall, our objective will be not to cover every aspect of the Middle Ages, but rather to consider the topics, evidence, methodologies, and assumptions historians use to recreate the history of the distant past. Format: seminar. Evaluation will be based on weekly 1- to 2-page papers, two longer papers, and class participation. Expected enrollment: 10-20. Restricted to junior History majors.

Hour: GOLDBERG