The goal of this course is to bring students closer to the history of medieval culture by illustrating the most recent debates on the problem of "culture" and analyzing cultural dynamics and processes (literacy, schooling, reading, text production and conservation) within a broad historical framework, therefore in their deepest links with politics, society, economics and religion.
Curriculum
teacher profile teaching materials
From a thematic perspective, the course first addresses issues related to the definition of the concept of “culture” and its applications in historical research. It then examines topics such as literacy, education, the production of written artefacts—books, documents, and inscriptions, considered also in their material and economic dimensions—their use and reception, the relationship between orality and writing, the role of intellectuals, and periods of particularly intense transformation (the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and the fifteenth century).
To enable broad participation, including students who need to earn only 6 CFU credits in the disciplinary sector HIST-01/A, the course is divided into two 6-credit modules.
The first module combines lectures, aimed at providing students with an up-to-date overview of the specific subject area, with seminar sessions devoted to the in-depth discussion of sources (mostly in Italian translation) and scholarly literature. Students who attend classes are required to prepare a paper, present it orally during the course, and submit a written version to the lecturer by the deadlines established during the semester.
The second module is designed as a pathway for acquiring specific skills in medieval historical research. The classes focus on the study of a small corpus of sources from different analytical perspectives, including material, palaeographical, and diplomatic analysis, transcription, and the interpretation of texts in light of specific research questions. No advanced knowledge of Latin, Greek, or other medieval languages is required; the instructor will provide guidance to help students navigate the linguistic aspects of the sources as well.
For non-attending students enrolled in the first module, the following text(s) must be studied in full:
- Massimo Oldoni, Le tre culture del Medioevo. Dotta, popolare, orale, Roma, Donzelli, 2023;
- Stefano Rapisarda, Filologia del Mediterraneo medievale. Incontri e scontri fra testi, lingue e culture, Roma, Carocci, 2026;
For the second module, students are required to add one book of their choice from the following list:
- Ronald G. Witt, Sulle tracce degli antichi. Padova, Firenze e le origini dell’Umanesimo, Roma, Donzelli, 2005;
- Ronald G. Witt, L’eccezione italiana. L’intellettuale laico nel Medioevo e l’origine del Rinascimento (800-1300), Roma, Viella, 2017;
- Paolo Cammarosano, Italia medievale. Struttura e geografia delle fonti scritte, Roma, Carocci, un’edizione qualsiasi fra le tante disponibili.
- Konrad Hirschler, Leggere e scrivere nell'Islam medievale, Roma, Carocci, 2017
Programme
The course focuses on the history of culture in the Middle Ages, broadly understood as the relationship between human beings and writing during the period roughly spanning from 500 to 1500 CE. Its geographical scope is not limited to Europe but encompasses the entire Mediterranean world, paying attention not only to the Latin West but also to the Arab-Islamic and Greek-Byzantine cultures, while also considering Jewish contexts.From a thematic perspective, the course first addresses issues related to the definition of the concept of “culture” and its applications in historical research. It then examines topics such as literacy, education, the production of written artefacts—books, documents, and inscriptions, considered also in their material and economic dimensions—their use and reception, the relationship between orality and writing, the role of intellectuals, and periods of particularly intense transformation (the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and the fifteenth century).
To enable broad participation, including students who need to earn only 6 CFU credits in the disciplinary sector HIST-01/A, the course is divided into two 6-credit modules.
The first module combines lectures, aimed at providing students with an up-to-date overview of the specific subject area, with seminar sessions devoted to the in-depth discussion of sources (mostly in Italian translation) and scholarly literature. Students who attend classes are required to prepare a paper, present it orally during the course, and submit a written version to the lecturer by the deadlines established during the semester.
The second module is designed as a pathway for acquiring specific skills in medieval historical research. The classes focus on the study of a small corpus of sources from different analytical perspectives, including material, palaeographical, and diplomatic analysis, transcription, and the interpretation of texts in light of specific research questions. No advanced knowledge of Latin, Greek, or other medieval languages is required; the instructor will provide guidance to help students navigate the linguistic aspects of the sources as well.
Core Documentation
For students attending the course, both modules require an in-depth study of the materials provided by the instructor. Participation in discussions and source analysis activities will contribute to the overall assessment assigned by the instructor.For non-attending students enrolled in the first module, the following text(s) must be studied in full:
- Massimo Oldoni, Le tre culture del Medioevo. Dotta, popolare, orale, Roma, Donzelli, 2023;
- Stefano Rapisarda, Filologia del Mediterraneo medievale. Incontri e scontri fra testi, lingue e culture, Roma, Carocci, 2026;
For the second module, students are required to add one book of their choice from the following list:
- Ronald G. Witt, Sulle tracce degli antichi. Padova, Firenze e le origini dell’Umanesimo, Roma, Donzelli, 2005;
- Ronald G. Witt, L’eccezione italiana. L’intellettuale laico nel Medioevo e l’origine del Rinascimento (800-1300), Roma, Viella, 2017;
- Paolo Cammarosano, Italia medievale. Struttura e geografia delle fonti scritte, Roma, Carocci, un’edizione qualsiasi fra le tante disponibili.
- Konrad Hirschler, Leggere e scrivere nell'Islam medievale, Roma, Carocci, 2017
Attendance
Students are considered to be attending students if they have participated in at least two-thirds of the classes and have presented and discussed in class the assignment required by the course programme.Type of evaluation
Assessment is based not only on the student's performance in the final examination, but primarily on active participation in classroom discussions and source analyses, as well as on the quality of the written assignment and its oral presentation. teacher profile teaching materials
From a thematic perspective, the course first addresses issues related to the definition of the concept of “culture” and its applications in historical research. It then examines topics such as literacy, education, the production of written artefacts—books, documents, and inscriptions, considered also in their material and economic dimensions—their use and reception, the relationship between orality and writing, the role of intellectuals, and periods of particularly intense transformation (the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and the fifteenth century).
To enable broad participation, including students who need to earn only 6 CFU credits in the disciplinary sector HIST-01/A, the course is divided into two 6-credit modules.
The first module combines lectures, aimed at providing students with an up-to-date overview of the specific subject area, with seminar sessions devoted to the in-depth discussion of sources (mostly in Italian translation) and scholarly literature. Students who attend classes are required to prepare a paper, present it orally during the course, and submit a written version to the lecturer by the deadlines established during the semester.
The second module is designed as a pathway for acquiring specific skills in medieval historical research. The classes focus on the study of a small corpus of sources from different analytical perspectives, including material, palaeographical, and diplomatic analysis, transcription, and the interpretation of texts in light of specific research questions. No advanced knowledge of Latin, Greek, or other medieval languages is required; the instructor will provide guidance to help students navigate the linguistic aspects of the sources as well.
For non-attending students enrolled in the first module, the following text(s) must be studied in full:
- Massimo Oldoni, Le tre culture del Medioevo. Dotta, popolare, orale, Roma, Donzelli, 2023;
- Stefano Rapisarda, Filologia del Mediterraneo medievale. Incontri e scontri fra testi, lingue e culture, Roma, Carocci, 2026;
For the second module, students are required to add one book of their choice from the following list:
- Ronald G. Witt, Sulle tracce degli antichi. Padova, Firenze e le origini dell’Umanesimo, Roma, Donzelli, 2005;
- Ronald G. Witt, L’eccezione italiana. L’intellettuale laico nel Medioevo e l’origine del Rinascimento (800-1300), Roma, Viella, 2017;
- Paolo Cammarosano, Italia medievale. Struttura e geografia delle fonti scritte, Roma, Carocci, un’edizione qualsiasi fra le tante disponibili.
- Konrad Hirschler, Leggere e scrivere nell'Islam medievale, Roma, Carocci, 2017
Programme
The course focuses on the history of culture in the Middle Ages, broadly understood as the relationship between human beings and writing during the period roughly spanning from 500 to 1500 CE. Its geographical scope is not limited to Europe but encompasses the entire Mediterranean world, paying attention not only to the Latin West but also to the Arab-Islamic and Greek-Byzantine cultures, while also considering Jewish contexts.From a thematic perspective, the course first addresses issues related to the definition of the concept of “culture” and its applications in historical research. It then examines topics such as literacy, education, the production of written artefacts—books, documents, and inscriptions, considered also in their material and economic dimensions—their use and reception, the relationship between orality and writing, the role of intellectuals, and periods of particularly intense transformation (the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and the fifteenth century).
To enable broad participation, including students who need to earn only 6 CFU credits in the disciplinary sector HIST-01/A, the course is divided into two 6-credit modules.
The first module combines lectures, aimed at providing students with an up-to-date overview of the specific subject area, with seminar sessions devoted to the in-depth discussion of sources (mostly in Italian translation) and scholarly literature. Students who attend classes are required to prepare a paper, present it orally during the course, and submit a written version to the lecturer by the deadlines established during the semester.
The second module is designed as a pathway for acquiring specific skills in medieval historical research. The classes focus on the study of a small corpus of sources from different analytical perspectives, including material, palaeographical, and diplomatic analysis, transcription, and the interpretation of texts in light of specific research questions. No advanced knowledge of Latin, Greek, or other medieval languages is required; the instructor will provide guidance to help students navigate the linguistic aspects of the sources as well.
Core Documentation
For students attending the course, both modules require an in-depth study of the materials provided by the instructor. Participation in discussions and source analysis activities will contribute to the overall assessment assigned by the instructor.For non-attending students enrolled in the first module, the following text(s) must be studied in full:
- Massimo Oldoni, Le tre culture del Medioevo. Dotta, popolare, orale, Roma, Donzelli, 2023;
- Stefano Rapisarda, Filologia del Mediterraneo medievale. Incontri e scontri fra testi, lingue e culture, Roma, Carocci, 2026;
For the second module, students are required to add one book of their choice from the following list:
- Ronald G. Witt, Sulle tracce degli antichi. Padova, Firenze e le origini dell’Umanesimo, Roma, Donzelli, 2005;
- Ronald G. Witt, L’eccezione italiana. L’intellettuale laico nel Medioevo e l’origine del Rinascimento (800-1300), Roma, Viella, 2017;
- Paolo Cammarosano, Italia medievale. Struttura e geografia delle fonti scritte, Roma, Carocci, un’edizione qualsiasi fra le tante disponibili.
- Konrad Hirschler, Leggere e scrivere nell'Islam medievale, Roma, Carocci, 2017
Attendance
Students are considered to be attending students if they have participated in at least two-thirds of the classes and have presented and discussed in class the assignment required by the course programme.Type of evaluation
Assessment is based not only on the student's performance in the final examination, but primarily on active participation in classroom discussions and source analyses, as well as on the quality of the written assignment and its oral presentation.