070316 GR Guided Reading - Economic History of the Middle Ages (2019S)

This proseminar examines the material, social, and economic history of medieval Europe, with comparative reference to contemporary global societies. It covers the end of the Roman empire’s economy, the emergence and decline of so-called feudal institutions, the transformation of peasant agriculture, the impact of Viking and Mongol outsiders, the Crusades, living standards, the course and effects of climate change and epidemic disease, and long-distance trade across Eurasia before the Industrial Revolution. The course focuses especially on the institutions and technologies that contributed to the emergence of capitalism and economic growth in Western Europe, in contrast and comparison to the trajectories of other major medieval economies.

The course emphasizes the teaching of expository and analytical skills used by historians to articulate, defend, and disseminate scholarly findings. There will be short written assignments and oral presentations which lead up to the proseminar research paper.