Universität Wien

070075 SE Research Seminar - Global History (2022S)

The Black Death in Global Perspective

10.00 ECTS (4.00 SWS), SPL 7 - Geschichte
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Thursday 10.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1
  • Thursday 17.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1
  • Thursday 24.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1
  • Thursday 31.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1
  • Thursday 07.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1
  • Thursday 28.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1
  • Thursday 05.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1
  • Monday 09.05. 12:30 - 15:30 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 12.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1
  • Thursday 19.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1
  • Thursday 02.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1
  • Saturday 04.06. 09:30 - 17:00 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 09.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1
  • Monday 20.06. 12:30 - 15:30 Seminarraum WISO 1 (ZG1O2.28) Hauptgebäude, Stiege 6 Zwischengeschoß
  • Thursday 23.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1
  • Thursday 30.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Elise Richter-Saal Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 1

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The medieval period is still heavily underrepresented in global history debates. Yet, the late medieval period was characterised by intense trans-regional trade networks reaching from the Iberian Peninsula to Southern Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Black Sea, and from Flanders to the British Islands, Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea area. Political, religious and intellectual contacts as well as military conflicts enabled long-distance knowledge sharing and the transfer of practices as well as a rapid spreading of deadline viruses. In the second half of the 14th century, the virus Yersinia pestis spread from Central Asia to the Middle East, the Mediterranean World and all parts of Europe, returned in several waves over many decades and killed larger parts of the world population. No wonder that contemporaries as well as historians have considered the so-called Black Death as a decisive factor in late medieval history. In contemporary sources as well as in historiography, the pandemic disease has played a central role both in identity discourses and political argumentation as well as in historiographical meta narratives to explain socio-economic and political or intellectual change.
In the research seminar, we will study historical and historiographical explanations and interpretations of the Black Death and its consequences for economy, society and politics. We will analyse and compare medieval documents from different parts of the medieval world and discuss competing and at times contradictory narratives in historiography. Four aspects will be at the heart of our discussion: 1. The transmission of the virus. 2. Socio-economic consequences for the distribution of land. 3. Shifts in labour relations. 4. Processes of marginalisation and criminalisation.

Assessment and permitted materials

- Regular attendance and active participation (10%)
- Weekly readings and assignments (20%)
- Concept presentation for seminar paper (20%)
- Seminar paper (50%)

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

For a positive valuation,
- no more than two missing hours
- no more than two missing assignments
- the concept presentation must be passed with 4.0 or better
- the seminar paper must be passed with 4.0 or better

Examination topics

Reading list

Association in the course directory

MA Globalgeschichte und Global Studies
MA Geschichte: Schwerpunkt Globalgeschichte

Last modified: We 16.03.2022 08:07