Universität Wien

070146 PS BA-Proseminar - Jewish life under Christian rule during the Middle Ages (2025W)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 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: German

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 07.10. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 14.10. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 21.10. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 28.10. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 04.11. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 11.11. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 18.11. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 25.11. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 02.12. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 09.12. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 16.12. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 13.01. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 20.01. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7
  • Tuesday 27.01. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 30 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 7

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Christian authorities shaped the lives of the Jewish minority throughout most of the European Middle Ages. This course will examine the development and various forms of Christian rule over the Jews, as well as its impact on the Jewish population. The topics of "protection of Jews" and "persecution of Jews", which formed the backdrop to Jewish existence, will be presented in their legal and social historical framework and embedded in the overall historical context. In addition, by learning about Jewish strategies for dealing with Christian authorities, the widespread view of medieval Jews as mere objects of Christian despotism will be questioned. The geographical focus will be on the Holy Roman Empire in comparison to examples from France, England, and the Iberian Peninsula.

Main topics:
• Development of secular protection of Jews in different medieval territories
• Ecclesiastical policy towards Jews in the Middle Ages
• The economic exploitation of Jewish subjects by Christian rulers
• Jewish strategies for dealing with Christian authorities
• The influence of regional and supraregional Christian authorities on Christian-Jewish coexistence
• The role of Christian authorities in the context of persecution

Objectives:
Based on classroom reading and the interpretation of selected medieval sources, the participants will get to know the various political, social and religious aspects of the topic, which will enable them to connect them in the context of the current scholarly discussion.
Particular emphasis is placed on the use of different types of sources (e.g. legal sources, historiography, economic sources) and on contextualising Jewish history within the "general" history of the Middle Ages.
Thus, students will also be able to critically evaluate prejudices that are still widespread with regard to the role of the Jewish population in medieval economy and society. Learning about the origins and effects of Christian hostility towards Jews will also enable students to recognise the instrumentalisation of medieval stereotypes in modern anti-Semitism.

Teaching Method:
By reviewing and working with secondary literature as well as reading and interpreting selected medieval source material, the students will gain experience in working with literature and original sources in class as well as individually (as a part of their presentation of a specific topic they have to do both orally and in written form). In addition to that, the students will acquire and practise the necessary skills to work with the most important resources on medieval source material.

Assessment and permitted materials

Regular active participation, especially participation in the discussion of presentations, is expected during class.
For one of the suggested topics, you must give a presentation with PPP, compile a topic-specific bibliography, and write a paper (BA1=PS) of at least 40,000 characters, including spaces, footnotes, title page, table of contents, and bibliography. This paper must be submitted via Moodle by February 28 at the latest. A mandatory reflection discussion must be completed at the end of the written paper.

You will be given the opportunity to improve your written paper. To do so, you must submit the paper via Moodle by February 10, 2026. If this paper and thus the entire course is graded negatively, you will receive feedback with criteria for successful improvement by February 15, 2026. You must make the improvements and re-submit the paper via Moodle by February 28, 2026. If you decide to waive the opportunity to improve your work, it is sufficient to submit the written paper via Moodle by February 28, 2026

AI tools will be discussed during the course, but the use of generative AI is not permitted for writing the paper.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Attendance at the first teaching unit is mandatory (admission to the course, allocation of remaining places, if applicable, allocation of presentation topics). Participants are required to participate actively in the course; therefore, regular attendance is mandatory. Two excused absences are permitted. Repeated absences without a compelling reason will result in a negative assessment.

Scale of point values (max. 100 points): Paper + discussion 50%, presentation 30%, bibliography 10%, participation 10%

Grades: 100-93 Very good, 92-83 Good, 82-68 Satisfactory, 67-51 Sufficient, 50 and less Not sufficient.

Examination topics

Prüfungsimmanente LV

Reading list

A basic bibliography will be made available on Moodle.

Association in the course directory

BA Geschichte (Version 2019): PM6 Historisches Arbeiten, PS Proseminar (5 ECTS).
BEd UF GP (Version 2014): UF GP 04 Aspekte und Räume 2, PS Proseminar zu einem Fach (5 ECTS).

Last modified: Mo 08.09.2025 09:46