Universität Wien

070324 PS BA-Proseminar (2017W)

Living on the Edge - Gemeinschaften an der Peripherie und marginalisierte Gruppen im Frühmittelalter (c. 400-1100)

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

  • Friday 06.10. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10
  • Friday 13.10. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10
  • Friday 20.10. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10
  • Friday 27.10. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10
  • Friday 03.11. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10
  • Friday 10.11. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10
  • Friday 17.11. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10
  • Friday 24.11. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10
  • Friday 01.12. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10
  • Friday 15.12. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10
  • Friday 12.01. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10
  • Friday 19.01. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10
  • Friday 26.01. 13:30 - 15:00 Seminarraum Geschichte 1 Hauptgebäude, 1.Stock, Stiege 10

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

When we study medieval sources, we more often than not study different representations of an "ideal" society, in which the author played with his audience's expectations of normality and self-identification. In such cases, the "Self" is often played off against an "Other", whose function is to reaffirm societal norms, or – in some cases – criticise the status quo. For a variety of reasons (ranging from literacy to social status to source bias) these people are only rarely given agency themselves.
This proseminar will explore various strategies of Othering and self-representation as seen in sources from the early medieval period (specifically the Frankish world of the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties, as well as Anglo-Saxon England). Its approach will be two-tiered. First, it will deal with ideas about margins and peripheries in a geographical sense, by looking at representations of peoples on the borders of kingdoms and empires – dealing with everything from Christian missions to frontier warfare and diplomatic contacts. Secondly, it will look at ideas about marginal peoples living within the same polity as the author: women, adherents to religions different from the dominant one, etc. – both from a "normative" perspective, and in their own words.
By looking at the different ways various "Others" are treated in our source material, the students will not only learn to approach the material with a critical eye towards the writing strategies of a given author, but also gain an insight into (ongoing) debates about normativity, power relations and "The Other".

Assessment and permitted materials

Presence and Participation during the meetings (10%)
Presentation of a theme of your own choosing (within the confines fo the course) (30%)
Paper on a theme of your own choosing (within the confines fo the course) (60%) - about 40.000 characters (± 5%), including spaces, footnotes, title page, table of contents, bibliography.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Examination topics

Reading list

To be announced.

Association in the course directory

BA: Mittelalter
BEd: Historisch-kulturwissenschaftliche Europaforschung, Frauen- und Geschlechtergeschichte, Osteuropäische Geschichte
Diplom UF: Historisch-kulturwissenschaftliche Europaforschung, Frauen- und Geschlechtergeschichte, Osteuropäische Geschichte

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:31