HIST 2053 - Medieval Europe: Crusades to the Black Death

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2025

This course explores the lives and experiences of three key social orders in western Europe during the Middle Ages: the aristocracy, the church, and the peasantry. We also consider the lives of women, both as members of the three orders and generally. We begin the course in the early Middle Ages with Charlemagne and his successors, and the upheaval caused by Vikings and other invaders. We shall then consider the expansion of European power in the eleventh and twelfth centuries (including the Crusades), and the flourishing of European civilisation and culture, trade and urban life in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. At the end of the course, we discuss the crisis of medieval civilisation that was brought about by conflicts within the Church, the great struggle between France and England, and the Black Death.

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Course Details

Course Code	HIST 2053
Course	Medieval Europe: Crusades to the Black Death
Coordinating Unit	Historical and Classical Studies
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	At least 12 units of Level I undergraduate study
Incompatible	HIST 2042, HIST 3042
Assessment	Quiz, Research essay, Virtual museum, Take-home test

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Claire Walker

This course is taught by:

Dr Claire Walker
e-mail: claire.i.walker@adelaide.edu.au
phone: 831 35159
office: Napier 312

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1	demonstrate a broad knowledge of the history of Europe in the middle ages and the ways in which historians have interpreted and explained this history.
2	identify and use effectively a wide variety of secondary sources relevant to the study of Europe in the middle ages, and in particular to understand and critically to evaluate the arguments of historians.
3	contextualise and interpret a wide variety of primary sources, including medieval texts, images and physical artefacts.
4	construct evidence-based arguments in which students engage with the key debates about the nature of European society in the middle ages.
5	communicate their own ideas about medieval history - both orally and in writing - in a manner that is clear and persuasive.
6	access and use effectively the wide range of relevant primary and secondary sources on medieval history that are available on-line.
7	develop and communicate their ideas about the middle ages within the scholarly conventions of the discipline of history.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.	1, 2, 3
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	3, 4
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	5, 7
Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.	4, 5, 6
Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.	1, 4

Learning Resources

Required Resources

The text book for this course Wim Blockmans and Peter Hoppenbrouwers, Introduction to Medieval Europe, 300-1500, fourth edition (London: Routledge, 2024).

Recommended Resources

Maurice Keen, The Pelican History of Medieval Europe is a useful introduction to and survey of the Middle Ages. It is not supposed to be a comprehensive, authoritative textbook. Keen’s book has its advantages; it is cheap, well written and has a strong analytical theme on the nature of the Middle Ages. Its disadvantages are firstly that it covers a limited timeframe, 800-1449 and is geographically limited to Western and Central Europe. However, there are plentiful resources in the Library and on the Internet to cover what Keen does not.

Other general texts (many do not cover the whole period, c450-c1450):
Malcolm Barber, The Two Cities: Medieval Europe, 1050-1350
Judith M. Bennett & C. Warren Hollister, Medieval Europe, A Short History
R. H. C. Davis, A History of Medieval Europe from Constantine to Saint Louis
A Daniel Frankforter, The Medieval Millennium
Friedrich Heer, The Medieval World
Edward Peters, Europe and the Middle Ages
Joseph R. Strayer, The Middle Ages
Brian Tierney, Western Europe in the Middle Ages

Some other useful background reading:

Carolly Erickson, The Medieval Vision
Richard Fletcher, The Conversion of Europe
Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, Montaillou
Jonathan Riley-Smith, What were the Crusades?
Richard Southern, The Making of the Middle Ages
Richard Southern, Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages
R. W. Swanson, Religion and Devotion in Europe, 1215-1515
Philip Ziegler, The Black Death

Online Learning

Canvas will not just be used as a repository of material but as an interactive learning tool.

Lecture material will be online for students to access and engage with. Similarly tutorial activities will include online content, accessible via Canvas.

Librarians at the Barr-Smith library have also compiled a very useful guide to sources on Medieval History held by the University. This can be accessed online at:

Learning & Teaching Modes

Face-to-face teaching on campus consisting of one on-line lecture and one two-hour tutorial per week.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Students will need to devote approximately 12 hours per week to this course (divided over 12 weeks of study). This consists of 1 x 1-hour lecture and 1 x 2-hour tutorial per week, and 9 hours per week of independent study, during which time students will prepare for tutorials and work on assignments.

Learning Activities Summary

PLEASE NOTE - Draft Lecture Program (These topics and
dates may vary. Final Lecture/Tutorials Program located on MyUni in February.)

Schedule
Week	Topic
Week 1	Early Middle Ages
Week 2	Merovingians & Carolingians
Week 3	Vikings
Week 4	Crusades
Week 5	Medieval Church
Week 6	Medievalism
	Mid-Semester Break
Week 7	Towns, Intellectual Life, Women
Week 8	Chivalry
Week 9	Church Politics in Late Middle Ages
Week 10	Black Death
Week 11	Hundred Years War
Week 12	Rebellions - End of Middle Ages?

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

There are four assessment tasks for this course.

1. Quizzes (10%)
2. Research Essay, 2,000 words (40%)
3. Group Assignment, 1,000 words (20%)
4. Test, 1,000 words (30%)

Assessment Related Requirements

Participation in tutorials is a compulsory component of the course. Please inform your tutor prior to the tutorial if you are unable to attend. It may be possible to ‘make-up’ a tutorial at another time.

Assessment Detail

The multiple-choice quizzes will be based upon lecture and tutorial content.

The research essay (2,000 words) will answer one of the essay questions to be located on MyUni, and students will be assessed on their research skills, ability to analyse primary and secondary sources, and how they employ the knowledge from these sources in a coherent and well-written response to the question.

The Group Assignment brings together the skills of each member of the group to locate an example of medievalism in Adelaide, research it and present it in the form of a Virtual Museum item, using google sites to present images and text.

The test requires two short answers of approx. 500 words each. One will relate to a topic from the final weeks of the semester (not covered in research essay topics) and the other will ask students to consider one of the broader themes in the course.

Submission

Online Submission of Assignments (e-submission) via MyUni
Assignments are due before 11:59 pm (but please check the submission time carefully as the test is due earlier). They are submitted in electronic format in MyUni.

Extensions
Students wishing to apply for an extension need to submit the relevant form available at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/mod_arrange.html to the faculty office prior to the due date for the assignment.

Exceptions to the Policy
If one of the following criteria is met, an informal extension can be organised with the course coordinator or tutor:
· assessment item is worth 20% or less;
· student is registered with the Disability Office (need to attach a Access Plan).

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

Once SELTs have been collected and the results analysed, the course convenor will take the feedback into account in future versions of the course.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

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Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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