HIST 844 Political History of the Middle Ages
This seminar, intended for advanced graduate students, aims to consider how to write the political history of the Middle Ages. The course will begin with an introduction to the philosophical and sociological works (such as Foucault and Bourdieu) which have transformed how scholars throughout academia seek to study politics. The course will then seek to investigate how the insights derived from these works can be applied to medieval historical research. Students will write their own political studies on a topic of their choice where they apply the ideas and concepts studied in the first half of the course. Reading knowledge of Latin is required.