Initial Publication Date: December 3, 2012
HIST 204: Crusade, Contact, and Exchange in the Medieval Mediterranean
Instructor: Victoria MorseHistory
Spring 2011
Viz Cultures in Counterpoint Webpage
Codice rico, El Escorial T. 1
Special thanks to Lawrence Mott of the University of Minnesota for his help with this exhibition
The theory that the focus of affairs in Europe turned northwards after the Muslim conquests of North Africa and Spain has been highly influential in shaping courses on medieval Europe. More recently, however, attention has focused on the rich culture of contact among the peoples of the Mediterranean throughout the medieval period. Through lectures and critical discussion of primary sources, this course will explore the many faces of this contact, including trade, warfare, political ties, missions, and artistic and intellectual influences. Our primary focus will be on the Christian European experience, but we will also study Jewish, Muslim and Byzantine sources.
Introduction
Investigation of the Christian European experience included inspection of Las Cantigas de Santa Maria and other medieval Mediterranean manuscripts in facsimile (Hebrew, Latin, Arabic). Students mounted an exhibition, Cultures in Counterpoint: Music, Image, and Text in Medieval Iberia in the library centering around these facsimiles.Student Labels
