UCL Medieval and Renaissance Studies

UCL Medieval and Renaissance Studies

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Places of Learning in the Medieval Latin West: from Monasteries to Universities

Course titles, codes and credits:

MDVLGH06: Places of Learning in the Medieval Latin West: From Monasteries to Universities. 40 credits. Autumn and Spring Terms.

MDVLGH06A: Places of Learning in the Medieval Latin West: From Monasteries to Scholasticism. 20 credits. Autumn Term only.

MDVLGH06B: Places Of Learning In The Medieval Latin West: From The Rise Of The Universities To The Council Of Vienne. 20 credits. Spring Term only.

Description

The two-term course (MDVLGH06) will cover the period from the sixth and seventh century, when Irish and English monasteries brought forth such influential personalities as St Columbanus and the Venerable Bede, via the court of Charlemagne, the Toledo school of translators, and the rise of the universities, to the Council of Vienne in 1312, which set up chairs of Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic and Greek at select universities. The course discusses modes of teaching and changing curricula; the influence of politics and religious institutions on education; and the effect of economic and social developments. It also examines medieval manuscripts produced for and used in schools and universities.

The Autumn Term course (MDVLGH06A) covers the period from Irish and English monasticism in the sixth and seventh century to the development of scholasticism. Sessions will cover the role of Latin; the so-called renaissance of the Carolingian period; the cultural impact of contacts with Jewish and Muslim scholars on Latin scholars; the translations produced in especially Toledo and Sicily.

The Spring Term course (MDVLGH06B) examines the rise of the universities in Europe and finishes with a discussion of the Council of Vienne (1311-1312). Among other topics, we will discuss the origins and organisation of medieval universities and look in more detail at the law school of Bologna, Paris and the school of medicine at Salerno.

Assessment: MDVLGH06: two essays of 4,000 words each; MDVLGH06A and MDVLGH06B: one essay of 4,000 words.  

Course tutor: Dr Johanne Cornelia Linde, History Department.

Time and location: Fridays, 9.00 - 11.00 a.m. Room 102, History Department

Preparatory reading: The following monographs are recommended for preparatory reading: Olaf Pedersen, The First Universities: Studium generale and the Origins of University Education in Europe, Cambridge 1997; C. Stephen Jaeger, The Envy of Angels: Cathedral Schools and Social Ideas in Medieval Europe, 950-1200, Philadelphia 1994; Paul Abelson, The Seven Liberal Arts: A Study in Mediaeval Culture, New York 1965.