Undergraduate - UnitATS2603 - The age of crusades: Cultures and societies

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2012 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

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Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Offered	Clayton Second semester 2012 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Professor Constant Mews

Notes

Previously coded HSY2640

Synopsis

This unit examines the impact of the Crusades on European culture and society during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, with particular reference to changing relationships between Christians, Jews and Muslims. It explores the relationship between ecclesiastical politics, religious reform and Crusading ideology, as well as the socio-economic pressures that underpinned Christian expansion in both the Near East and other parts of Europe, such as Spain. It considers episodes of cultural interaction and appropriation, as well as of conflict between Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities by considering the perspectives of commentators and thinkers from each of these religious groups.

Outcomes

This course has as its principal objective to make students familiar with the impact of the Crusades on culture and society in Europe during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Students should acquire an understanding of the different ways in which historians have approached the Crusades and issues of cultural interaction between Jews, Christians and Muslims.
The unit aims to introduce students to the writings of selected individuals from the period (e.g. Abelard, Heloise, John of Salisbury, Maimonides, Averroes). Students will be expected to be able relate their writing to a wider historical context.
Students will be expected to acquire training in library skills, empirical methods and in intelligent summary of secondary literature. Third year students will be expected to acquire research skills through identifying a research topic of their own choice.