History 433 Spring 2004
Medieval Cultures: Multiculturalism in the British Isles before 1000

TR 1:30-2:45 Kuykendall 308

Dr. Karen Jolly
University of Hawaii at Manoa Department of History
Office: Sakamaki A408 or Sakamaki A203
Office hours: Mondays 1:30-3 p.m., Thursdays 9-11 a.m., or by appointment
voice: 956-7673 or 956-7687 email: kjolly@hawaii.edu
webpage: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kjolly
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Course Description:

 “Medieval Cultures: Multiculturalism in the British Isles before 1000” takes a world/comparative approach to the history of the British Isles in the first millennium. We will examine people groups from the Iron Age through waves of migrations (e.g., Celts, Picts, Angles, Saxons, Vikings), considering issues of identity and cross-cultural encounters involving conflict and assimilation in language, religion, and material culture. We will end up in the year 1000, placing the British Isles in a global context. The course is writing intensive, which means we will use writing to learn history as well as learning to write history. Half of the grade is based on an individual research paper due at the end of the term, but broken down into discrete tasks through the semester. Other writing assignments are incorporated into class discussion of the primary sources and will build skills for, and contribute to, your research paper. Class participation includes in-class discussion and writing exercises. The final exam will be essay and short answer, a cumulative review of the semester's reading.

Grading:

Required Texts:

Other Resources Online:

Course Outline

What is Britain? The Isles in Perspective

General Reading: survey Atlas; James Intro (Ch. 1); Croinin Introductions (pp. xi-13)

Roman(tici)izing Celtic Britain: 1st-5th Centuries

General Reading: James Ch. 2-4; Croinin Ch. 1, 4
Research Paper Assignment Due 2/10:
Submit primary source focus and topic



Migration or Invasion? Sixth-Seventh Centuries

General Reading: James Ch. 5-7; Croinin Ch. 2-6
Research Paper Assignment Due 3/2:
Submit Annotated Bibliography



Golden Age? The Eighth Century

General Reading: James Ch. 8; Croinin Ch. 7-8; Brown, Painted Labyrinth.

3/22-26 Spring Break

Research Paper Assignment Due 3/30:
First Draft Due



VIKINGS! The Ninth and Tenth Centuries

General Reading: James Ch. 9-10; Croinin Ch. 9 (and 10)

The Year 1000

General Reading: James, Epilogue; Atlas; Beowulf
Research Paper:
Final Paper Due 5/4



T 5/11 final exam (12-2)

updated 10/05/04