Matthew Sneider

Introduces students to historical method and perspective through comparative study of human societies and cultures. The concept of "civilization" is examined in varied contexts through comparisons of social, economic, and political institutions, as well as systems of thought and religion, from pre-history to around 1400.

This course will deal with a variety of topics from Russian, European, and American history. One specific topic, e.g. the Russian Revolution, will be taught in any semester.

History of Europe from the waning days of the Roman Empire through the year 1000. Europeans in this period drew on the resources of three inherited cultural traditions to build and to understand their world - Romanitas (Roman traditions), and Germanitas (German traditions), and Christianitas (Christian traditions). The fusion of these three traditions - and their interactions with Judaism and Islam - gave rise to the rich and diverse civilization of Later Medieval Europe. Themes include the slow evolution of temporal power and ecclesiastical power; the complex interplay between official and popular religion; the changing understandings of nobility; the transformation of the economy; and the place of minorities in a sometimes hostile world. This course is the first in a two-semester sequence in medieval history.