Time Schedule:
Charity L. Urbanski
HIST 498
Seattle Campus
Each seminar examines a different subject or problem. A quarterly list of the seminars and their instructors is available in the Department of History undergraduate advising office.
Class description
This course will examine both the actual legal status of the outlaw in the Middle Ages and the enormous growth in popular literature about outlaws during the High and Later Middle Ages. Our central questions will be: why did such literature become so popular, and what can these tales tell us about the societies that produced them. We will also be concerned with the epistemological problem of separating fact from legend.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Discussion of primary and secondary sources.
Recommended preparation
Some background in medieval history will be helpful, but is not required. If you are unfamiliar with the period, I recommend reading a good, general textbook covering western Europe in the 11th through 15th centuries before the course begins.
Class assignments and grading
Weekly 1 page reaction papers; a 3 page paper; a 1-2 page outline of the final paper; a c. 15 page rough draft of the final paper; and a c. 15 page paper.
Active participation at all seminar meetings (including submission of weekly reaction papers) - 20% 3 page paper - 10% Outline of final paper (1-2 pages) - 10% Rough draft of the final paper (c. 15 pages) - 20% Final Paper (c. 15 pages) - 40%
