Middle Ages

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live during the Middle Ages?  What can we learn about the development of the modern world by studying the movements, culture, wars and battles of this early age? 

Today, the Middle Ages are often characterized through film and literature as entertaining, heroic or romantic.  In reality, this era was all of these things while also harsh, uncertain and dangerous.  In this course, we will explore the daily life, culture and art of the Middle Ages which extended across Western Europe from approximately the fifth through the fifteenth century.  By studying social, political and economic factors, we will better understand why our lives are they way they are now and identify key differences between the Middle Ages and the world in the 21st century.  

Throughout the course, we will explore city life, the power of the church, manors, castles, feudalism, the Byzantine Empire, Islam, the Crusades and the Vikings.  We will design our own medieval toys, craft self-sufficient manors, write journals from various perspectives and imagine the challenges of living in the medieval world.  Major projects will include reconstructing a medieval artifact, creating a Life in the Middle Ages newscast and a comparative society research paper where you will choose an aspect of life or culture and draw comparisons and contrasts between life in the medieval and modern world to understand the impact of change and continuity in daily life, society, culture and politics. 

Resources will include Joseph Dahmus’ A History of the Middle Ages, Eileen Power’s Medieval People and Joseph and France Gies’ Life in a Medieval City.