Specialized heuristics and exercises on questions of history : the Middle Ages [ LHIST1432 ]

The "Exercises" are designed as a practical application of the principles of critical history and as a complement to the course of Heuristic of the Middle Ages to the extent that they presuppose recourse to bibliographical and heuristic tools. Knowledge of Latin is desireable.

The student is progressively introduced to working tools, synthesizing works and important monographs, as well as the typology of sources for the period considered. These exercises are designed to complement the corresponding heuristics course. During group exercise sessions, various sources related to the period concerned are successively presented and analysed, on the basis of a preliminary, personal work by students.

By the end of the course, the students should be capable of carrrying out documentary research for the medieval period, situating it in the context of the problems analysed as finely as possible and grasping the link between the problem and recourse to documentation.

By the end of the exercises, the student should be capable of successfully carrying out in-depth study of documents related to medieval history (nature of the source, contents, critical problems, interest).

Oral Examination with recourse to the principal working instruments.

Exercises : based on a work written by the students.

After a few introductory sessions, each student begins his/her personal, step by step, analysis of a medieval document.

Heuristic is a skill and know-how helping us familiarize ourselves with a field of knowledge and, perhaps, make it progress. Heuristic of the Middle Ages introduces students to documentary research procedures particular to the western Middle Ages : typology of sources, recourse to bibliographical tools, ways of analysing documents. After a few sessions dedicated to basic concepts of medieval heuristic and the principal working tools, the course consists in analysing documents of various types (diplomatic, narrative, figurative). We set out the specific works and students prepare the analysis of these documents from week to week.

Exercises : Contents : Rather than rapidly taking up many categories of sources, we have chosen to study a certain document in-depth (for example, a manuscript, a charter ...) in all its complexity.

This study involves the following aspects : - elements of typology; - contextualization; - critical problems; - methods of analysis.

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Support : Student Notes - syllabus (a text) including a selected basic bibliography and documentary dossiers

Teaching : the professor and, should need arise, assistants assigned by the Department. Library work sessions are planned to complement the course.