Crusades 2019 Austin College

Freshman Seminar Class Schedule
The listing of assignments on this schedule is meant to indicate that you should already have read the material for a given day by the time you get to class on that day. Any mention of "Text" is a reference to The New Concise History of the Crusades, by Thomas F. Madden.

Aug 29—Intro to the Crusades

Sep 2—More introduction--Some general issues. Bring a copy of the reading to class, either printed or electronic.
    Read for this class, "Why Muslims See the Crusade So Differently From Christians"
https://www.history.com/news/why-muslims-see-the-crusades-so-differently-from-christians
AND read Text, Preface, vii-x.

4—The Medieval European World--History in the "longue durée" and the short one too
Watch these two pieces of a documentary series by Terry Jones (formerly of Monty Python):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO7YZr1U6jU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8bZRmMCy1U

6--More on Medieval Europe.
Watch carefully David Macaulay's great exploration of the Gothic Cathedral. This takes 57 min. Be sure to watch it in full.

Sep 9—College issues: The Academic Skills Center.

Sep 11--The Origins of Islamic Expansion.
Read
Historian Richard Eaton, a 1994 essay on Islamic Expansion.
and
Watch Ollie Bye's quick visual chronology representing the same period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I14x4-q_Gj4

13--College issues: Thinking about Careers!!
Map Quiz No. 1: Europe.

Sep 16--The Medieval World of the Late Islamic Caliphate: A Sophisticated Culture.
on the Medieval Islamic Caliphate.

    18--College issues: What is Plagiarism?

    20--Early Medieval Spain and the Beginnings of Reconquista.
Watch this Youtube video, a bit cheesy, but a very good overview of the beginnings of the Reconquista
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPXFzb3kk8Y
and watch Ollie Bye's neat visual chronology of the Reconquista
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmtzmqLOAVA

Sep 23—The Byzantine Empire, and Related Matters.
Read the Wikipedia entry on the Byzantine Emprire, but just the intro (up to "Contents")
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_Empire

25—Writing a College Paper, AND prep for our first paper: the Documentary Exercise.

27--The Late Caliphate, the Fatimids, the Seljuqs, and the Origins of the Crusades.
Read
material on Turkic and other Medieval Middle Eastern regimes.

Sep 30—The Call to the Crusades. Text ch. 1.

    Oct. 2--No Class. Special events later in the day. TBA

     Oct 4--Documents on the Crusades: Five versions of the Pope's Clermont speech:
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/urban2-5vers.asp
(Bring the digital or printed text; be ready for an in-depth discussion of the differences in the versions)

Oct 7—The First Crusade.
Read Text ch. 2

Documentary Exercise due on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 11:59 PM, via Turnitin.com

    9--Logistics, Tactics, and Other Matters
From this anonymous, partly eyewitness accout called Gesta Francorum, read the brief Intro, No. 4, No. 5, No. 8, and Nos. 10 through 17
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/gesta-cde.asp#godfrey

    11--NO CLASS--Fall Break.

Oct 14—College issues: Citations and Sources
Beginning of Class--Map Quiz No. 2

16—Midterm Exam--bring a greenbook, that is, a test booklet, and a couple of pens, not pencils or anything erasable.

18--College issues: Sources--Primary Documents and the Internet

(also be reading the substantial primary sources for the next weeks)

Oct 21—The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Second Crusade. Text ch. 3.
Watch this pretty good documentary, only 9 min., on the Second Crusade:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5c_R9BGDcw

Evening of Oct. 21, meet for a movie. Required attendance. Popcorn supplied. Bring your own beverage. 23—The Decline of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
    Read Text ch. 4

Oct 23--Turks and Mongols
Read Wikipedia on the Mongol Invasions and Conquests, but Intro and then "West Asia" and "Europe"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_invasions_and_conquests

25--Middle Eastern sources
(give these time to download--the files are large. Note that you will only read a few pages of each volume)
The Chronicle of ibn al-Athir, pp. 1-4 (pdf pp. 8-10) and pp. 12-22 (pdf pp. 8-20).
Usamah ibn Munqidh, The Book of Contemplation, pdf pp. 15-27
and read
same guy, An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior, pp. 46-59 (pdf 6-16)

Oct 28—Discussion of Research and Prep for the Second Paper.

Oct 30--European Sources:
(First, download the book Memoirs of the Crusades in pdf:
https://ia802600.us.archive.org/22/items/MemoirsOfTheCrusades/MemoirsOfTheCrusades.pdf
Within this book, read:
    Villehardouin Chronicle: 1-20 ( pdf 48-67) and pp. 26-48 (pdf 73-95)
AND
    Joinville Chronicle: 173-244   (pdf pp. 220-290)

Nov 1--The Fourth Crusade.
    Text ch. 5.

Nov 4—The Venetians and Other Italian Participants
    Read this fine undergraduate (!!) article:
    "A Calculated Crusade: "Venice, Commerce, and the Fourth Crusade"

    6--Internal European "Crusades"
    Read Text ch. 6.

    8--College issues: More on Plagiarism.
Beginning of Class--Map Quiz No. 3

Nov 11—The Fifth Crusade: Frederick II Hohenstaufen.
        Text ch. 7
AND watch this 38 min. documentary by the Spanish filmmaker Alvaro Orus on Frederick II.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF1MIGuyn60

    13—St. Louis and his Crusades.
       Text ch. 8.

    Research Essay due via Turnitin.com, Thursday Nov. 14, 11:59 PM.

    15--Modern Middle Eastern interpretations
Watch the first 20 minutes of the 1963 Egyptian movie, Saladin (al-Naser Salah el Dine)
El Naser Salah el Dine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUtmvv1F8OA

Nov 18—Some later Crusades.
    Text ch. 9.

    20—Loose Ends.
     Text ch. 10, Conclusion

    22--College issues: TBA.

Nov 25-29—NO CLASS--Thanksgiving Break.

Dec 2--Thinking About the Crusades.
    Read this thoughtful article: "The Crusades: Consequences and Effects"
https://www.ancient.eu/article/1273/the-crusades-consequences--effects/

4--College issues: Studying for Finals.

    Second Draft of Research Paper due via Turnitin.com on Thurs. Dec. 5, 11:59 PM.

6--Congratulations! Nearly Done!