The Early Middle Ages: Late Antiquity in RealTime

History 504: The Early Middle Ages: Late Antiquity in RealTime


Professor Gunther Gottlieb Universität Augsburg	Professor Thomas S. Burns Emory University	Doctor Veit Rosenberger Universität Augsburg

Time: Wednesdays, 1:00 - 4:00PM EST
Location: Candler Library, Room 131

Office hours of Dr. Thomas S. Burns: Wednesdays 2:00 - 5:00pm and by appointment
Email: histsb@emory.edu

WorldClass CampusCam

Syllabus

This year the seminar will focus upon the birth of the middle ages and the world of Late Antiquity as seen in the era AD 300-600. Major issues to be discussed include the impact of Christianity upon life in the Empire, the integration of Germanic barbarians into Roman society, and the limits of bureaucratization. We will start by exploring the Roman Empire in the fourth century and then witness its geographic fragmentation in the fifth and sixth centuries and the resultant derivations and redirections of Roman concepts and traditions during the so-called Barbarian Kingdoms, particularly those of the Franks, Ostrogoths, and Anglo-Saxons.

The Early Middle Ages: Late Antiquity in RealTime by Prof. Thomas S. Burns, Emory University, and team-teaching live weekly over the WWWeb, Prof. Gunther Gottlieb and Dr. Veit Rosenberger, Universitat Augsburg. This is the first time, at least that we know of, that a regularly taught seminar will be team-taught over the Web. Both Professors Gottlieb and Rosenberger are very familiar with Emory, having taught here themselves, and are fluent in English. Climb on board and enjoy a ride through cyberspace into the world of Late Antiquity.

Course Requirements

Attendance and discussion
Short (max. 10pp.) bibliographic essay on a topic of your choice. Due in class, Wednesday, 19 March.
Take home final essay over the readings assigned. NO extra credit will be accorded use of unassigned materials. Question handed out in class, 23 April, due in my office not later than 3:00P, Monday, 5 May. Maximum length, 12 pages.