Week 1 Overview

Oh geez. Yes, please read me!

This week, I will introduce you to the Middle Ages, a time period after the fall of the Roman Empire during the 5th century (A.D. or C.E., meaning the Common Era). The Middle Ages are called that precisely because they are a time period that fell in between the Ancient world (think: the Greeks and the Romans) and the "early modern" world. The early modern world "starts" at about the time of the European discovery or encounter with the New World that was initiated by Christopher Columbus (or Colon) in 1492 CE.

The Middle Ages, often called the "Dark Ages" because it was a time after the cultural and economic splendor of Rome, were characterized by the beginning of our European ancestors -- the English, the Scots, the Franks (French), the Spanish, the Italians -- forming into political kingdoms. It included -- knights, the Crusades, queens, chivalry, the Christianization of Europe -- but also much more. This course will introduce you to some lesser known features of the Middle Ages that you never learned in high school. How about medieval robots developed in Islamic Baghdad (present-day Iraq)? Or the fantastic architecture of Jewish communities in Spain? What about the emergence of "individuals" -- people like you and me -- who were different from their traditional family background?

Because I am very interested in how you are experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, much of our efforts in this class will be experienced through a "Medieval Plague Digital Diary". You will assume the persona of a person living in the Middle Ages and experience the Black Death and report on it.

That's what this class is about -- encountering times from the "past" to better understand our "today" and our "future".

At the most basic level -- we are all humans (at least, I think so unless an extraterrestrial would like to introduce themselves.) And humans have experienced and will experience real challenges and surprises and amazing events. Shockingly, the "Black Death" also known as the bubonic plague or "The Plague", fundamentally altered the pathway of human history.

Why?

Well, that's what we are going to learn! And, if my suspicion is correct as a historian (and formerly as a "futurist" when I worked at the Institute for the Future in Silicon Valley), the COVID-19 pandemic will have lasting impacts on our society.

This week we need to accomplish three task:

Get a sense of the Middle Ages.
Understand the what the Renaissance was (which started during the time of the Black Death!)
Pick a persona, or an identity, for your Medieval Plague Digital Diary and write about "yourself").

What we will learn?

What and when were the Middle Ages (500-1500 A.D.)?
What is Renaissance Humanism and why is it important to your present-day life?

Read (or use the "Listen" button to be read to):

Reading: Overview of the Middle Ages (this and most other readings for this class will be electronically accessible via our library. you may be prompted to login in as a UCCS student to read them.)
Reading: A Changing Europe (READ ONLY PAGES 1-10)

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View

9-minute lecture that introduces the course. (This video is so embarrassing for me. I was a crumple of a person when I recorded it at the beginning of COVID-19. And, that's the point -- to live, to experience, and to reflect.)

Submit:

Tuesday, 31 Aug 2021
Digital Diary Prompt: “Where and when do you live? Who are you, what is your name, and what is your profession? Why did you choose this profession? (Required Length, 300 words).
- Resource Reading: Education and Training (USE THIS READING TO FIND PROFESSIONS OF THE RENAISSANCE. PAGES 515-518, 529-539.)