RLB247 Christians and the Others in the Middle Ages

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2015
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Jana Valtrová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. David Václavík, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Šárka Londa Vondráčková
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each even Monday 9:10–10:45 M11
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course is focused on interreligious relations in medieval Europe, especially on the attitude of Latin Christians towards Judaism, Islam and religions of Asia. The course comprises both levels - theoretical basis on which these relationships were formed, as well as particular examples of actual encounters. At the end of this course, students should be able: to classify different sources and records about the "Others"; to understand terminology and typology of Non-Christians as created by medieval Christians; to criticaly use records about these "Others"; to explain and argue particular historical positions and opinions of Christians on the "Others"; to distinguish between contemporary and medieval concepts of "tolerance", "identity" and "otherness".
Syllabus
  • 0. Introductory lecture; 1. Medieval imago mundi and the nations on its outskirts; 2. Foundations of the attitudes of Latin Christians towars Non-Christians, terminology and typology; 3. Transformations of these attitudes towards Non-Christians, legal prescriptions and the consequences of the Crusades; 4. Christians and muslims I - Chrsitian critique of Islam, knowledge of oriental languages and translations of the Quran, Peter Venerabilis, Raymundus Lullus; 5. Christians and muslims II - Iberean peninsula, the image of muslims in chansons de geste; 6. Christians and Jews - images of Jews in medieval fine art, stereotypes and thier origins; 7. Latin Christians and the Eastern Christianity - Nestorians and Indian Christians; 8. Christians and Non-Christians in Asia; 9. Medieval concepts of "othernes", "tolerance" and "identity"; 10.-12. Students presentations and discussions.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • VALTROVÁ, Jana. Středověká setkání s "jinými". Modloslužebníci, židé, saracéni a heretici v misionářských zprávách o Asii (Medieval Encounters with the Other. Idolatres, Jews, Saracens and Heretics in Missionary Reports about Asia). 1. vyd. Praha: Argo, 2011, 209 pp. Každodenní život 47. ISBN 978-80-257-0399-1. info
  • GREENBLATT, Stephen. Podivuhodná vlastnictví : zázraky Nového světa. Edited by Lucie Johnová - Martin Procházka. Vyd. české 1. Praha: Karolinum, 2004, 245 s. ISBN 8024608618. info
  • Medieval christian perceptions of Islam. Edited by John Victor Tolan. 1st pbk. ed. New York: Routledge, 2000, xxi, 414. ISBN 0415928923. info
  • Putování k Mongolům. Edited by Giovanni da Pian del Carpine - Guillaume de Rubrouck - Ruy Gonzales. Vyd. 1. Praha: Státní nakladatelství krásné literatury a umění, 1964, 383 s. URL info
    not specified
  • Saint Francis and the sultanthe curious history of a Christian-Muslim encounter. Edited by John Victor Tolan. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009, xvi, 382 p. ISBN 9780191567490. info
  • The crusades and the Christian world of the Eastrough tolerance. Edited by Christopher Hatch MacEvitt. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008, vi, 272 p. ISBN 9780812202694. info
  • Meeting the foreign in the Middle Ages. Edited by Albrecht Classen. New York: Routledge, 2002, lxxiii, 27. ISBN 0415930022. info
Teaching methods
lectures, commented reading of sources, class discussions
Assessment methods
Requirements: (a) 2 short written commentaries to given texts; (c) presentation of a seminar work
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučující.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2008, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2019, Autumn 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2015, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2015/RLB247