1
Syllabus and Timetable
Monasticism beyond the monastery: religious life and society in the medieval West (RLMgB547)
Lecturer and Course Co-ordinator: Dr Robert L.J. Shaw – robert.shaw@mail.muni.cz
Consultation hours: by appointment – just email to arrange whenever required
Time: Thu 10:00--11:40 – typically on odd-numbered weeks (i.e., once every two weeks - 7 classes in
total) but with some exceptions. See “Class Timetable” on p.3 for exact class dates
Place: Room L21 (FF, Veveří 26)
Course background:
Medieval monasticism in the Latin West encompassed a wide variety of forms of life which called on
men and women to renounce their worldly lives in favour of spiritual ones. For example, there were
hermits living in apparent isolation, communities dwelling in enclosed religious houses, and friars
who belonged to a community but roamed more freely.
Across all these forms, however, the monastic retreat from the life of the world rarely appears
complete. Monks and nuns could hardly survive without outside help: they required tolerance,
interest and promotion from a wide variety of outsiders in order to survive.
In turn, monasticism had an enormous influence on surrounding society. Monks and nuns provided
prayers, charitable services, and religious example and instruction for outsiders. They also helped to
shape the society, the economy, and the political and intellectual culture of the medieval West. On
the other hand, the charge of monastic ‘hypocrisy’ – a failure to live up to their otherworldly image –
played its part in the story of the Reformation.
Objectives:
This course will explore the development of Christian monasticism within the context of the
evolving society of the Latin West. The objective will be to gain an understanding of monks and
nuns themselves, but also of the world around them, how it shaped them, and how it was shaped by
them, across the Middle Ages.
This course will also allow students to read and discuss selected historical sources in depth. Through
this, they will develop their own interpretations of medieval monastic life and what it meant to
wider society. Through group reading and discussion within the classes, students will also gain
confidence in presenting their views.
After completing the course, the student will be able to:
1. identify and accurately describe the major forms of monastic life that emerged in the
medieval West, showing a knowledge of the most important religious trends and
institutional practices, as well as the terminology used to describe them
2. display a broad understanding and cite relevant examples of the ways in which medieval
monasticism interacted with social, cultural, economic, and political contexts
3. analyse and interpret original sources connected to the history of Western medieval
monasticism and wider society
2
Assessment and Expectations
In the exam period, students will be required to give a short oral/visual presentation in English (c.
10-15 mins) on two historical sources that tell us something about the relationship between
monasticism and medieval society. The presentation will be followed by a short (c. 10 minute) period
for questions.
Students will pick these sources from a selection provided in English translation by the lecturer.
These sources will all be very closely connected to the topics and sources studied in class.
The document containing the sources that students can choose from for the presentation will be
provided after the 6th
class (24th
November 2022)
Marks will be awarded for:
1) showing a good understanding of the context of the sources (for instance: who were the
authors, when and where did they live, which monastic groups they were affiliated with,
what was the broader historical context in which they lived)
2) accurately explaining the content of the sources, showing good understanding of medieval
concepts and terminology
3) analysing what these sources tell us about the interactions between monasticism and
medieval society
4) comparing and contrasting the two sources and what they tell us about the relationship
between monasticism and medieval society
N.B. Attendance of classes is very important since they are participatory and provide essential
preparation for the final presentation - a maximum of 2 unexcused absences is permissible.
Recommended Reading
The following provide useful overviews of both the development of Western monasticism and its
relationship with society: the first in some detail (and available in Czech translation in the library!),
the second as a very short summary (just 10 pages!).
• Hugh Lawrence, Medieval monasticism, forms of religious life Western Europe in the middle
ages (3rd
edition, Routledge: London and New York, 2000) // CZ translation: Hugh Lawrence,
Dějiny středověkého mnišství (Centrum pro studium demokracie a kultury: Vyšehrad, 2001)
• Lester K. Little, “Monasticism in Western Society: From Marginality to the Establishment and
Back”, Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome 47 (2002), pp. 83-94
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4238793
These are just two, relatively traditional perspectives, however, which have been challenged in
many ways: there is significant room for debate and new thinking.
• The class Lectures/PowerPoints will introduce you to some other perspectives.
• I will also share some useful articles and book chapters throughout the course, that will
allow you to expand on topics of interest and provide useful background for whatever
presentation you chose to do.
• Most importantly, the historical sources we read and discuss will allow you to take your
own view.
• I will share all of these (PowerPoints, sources discussed in class, useful expansion reading) on
the IS as we proceed through the course.
3
Class Timetable and Topics
The class is typically taught on Thursdays at 10am on odd-numbered weeks of term (i.e., once
every two weeks, with a total of 7 classes.
Due to scheduling conflicts, however, there are some exceptions that deviate from calendar in IS.
Class 1 is now taught on an even-numbered week (week 2), with the schedule reverting to oddnumbered
weeks (week 3, week 5, etc.) thereafter; class 4 is also taught on an even-numbered week
(week 6), with two reading weeks afterwards. See the full timetable below for details.
Thus, please follow the timetable below, rather than the one stated in IS (which I am not able to
update):
Class 1 – Thursday 22nd
September 2022, 10am, Room L21 (FF, Veveří 26): Hermits, the First
Monasteries and Late Antique Society (c.300-500 AD)
Class 2 – Thursday 29th
September 2022, 10am, Room L21 (FF, Veveří 26): From Missionaries to
Powerholders: spreading the faith and envisioning the perfect Christian community (c. 500-900
AD)
READING WEEK – Thursday 6th
October 2022
Class 3 – Thursday 13th
October 2022, 10am, Room L21 (FF, Veveří 26): High Medieval Monastic
Reform and Society I: powerhouses of prayer and living examples (c. 900-1050 AD)
Class 4 – Thursday 20th
October 2022, 10am, Room L21 (FF, Veveří 26): High Medieval Monastic
Reform and Society II: Church reform and crusades, monastic economies, and twelfth century
spirituality (c. 1050-1200 AD)
READING WEEK – Thursday 27th
October 2022
READING WEEK – Thursday 3rd
November 2022
Class 5 – Thursday 10th
November 2022, 10am, Room L21 (FF, Veveří 26): Female Monasticism in
the Early and High Middle Ages: nuns and society (up to c. 1200)
READING WEEK – Thursday 17th
November 2022
Class 6 – Thursday 24th
November 2022, 10am, Room L21 (FF, Veveří 26): Poverty and Mobility: new
religious movements, urban society, and new forms of learning (c. 1200-1400 AD)
READING WEEK – Thursday 1st
December 2022
Class 7 – Thursday 8th
December 2022, 10am, Room L21 (FF, Veveří 26): The End of Medieval
Monasticism?: Observant reform, the challenge of Martin Luther, and monks in the New World
(1400-1600)