LJMedB25 Language and Historical Method in the Middle Ages

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2017
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Petra Mutlová, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Julia Verkholantsev (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Daniela Urbanová, Ph.D.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Mon 23. 10. 10:50–12:25 pracovna, Tue 24. 10. 10:50–14:05 pracovna, Wed 25. 10. 15:50–19:05 pracovna, Thu 26. 10. 10:50–12:25 pracovna
Prerequisites
Working knowledge of English is required. No prior knowledge of linguistics or medieval languages is required to participate. Sessions consist of lectures and discussions of assigned primary and secondary sources, partly led by students. Material is presented both in a survey-like manner and through specific case studies.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 26 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course aims to provide students with an advanced understanding of how language was imagined and used in medieval Christian communities with a special focus on central, eastern, and southern European lands. The goal of the course is to help students build sensitivity to the linguistic aspect of primary sources that they study for their own research projects and help them place these sources in a context of linguistic and historiographic theories.
Syllabus
  • The course deals with the religious, cultural, and social history of language use in the European Middle Ages. Arising from the classical thought and validated by the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, the notion that language is inherently connected with human history pervades medieval thought and practice. Language and writing are being approached not merely as mechanisms of memory preservation and recovery of the past but as a corpus of tangible signs that have mystical links to observable and unobservable worlds. In practical application, such as government, administration, education, or ministering, the choice of a specific language or script often plays a defining role, from community-building to wielding power and authority. 1. Introduction: Main Concepts, Sources, and Methods 2. Language and Writing: Language Arts 3. Language as Fossilized History: Etymology and Historical Method 4. The Search For the Perfect and Universal Language
Teaching methods
introductory lecture, seminars
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: výuka probíhá blokově v rámci jednoho týdne (23.-27. 10.).
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2017/LJMedB25