Discovering the Middle Ages: from Parchment to Internet

Course goals

After taking part in this course students have:

• basic knowledge of aspects of handwritten sources and their digitisation for studying the Middle Ages
• knowledge of the methods (paleography, codicology, book decoration) with which manuscript sources can be studied.
• knowledge and skills to compose a readable and informative Wikipedia entry about a medieval manuscript.

Content

Scholars of different disciplines rely on the study of medieval primary sources that are often handed down to us in a manuscript form. To study such sources particular skills have to be developed. Special attention will be paid to the material aspects of the book (codicology), the ability to read and define the script (paleography), forms of decoration and iconography, and to the process of mechanical reproduction and digitising of this rich source material.

This course offers the opportunity to get familiar with the basic aspects of working with medieval manuscript sources and to get some hand-on experience by examining a manuscript at Special Collections of Utrecht University Library. Students will write a contribution for Wikipedia on 'their' manuscript and thus also learn to present manuscript research to a broader audience.

Additional information

This course is part of the minor The Middle Ages.

LAS and TCS students who follow this course as part of the core curriculum of their major, need to complete a compulsory preparation course/assignment. See for more information: https://tcs.sites.uu.nl/