LFU:online

Acquisition of skills for dealing with historic sources and studies in ancient history critically, as well as the competence to present the newly-gained knowledge verbally and/or in writing; Acquisition of the competence to apply methods of auxiliary sciences.

The description of lives of saints surely counts among the most popular literary genres of the Middle Ages. The roots of hagiography lie in late antiquity, however. Already in the fourth century BC, it was an established practice to highlight the virtues (and sins) of holy men and women. For historians, these texts are somewhat problematic: they employ supernatural forces quite naturally, and are in a way less attached to concepts such as rationality, or plausibility. The question we want to ask ourselves is, what can late ancient hagiography actually tell us about our period of investigation? What do we have to account for when working with these texts, in order to obtain useful historical information?

In this course, we will practice basic techniques of the historical method by reading and interpreting well-known (and sometimes obscure) descriptions of saints' lives. The students should debate among each other, both orally and in written form. They are also expected to write a short essay at the end of the term.

Combination of lecture, reading tasks, exercises and a final essay.

Participation and short essay (4-7 pages)

Relevant literature will be announced during the course.

Limited number of participants: 20!