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Instructor: Mrs. Revia de Garcia
Tutorials: Lunch Tuesdays (open);
Fridays 7:45-8:15 (invitation only)
Email:
Conference Times: MWF 8:15-9:15
TTh 12:30-1:00
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6th Grade Medieval History
From Alaric to Abelard – Knights, Maidens, and Dragons: Oh My!
Aristoi Classical Academy 2017-2018
Dear Scholars,
Welcome to Medieval History! The term “Dark Ages” is often used to describe the period of time we will be exploring in this course: the long era between the fifth and fifteenth centuries A.D. This period is often portrayed as a time of tyrannical kings, corrupt popes, incessant warfare, widespread illiteracy, and anti-science attitudes. As we will together uncover, the Medieval Era was also a time of great learning, profound spirituality, artistic flourishing, and military heroism.
This year we will learn from the tragedies of medieval civilization; even more, however, we will celebrate its achievements. As the historian Jacob Burckhardt said, the purpose of historical study is not “to make us more clever the next time, but wiser for all time.”
My hope is that this class will provide an opportunity to engage with the medieval era on its own terms. We will strive to understand both the genuine differences between the medieval world and ours and the connections that link us today to the living chain of tradition. In the course of our studies you will meet such towering figures as Justinian, Charlemagne, Saint Francis, and Joan of Arc—individuals whose lives provide human windows into the past. Perhaps most vital of all, these great men and women can serve as exemplars of virtue, models that are as valid for us as they were for any generation before. I look forward to meeting them with you!
Per Angusta ad Augusta,
Mrs. Revia de Garcia
Course Materials
Required Texts (Issued)
The Book of the Middle Ages, Dorothy Mills
Famous Men of the Middle Ages, John H. Haaren & A. B. Poland
The Book of the Middle Ages - Student Guide, Matthew Anderson
Famous Men of the Middle Ages - Student Guide, Tanya Charlton & Leigh Lowe
Story of the World, Volume 2 - Susan Bauer
Daily Required Materials
•Red pens
•Blue and/or black pens
•Loose-leaf notebook paper
•3-ring binder with dividers
Optional Materials
●Students may want to use highlighters or sticky tabs for enhanced note taking in class.
Objectives and Goals
Upon completion of the course students should be able to:
●Locate, differentiate, and validate primary source documents
●Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions
●Compose well-written research papers in MLA format
●Demonstrate understanding of the people, places, and events of early Medieval History
●Argue, effectively, in defense of a prescribed topic
●Identify social and/or political bias in written, oral, and/or visual materials
Classroom Decorum
Classroom procedures and guidelines will be discussed extensively on the first day of school. They include:
✓Be in your assigned seat and working when the class begins.
✓Bring all books and materials to class and take them with you when you leave.
✓Treat each person in the room with respect.
✓Wait to be recognized before speaking.
✓Follow directions the first time they are given.
It is my desire that everyone has the opportunity to learn and grow. If, however, a scholar chooses to hinder the education of others by inciting discord and creating distractions, that scholar will be removed until he or she is ready once more to learn. My classroom follows Love & Logic, and all choices will incur natural consequences.
Scholars, if you are of the opinion that a grade or consequence is unfair, I will be happy to discuss this with you during my conference time (see page 1). If you and I are unable to come to an understanding, your parents are welcome to discuss this with me as well.
Grade Weighting
Though education is its own reward in that it offers an occasion for the development of Virtue, it is nonetheless important to mark your progress toward the stated goals of the course. Ideally, your grades will reflect the good faith and vigor with which you have risen to the challenge presented to you. Assignments in this course are weighted as follows:
➢Quizzes35%
➢Tests, Projects, & Compositions40%
➢Classwork, Homework, & Participation25%
*N/B: As per the Aristoi Parent/Student Handbook, no late homework will be accepted; assignments that are not turned in receive a grade of zero. Major grades (tests, projects, essays) lose one letter grade for every day late up to 5 days (after which they receive a zero). Students who were absent are responsible for obtaining and completing any work missed and will have one day for each day absent to complete and turn it in. No extra credit will be given.
Course Outline
QUARTER IEssential Question: How did the Catholic Church bridge Ancient Rome to invading Barbarian cultures?
A. The Rise of Christianity,
Roman Civilization, Christian practices and theology, monasticism
B. Barbarian cultures and invasions
C. Role of the Catholic Church is preserving Roman civilization, providing structure post-collapse, and civilizing barbarian peoples.
D. Justinian the Great and the Byzantine Empire / QUARTER II
Essential Question: How did the rise of Islam reshape the Christian Mediterranean and to what extent did the Christian Europe respond to the crisis?
A. The life of Mohammad, rise of Islam
B. Fundamentals of Islamic theology, Shia vs Sunni, dhimmitude of Christians -
C Christian response to Islamic invasions: Reconquista, Tours, The Crusades
D. Rise of the Franks, Carolingian Renaissance, and the Vikings.
QUARTER III
Essential Question: How did Feudalism shape Medieval civilization?
A. Feudal structure, castles, chivalry, courtly love and knighthood, the Guild system, Medieval commerce
B. The Medieval Church – basic theology, hierarchy, the papacy, church art and architecture -- and St. Thomas Aquinas’ Five Proofs and Scholasticism
C. St. Francis and St. Dominic (Mendicant Orders)
D. Magna Carta, Henry II, growing Church vs. State tensions (St. Thomas Becket), and the life of Richard III. / QUARTER IV
Essential Question: How did the Black Death, American conquests, and the Protestant Reformation transform European civilization?
A. Arrival of the Bubonic Plague, Medieval interpretations, and social aftermath.
B. Victory of the Reconquista, Spanish unification, funding of voyages to the Americas, initiation of Columbian Exchange, and Christianization of the New World
C. The Protestant Reformation, Protestant theology, Henry VIII, St. Thomas More, the Catholic counter-revolution and Jesuits.
D. The rise of England, Spanish Armada, Elizabeth II, and Shakespeare.
Agreement of Course Syllabus & Expectations
Return by Friday, Aug. 25th, for a 100 as a Quiz Grade
Dear Sixth Grade Parent/Guardian,
I look forward to an exciting new year. As you know, communication can make a significant difference in how well a year progresses. With that in mind, please subscribe to my teacher website and download the Remind app.
By signing this, I acknowledge that I have read the History syllabus and pledge to uphold the expectations of classroom conduct and required coursework.
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Student Signature
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Parent/Guardian Signature
This page must be turned in by Friday, August 25, 2017 for a quiz grade.
Late work policy applies to this document as well.