2025
Medieval History II
Name: Medieval History II
Code: HIS02442L
6 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours
Scientific Area:
History
Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese
Regime de Frequência: Presencial
Presentation
This course aims to provide the student with an overview of the evolution of European society between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries, framing it, in particular, in the Mediterranean area.
Sustainable Development Goals
Learning Goals
a) Interpret elements of continuity and change between the centuries of the Early Middle Ages (as explored in the ?Medieval History I? module) and those of the Late Middle Ages.
b) Understand the political, social, economic, and cultural evolution of European societies between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries.
c) Integrate the study of Europe within contexts of comparative global history.
d) Acquire knowledge about concepts, institutions, and phenomena to understand the historical period between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries.
e) Introduce historiographical issues and debates related to the study of the Middle Ages.
f) Relate the study of the past to the interpretation of contemporary societal challenges.
g) Promote students? engagement with primary and secondary sources, encouraging academic autonomy and critical thinking in reading, debating, and analysing the past.
h) Foster collaboration among peers and the use of updated and digital pedagogical tools.
b) Understand the political, social, economic, and cultural evolution of European societies between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries.
c) Integrate the study of Europe within contexts of comparative global history.
d) Acquire knowledge about concepts, institutions, and phenomena to understand the historical period between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries.
e) Introduce historiographical issues and debates related to the study of the Middle Ages.
f) Relate the study of the past to the interpretation of contemporary societal challenges.
g) Promote students? engagement with primary and secondary sources, encouraging academic autonomy and critical thinking in reading, debating, and analysing the past.
h) Foster collaboration among peers and the use of updated and digital pedagogical tools.
Contents
1. Europe and a Global Middle Ages, 12th-13th Century
2. The Church Reformation and the Crusades
3. The Political Evolution of Western Europe, 12th to 14th Centuries
4. The Emergence of an Urban Europe, 12th and 13th Centuries
5. Famine, Plague, and Crises in the 14th Century
6. European Wars, 14th and 15th Centuries
7. Long-Distance Production, Trade, and Financial Systems, 13th-15th Centuries
8. The Light Ages: Education and Culture
9. Europe and a Global Middle Ages, 14th-15th Century
2. The Church Reformation and the Crusades
3. The Political Evolution of Western Europe, 12th to 14th Centuries
4. The Emergence of an Urban Europe, 12th and 13th Centuries
5. Famine, Plague, and Crises in the 14th Century
6. European Wars, 14th and 15th Centuries
7. Long-Distance Production, Trade, and Financial Systems, 13th-15th Centuries
8. The Light Ages: Education and Culture
9. Europe and a Global Middle Ages, 14th-15th Century
Teaching Methods
The curricular unit on Medieval History II will adopt a variety of teaching methodologies, including:
1. Oral communication for the presentation, discussion, and argumentation of the programmatic content, employing an inquiry-based and problematising approach to teaching.
2. Encouraging participation in debates, problem-solving activities, and oral presentations by students.
3. Promoting dialogue, collaborative work, and constructive criticism among peers, aimed at developing original thinking on the part of students.
4. Connecting learning with societal challenges that facilitate an understanding of historical legacies.
5. Utilising digital tools and resources for the construction of knowledge, the interpretation of graphic and visual representations of history, and the development of critical thinking.
6. Critically employ Artificial Intelligence tools as an aid to research and documentary analysis, fostering students' digital literacy through reflection on the potential and limitations of these tools in the study of Medieval History.
1. Oral communication for the presentation, discussion, and argumentation of the programmatic content, employing an inquiry-based and problematising approach to teaching.
2. Encouraging participation in debates, problem-solving activities, and oral presentations by students.
3. Promoting dialogue, collaborative work, and constructive criticism among peers, aimed at developing original thinking on the part of students.
4. Connecting learning with societal challenges that facilitate an understanding of historical legacies.
5. Utilising digital tools and resources for the construction of knowledge, the interpretation of graphic and visual representations of history, and the development of critical thinking.
6. Critically employ Artificial Intelligence tools as an aid to research and documentary analysis, fostering students' digital literacy through reflection on the potential and limitations of these tools in the study of Medieval History.
Assessment
The curricular unit provides for two assessment models: 1) continuous assessment and 2) final examination covering all the material taught.
Continuous assessment will depend on the fulfilment of the following elements:
1. Attendance and oral participation in (10%): students must attend 75 per cent of classes (that is, they may miss a maximum of 6 classes). Students covered by special regimes exempting them from regular attendance, under the terms of the Academic Regulations, are not subject to this requirement, with the corresponding weighting redistributed across the remaining components.
2. Oral presentation with written report (30%): this will consist of an oral presentation on a topic previously discussed with the lecturer, accompanied by the submission of a written report (3 to 4 pages). The assessment of this component will also include responses to questions posed by the lecturer during the presentation.
3. Final written test at the end of the semester (60%): this will consist of a written test organised into three sections. The first section will present a map or a graph, which must be critically analysed on the basis of the syllabus content. The second section will consist of the definition of five concepts. The third section will present two essay questions, of which the student must choose one to develop. Students enrolled in continuous assessment will be given a list of selected readings chosen by the lecturer, to support the development of the answers to this last section.
Final examination assessment will be weighted as follows: exam grade (90%) + attendance and participation (10%, where applicable). The final examination will adopt an identical structure of three sections ? a map or graph for critical analysis, the definition of ten concepts, and two essay questions of which one is to be chosen ? but without specific reading guidance: it covers all the material taught, and comprehensive reading of the bibliography is recommended for a good grade.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy
In this curricular unit, the use of AI tools is permitted exclusively as support for research and the organisation of ideas in preparing the oral presentation and the accompanying report (for example, identifying sources, or linguistic and stylistic support), and under no circumstances is the full generation of text submitted as the student's own work permitted. Whenever used, the student must include in the report a statement identifying the tool and the purpose of its use. In the final written test and in the final examination, the use of AI tools of any kind is not permitted. Improper or undeclared use of AI will be treated as academic fraud, under Article 119 of the Academic Regulations of the University of Évora. In cases of well-founded suspicion of improper use of AI tools, the procedure will follow the provisions of Despacho n.º 216/2026, concerning the prevention of academic fraud.
Continuous assessment will depend on the fulfilment of the following elements:
1. Attendance and oral participation in (10%): students must attend 75 per cent of classes (that is, they may miss a maximum of 6 classes). Students covered by special regimes exempting them from regular attendance, under the terms of the Academic Regulations, are not subject to this requirement, with the corresponding weighting redistributed across the remaining components.
2. Oral presentation with written report (30%): this will consist of an oral presentation on a topic previously discussed with the lecturer, accompanied by the submission of a written report (3 to 4 pages). The assessment of this component will also include responses to questions posed by the lecturer during the presentation.
3. Final written test at the end of the semester (60%): this will consist of a written test organised into three sections. The first section will present a map or a graph, which must be critically analysed on the basis of the syllabus content. The second section will consist of the definition of five concepts. The third section will present two essay questions, of which the student must choose one to develop. Students enrolled in continuous assessment will be given a list of selected readings chosen by the lecturer, to support the development of the answers to this last section.
Final examination assessment will be weighted as follows: exam grade (90%) + attendance and participation (10%, where applicable). The final examination will adopt an identical structure of three sections ? a map or graph for critical analysis, the definition of ten concepts, and two essay questions of which one is to be chosen ? but without specific reading guidance: it covers all the material taught, and comprehensive reading of the bibliography is recommended for a good grade.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy
In this curricular unit, the use of AI tools is permitted exclusively as support for research and the organisation of ideas in preparing the oral presentation and the accompanying report (for example, identifying sources, or linguistic and stylistic support), and under no circumstances is the full generation of text submitted as the student's own work permitted. Whenever used, the student must include in the report a statement identifying the tool and the purpose of its use. In the final written test and in the final examination, the use of AI tools of any kind is not permitted. Improper or undeclared use of AI will be treated as academic fraud, under Article 119 of the Academic Regulations of the University of Évora. In cases of well-founded suspicion of improper use of AI tools, the procedure will follow the provisions of Despacho n.º 216/2026, concerning the prevention of academic fraud.
Teaching Staff
- Flávio Miguel Fernandes Miranda [responsible]
Accreditations and Certifications
