General Information:

(1)  Full Course title:  Cavalry, Castles, Crossbows, Chivalry, Condotierri, Catapults, and Cannon: Warfare in the Medieval World
(2)  Semester:  Second
(3)  Professor:  L. J. Andrew Villalon  (Dr. V; Mr. V)
(4)  Course number:  362K (40305)
(5)  Section:  Only one
(6)  Days/Time of meeting:  M-W-F/2-3 p. m.
(7)  Classroom:  WEL  2.304
(8)  Campus Office:  GAR 4.120
(9)  History Departmental Office, GAR/First Floor
(10)  Office Phone:   (512) 475-8004
(11)  Departmental Phone:  471-3261
(12)  Office Hours:  Wednesday: 3-5 p.m.  Friday 3-5:00  (After 5 on those days by appointment only)
(13)  Email Address:  avillalon@austin.rr.com
(14)  Villalon's Website on which this material appears:  Wire Paladin ( http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/9507
(15)  WebpageURL for this course:  http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/9507/c-MedWar-index.html

Course Description:

After a brief retrospective on war in the ancient world, this one semester course will examine in detail the development of warfare between the late Roman Empire and the early modern world (c. 400-1500), a period of some eleven centuries traditionally referred to as the Middle Ages.  It will concentrate on what historians call the West, i.e. the lands around the Mediterranean Sea, including Europe, North Africa, and the Near East.  Lectures will also incorporate political and social background material in light of which military developments may be better understood.  The only departure from this scheme will involve the Mongols, a people of Far Eastern origin, whose territorial expansion in the 12-13th centuries was so enormous that it actually reached the West. 
 

Course Goals:

(1)  To provide students with an understanding of warfare as it took place in that period in western history referred to as the Middle Ages (c. 400-1500).
(2)  To provide some understanding of the various types of evidence available to scholars when they  undertake to study and reconstruct the medieval past .
(3)  (Hopefully) To inspire in the student a continuing interest in studying this fascinating period.
 

Course Webpage:

A webpage for Warfare in the Medieval World is posted on the teaching section of my website, Wire Paladin . 

 Like the rest of my teaching materials, the course webpage can be reached by accessing the website's main index page, then clicking on the chess knight entitled University of  Texas Courses taught by Dr. Villalon.  Alternatively, you can go directly to the course webpage.  (That URL is also given above.)

If you do not have available the URL to my website, you can still find it easily by typing into Google "Andrew Villalon Wire Paladin."  The website should come up as the first entry on the list.  You can then click through to the main index and follow the links to the course webpage.

Throughout the term, this webpage may undergo occasional updating. You are responsible for periodically consulting it to see if anything new has been posted.  If you are reading this syllabus, you are already aware that it is also posted on the webpage.  Your first assignment is to READ THIS SYLLABUS CAREFULLY.
 

Required Reading/Viewing:

Books and Articles:

Charles W. C. Oman, The Art of War in the Middle Ages

A classic in the field of military history, it is the work of an English historian many regard as the founding father of medieval military studies, Charles William Chadwick Oman (1860-1946).  Amazingly, it was written in 1885 as an undergraduate essay; and despite Oman’s far longer, two volume History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages, produced late in life, it is this shorter essay that has remained in print ever since.  To the extent that there is a textbook in the class, this will be it.

Edward M. Peters, The First Crusade:  The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials

This book contains an extensive collection of sources dealing with the First Crusade (1095-1100), one of the most notable events of the medieval period and one of the best covered.  It has been assigned to show students the kinds of source material available for the study of many if not most of the military events of the Middle Ages.

Assorted articles will be posted on the website over the course of the term.

Visual Materials:  (to be shown in class):

The Barbarians/Huns
The Barbarians/Visigoths (DVD
The Barbarians/Vikings (DVD)
Castle (DVD)
NOVA/The Trebuchet (DVD)
The Bayeux Tapestry (CD)
The Crusades (as seen by Terry Jones) (3 of the 4 DVDs in the series)
Knights Templar (DVD)
The Barbarians/Mongols (DVD)

Course Topics:

A World at War:  Origins and Early Development of Warfare
The Greek Phalanx vrs.  the Legions of Rome
German Society and the Changing Military Balance
DVD:  The Barbarians/Visigoths
The Byzantine Empire and the March of Islam
The Conquests of Charlemagne
Vikings-Merchants, Berserkers, or Both?
DVD:  The Vikings
A New Warfare in the West and the Birth of Feudalism
The Feudal Warrior Class
Medieval Arms and Armor
The Castle
DVD:  Castle
DVD:  NOVA/The Trebuchet
The (Re)development of Arms and Armor:  A Medieval Arms Race 2
The Concept of Chivalry
Mitigating Warfare – Medieval Style
1066 and All That
CD:  The Bayeux Tapestry
The Crusades and Jihad – Epitome(s) of Just War
DVDs:  The Crusades (as seen by Terry Jones)
The Reconquista
The Military Orders
DVD:  Knights Templar
The Mongol Hordes
DVD:  The Barbarians/Mongols
The Hundred Years War
The Military Revolution


Contacting the Professor:

There are three very reliable ways to contact this professor:

(1)  Speak with the professor either before or after class.   If the subject requires a lengthier conversation, an appointment can be made to meet during office hours or communicate by  means of email.

(2)  Simply come to the professor's office during office hours (see above).

No appointment is needed; I am almost always available in my office (or very nearby) during office hours.   If you do not at first find me, try either the departmental office on the first floor or photocopying machine on the third. 

If,  for whatever reason, I have to miss an office hours, something that does not happen often, then  I shall try to leave a note on the door.  If that occurs, let me apologize in advance.  

(3)  Contact the professor through email.

I  check and respond to my email regularly and will try to reply to your message as soon as I see  it.  It is always best to send messages to my home email address (given above) where I look at my email several times a day.

Other means of getting in contact are much less certain.  I have purposely omitted my home telephone number from this syllabus for the simple reason that I will not wish to receive student phone calls at home.   Email serves the same purpose, more reliably and less obtrusively.

 
Criteria for Grading:

(1)    A course paper on some aspect of medieval war (8-10 pages).  It might deal with a warrior, a weapon, a battle, a book, artwork, even an analysis of a film depicting medieval warfare.  All papers must be type-written, proof read, and contain a bibliography.  Any direct quotations must be correctly footnoted.

(2)    A portfolio on medieval warfare to contain text and/or visuals that you find about  fighting in the Middle Ages.  It may include modern representations of the Middle Ages as well as medieval materials, photocopied from printed material or downloaded from the web.  It should indicate that you have been looking around for material during the course of the semester.

The portfolio can be general or it can focus on a particular subject that interests you.  Obviously, a general portfolio gives you much more material to draw from; a portfolio on a particular subject helps focus your search, but means that you must dig deeper to find enough material.  In a statement at the beginning of the portfolio, indicate which type you have chosen to compile. 

The portfolio can concentrate on source material that you use in your paper. 

(3)   Several in-class examinations based on the lectures and readings

The examinations are entirely short answer (matching, fill-in-the-blank from a list supplied on the exam; true or false).

In addition, the student should not ignore active engagement in the class.  This can take various forms:  discussion (either in class or outside of it), producing information the instructor has not mentioned, answering questions, finding and sharing relevant materials, etc.  Such participation can count in the student’s favor, though a failure to participate in this manner will not count against him/her. I am fully aware that there are many good students who prefer to listen rather than talk and, and since I admire good listeners, I will not penalize them.(1)  Examinations:
 
All work must be completed and handed in to receive a grade other than X or F.
 

Grading Procedure:

The grades in this class are computed using  + and -; in other words, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, F.    Unfortunately, however, the University of Texas does not at present have a +/- system in place.  This permits much less flexibility in the professor's ability to assign grades truly representative of the student's work.  Grades will not be rounded upward; in other words, a B+ is a B+, not an A-; therefore, it appears on the student's transcript as a B.
 

Concerning the Finality of Grades:

In most cases, final grades are indeed final. 
(1)  The obvious exception:  if  I have made a mistake in computing your grade.  If you believe this to be the case, you should contact me or the TA immediately.
(2)  In a very few cases, I will offer a student the opportunity to get a higher grade.  This will only occur in special circumstances, where the student was really on the borderline.

Instructions for Students Who Fail to Receive a Grade:

While this is usually the result of a failure to complete some part of the course work, it may also be an error on the professor's part.  Under any circumstances, the student should contact the professor as soon as possible and arrange a meeting in order to determine what, if anything, can be done about the problem.   In most cases, something can be done.
 

Retaining Copies of Work:

It is a good practice in any course to keep copies of everything that you have handed in.  It is also a good practice to retain any work that is handed back  until you have received your (correct) final grade in the course.  Mistakes happen, especially in a large class.  Items get lost and errors are made in recording grades.  In such instances, the student cannot merely claim to have done the work.  He/she must be able to produce it.
 

Attendance:

Attendance in any course is important, but it is particularly important when that course is based heavily upon both in-class lectures and, to a lesser extent, in-class discussion. 

Although I provide fairly detailed notes of what is discussed in each class, THE STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO ATTEND ON A REGULAR BASIS.   No habitual failure to attend is acceptable, regardless of the reason.  While this may seem old-fashioned, I am a firm believer that part of a student's responsibility is to attend class.  Gross failure to attend will almost certainly be taken into consideration in the final grade; and the professor reserves the right to deny a student a grade if the attendance is poor enough.

Attendance is computed on the basis of how many times the student has signed the attendance sheet which circulates in each class. Consequently, students who wish to have their attendance correctly recorded have two responsibilities.
(1)  They must sign the attendance sheet for the class.
(2)  If the professor forgets to circulate an attendance sheet (as sometimes happens), students should raise their hand and remind him.  (Such an interruption will always be most welcome.)

Furthermore, students should never skip a class simply because they feel unprepared.  After all, you might miss something interesting or useful!  Besides, there are no unannounced quizes and I never seek to embarrass unprepared students. 
 

Classroom Deportment:

Although I do not appreciate students who sleep, read, draw pictures, surf the web, answer email or do work for other courses during classtime, I very rarely reprimand them in class for their sins.  Such offenses against the "academic order" may lead to a private discussion between us; and, if severe enough, may be taken into consideration when I award a final grade for the course.  (Remember, as a historian, I have a very long memory!!)  

Talking in class is a different matter:  a chronic talker may be asked to leave the class or, in severe cases, to bring a withdrawal slip for me to sign.  Furthermore, please do not start packing up your things to leave until the class actually ends.  This class never gets out early.  (To the chagrin of some students, it has even been known upon occasion to get out late, though I honestly try to minimize such intrusions into the student's time.)


Cheating or Plagiarism:
 
Everybody knows what cheating is, so there is no need for a definition. 

On the other hand, some of you may not be familiar with the word plagiarism.  It refers to any attempt to pass off as your own work something done by somebody else.  Even when only part of a paper is copied from the work of another person, this is still plagiarism.  While it is perfectly acceptable to quote from another person’s work, such passages must be carefully footnoted.

Both the university and I regard cheating and plagiarism as extremely serious; as a result, I would recommend that you avoid them like the plague throughout your college career and, for that matter, afterwards.  Although I shall treat both cheating and plagiarism on a case-by-case basis, the offender should not expect leniency.  A substantial lowering of the final grade or even expulsion from the course are the normal penalties for such offenses.

Cheating takes various forms:  any student caught signing the attendance sheet for another student will be penalized a full letter grade (from an A to a B, a B to a C, etc.)  So will the student whose name he/she signed, unless the latter can demonstrate to my satisfaction that he/she had no involvement.  If  this flagrant piece of dishonesty reoccurs several times, the student(s) involved will be asked to leave the course.


Withdrawal from the Course:

If you receive an F on several of  the early tests), you should seriously consider dropping the course IMMEDIATELY and concentrating your efforts in another course which you have a better chance of passing!

As far as I am concerned, a student wishing to withdraw from the course for whatever reason will be allowed to do so without penalty, even if he/she is failing the course at the time of the withdrawal.  It has always been my belief that losing time and tuition is enough of a penalty to pay for doing poorly in a course.

However, I would strongly recommend to all students that once they have decided to withdraw, they should do so as soon as possible.  It is always best to get this unpleasant task out of the way. 

First of all, it is better to drop a “loser” and concentrate one’s energies where they will they will do the most good, i.e. in courses where one is doing well.

Secondly, in putting off the inevitable, some students wait too long and pass withdrawal dates mandated by the university, after which withdrawing may become far more complicated, if not impossible.  While I am always willing to approve a withdrawal, after a certain point in time, the university may not accept it.
 

Requirements and Student Complaints:
 
Within any academic discipline, a teacher tries to design a course which will present a body of knowledge, while developing critical thinking and skills in research and writing.  He or she then evaluates carefully each student's performance in order to arrive at a grade, which will count toward college credit.  Factors which the teacher may take into consideration when defining student performance include such things as exams (either in-class or take-home), other written work (papers, book reviews, journals), and various forms of classroom participation (discussion, oral presentations, answering questions).  Each teacher will determine which of these factors to employ in arriving at a grade, as well as their relative importance.  The student should also be aware that classroom deportment may be taken into consideration; in other words, anyone who habitually acts in a manner which tends to disrupt the learning process may well find that fact reflected in his or her grade.

In the end, it is the student who earns the grade for demonstrating the required knowledge and  performing the required work within reasonable deadlines set by the teacher.  Failure on the part of a student to accomplish this may result in a failing grade and the withholding of academic credit for the course.  Again, let me emphasize:  grades are earned, not given or negotiated!!

On the other hand, for students who believe that they have been unfairly evaluated, the University of Texas  has established a grievance procedure.  Grade appeals must be made in accordance with that procedure, which mandates as its first step an attempt by the student and professor to resolve the grievance without any outside interference.  At this point in the procedure, intervention by third parties such as parents, boyfriends, attorneys, department heads, administrators or other faculty members is inappropriate.

For students who believe that they have been unfairly evaluated and cannot secure satisfaction from the professor, there are grievance procedures established by the University of Texas. (See the 2006-2007 General Information Catalogue.  Questions should be addressed to academic advisors or the Ombudsman.


Brief Academic Biography of this Professor:

L. J. Andrew Villalon received his Ph.D. in history from Yale University in 1984.  After many years at the University of Cincinnati, where he retired as a full professor, he is currently a senior lecturer, teaching at the University of Texas. Although Villalon specializes in late medieval and early modern European history, he has also done work dealing with the twentieth century.  He has delivered numerous conference papers on such topics as Pedro “the Cruel”, Don Carlos, San Diego de Alcalá, Machiavelli, Sir Hugh Calveley, royal favorites, saint-making, landholding, and academic editing. His articles have appeared in collections and in various journals including The Catholic Historical Review, Sixteenth Century Journal, Mediterranean Studies, and the Proceedings of the Ohio Academy of History.  Villalon is currently working on two book length studies, one on the canonization of San Diego (after whom the city is named, the other on the life of Sir Hugh Calveley (an English knight and mercenary in the Hundred Years War).  He has also co-edited with Donald J. Kagay five collections of medieval essays—The Final Argument:  The Imprint of Violence on Society in Medieval and Early Modern Europe (The Boydell Press, 1998); The Circle of War in the Middle Ages:  Essays on Medieval Military and Naval History (The Boydell Press, 1999); Crusaders, Condottieri, and Cannon : Medieval Warfare in Societies around the Mediterranean (Brill, 2002); The Hundred Years War: A Wider Focus (Brill, 2005), and The Hundred Years War: Different Vistas (Brill, 2008). Currently, the pair are gathering essays for a sixth collection (also dealing with the Hundred Years War) and doing research for a joint monograph concerning the battle of Najera (1367).  In addition to work in his major field, Villalon has published on automotive history and the history of World War I.  He has held several grants for study in Spain, including a Fulbright; received two awards from the American Association of University Professors for defending academic freedom; and in 2001, was presented the Professional-Scholarly Activity Award for the University College at the University of Cincinnati.  (A complete c.v. is available on the website.)