History 505.01

Autumn Quarter 2001

Class Project: All students will be expected to complete a class project that involves some outside research and critical thought. Note that you will have to consult books, articles, and websites outside those assigned for the course. The project should take the form of a paper on one of the following two topics:

A. Write a critical analysis of one of the passages in the Readings in Early Byzantine History. Your analysis should be basically historiographical, that is, you should provide information about the author and his background and discuss how this particular passage fits into the broader scope of Byzantine history and historiography.

B. Local history in the early Byzantine period. Write a paper in which you discuss the situation, problems, and living conditions in one of the following places within the Byzantine Empire—in the period ca. AD 500-600: a) Alexandria, b) the villages of the Egyptian desert; c) the villages of the Syrian high plain; d) Cappadocia; e) the western coast of Asia Minor; f) Corinth; g) Athens; h) the island of Kythera; i) southern Italy.

For some bibliographic suggestions, click here.

Class projects are due at class time on November 26. Late projects will be subject to a considerable reduction in grade. To maximize your success, consult with the instructor at an early date and make sure the project is a viable one. Papers should have a bibliography and should be documented with footnotes, where appropriate. Undergraduates should expect to prepare papers of 6-8 pages; graduate students 20-30 pages. Projects will be graded on the basis of a) imagination, b) accuracy, c) insight, and d) care and effectiveness of preparation.