THE COURSE HAS AN INSTITUTIONAL NATURE AND AIMS TO OFFER A BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF THE MAJOR PHASES OF WESTERN HISTORY IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD, EACH OF THE TWO MODULES PUTTING THE ACCORD ON A SPECIFIC SECTOR OF HISTORICAL REALITY, NAMELY: IN THE FIRST MODULE ON THE FORMS OF POLITICAL DOMINATION, IN ORDER TO ILLUSTRATE THEIR DIVERSITY AND THEIR SUCCESSION IN RELATION TO CHANGES IN SOCIETY AND THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL PECULIARITIES OF EACH AREA; IN THE SECOND MODULE ON THE RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL ASPECTS OF WESTERN HISTORY, WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN SOCIETY AND THE EVOLUTION OF ECCLESIASTICAL STRUCTURES, TO THE CHANGES AND METHODS OF ACQUISITION AND CIRCULATION OF WRITTEN CULTURE.