The course of Religion, society and culture in the Middle Ages aims to train students in the study of religious history in the Middle Ages, with the aim of highlighting both its peculiar character within historical studies and its immersion in the medieval societies and cultures which, at the same time, it helps to forge. From a didactic and methodological point of view, the courses have a seminar character in order to encourage the active participation and original contribution of the students.
Curriculum
scheda docente
materiale didattico
On the eighth centenary of the death of Francis of Assisi, numerous biographies and scholarly studies have been published –and many more are forthcoming – devoted to the figure of the saint of Assisi, often as if his story were being addressed for the first time. In reality, between the nineteenth and the twenty-first centuries we have witnessed a vast proliferation of publications seeking to illuminate his historical figure, as though it were particularly difficult to grasp him within his biographical, intellectual, and contextual coordinates. Is this truly an objective difficulty, or do historians themselves also participate in a kind of historical-erudite cult that pertains more to the myth of Francis than to his history?
The study of Francis of Assisi through the sources constitutes an absolutely original and almost unique case study for understanding how a medieval figure can enter into dialogue with a contemporary mythical icon – one that presents Francis as the saint of peace, poverty, ecology, interreligious dialogue, and care for the marginalized, among other ideals – adapting to and interpreting certain contradictions or variations characteristic of our own time. Francis of Assisi is, in fact, the most famous Italian saint in the world, enjoying devotion and sympathy not only among believers but also among non-believers and adherents of other religions. How can the biographical history of a man who lived in the thirteenth century be reconciled with the saint of today’s almost global imagination? Are we dealing, in both cases, with the same Francis?
This course aims to examine the two most recent biographies, published by different authors – one a historian and the other a writer and popularizer – seeking, through the testimony of the available sources, to investigate how Francis’s contemporary image has been “constructed” in the most recent books of our time, the aims these works pursue, and the relationship they establish with historical knowledge. The course has a seminar format and alternates between lectures and student contributions, interpretations, and points of view. For this reason, students are required to obtain the reference books from the outset (Barbero, Cazzullo and Fonti Francescane).
Please note that the examination – during which students’ knowledge of the required readings and of the topics discussed in class will be assessed – also includes a short research paper on a subject related to the course (for example, other well-known biographies), to be agreed upon with the instructor. The paper should be approximately ten to twenty pages in length and must include footnotes and a final bibliography. It must be submitted by email to the instructor (raimondo.michetti@uniroma3.it) about five days before the examination session the student intends to attend.
Only students who have never taken an examination in medieval history are required to add a general medieval history textbook, which will also be part of the examination syllabus: Medioevo. I caratteri originali di un'età di transizione, by G. Vitolo (Sansoni, 2000).
Aldo Cazzullo, Francesco. Il primo italiano, Harper Collins, 2025
Fonti Francescane, Terza edizione rivista e aggiornata, Editrici Francescane, Padova, 2011
Mutuazione: 20710735 Religione, società e culture nel Medioevo in Scienze umane per l'ambiente LM-1 R MICHETTI RAIMONDO
Programma
How Should We Study Francis of Assisi?On the eighth centenary of the death of Francis of Assisi, numerous biographies and scholarly studies have been published –and many more are forthcoming – devoted to the figure of the saint of Assisi, often as if his story were being addressed for the first time. In reality, between the nineteenth and the twenty-first centuries we have witnessed a vast proliferation of publications seeking to illuminate his historical figure, as though it were particularly difficult to grasp him within his biographical, intellectual, and contextual coordinates. Is this truly an objective difficulty, or do historians themselves also participate in a kind of historical-erudite cult that pertains more to the myth of Francis than to his history?
The study of Francis of Assisi through the sources constitutes an absolutely original and almost unique case study for understanding how a medieval figure can enter into dialogue with a contemporary mythical icon – one that presents Francis as the saint of peace, poverty, ecology, interreligious dialogue, and care for the marginalized, among other ideals – adapting to and interpreting certain contradictions or variations characteristic of our own time. Francis of Assisi is, in fact, the most famous Italian saint in the world, enjoying devotion and sympathy not only among believers but also among non-believers and adherents of other religions. How can the biographical history of a man who lived in the thirteenth century be reconciled with the saint of today’s almost global imagination? Are we dealing, in both cases, with the same Francis?
This course aims to examine the two most recent biographies, published by different authors – one a historian and the other a writer and popularizer – seeking, through the testimony of the available sources, to investigate how Francis’s contemporary image has been “constructed” in the most recent books of our time, the aims these works pursue, and the relationship they establish with historical knowledge. The course has a seminar format and alternates between lectures and student contributions, interpretations, and points of view. For this reason, students are required to obtain the reference books from the outset (Barbero, Cazzullo and Fonti Francescane).
Please note that the examination – during which students’ knowledge of the required readings and of the topics discussed in class will be assessed – also includes a short research paper on a subject related to the course (for example, other well-known biographies), to be agreed upon with the instructor. The paper should be approximately ten to twenty pages in length and must include footnotes and a final bibliography. It must be submitted by email to the instructor (raimondo.michetti@uniroma3.it) about five days before the examination session the student intends to attend.
Only students who have never taken an examination in medieval history are required to add a general medieval history textbook, which will also be part of the examination syllabus: Medioevo. I caratteri originali di un'età di transizione, by G. Vitolo (Sansoni, 2000).
Testi Adottati
Alessandro Barbero, San Francesco, Laterza, 2025Aldo Cazzullo, Francesco. Il primo italiano, Harper Collins, 2025
Fonti Francescane, Terza edizione rivista e aggiornata, Editrici Francescane, Padova, 2011
Modalità Valutazione
Oral exam
scheda docente
materiale didattico
On the eighth centenary of the death of Francis of Assisi, numerous biographies and scholarly studies have been published –and many more are forthcoming – devoted to the figure of the saint of Assisi, often as if his story were being addressed for the first time. In reality, between the nineteenth and the twenty-first centuries we have witnessed a vast proliferation of publications seeking to illuminate his historical figure, as though it were particularly difficult to grasp him within his biographical, intellectual, and contextual coordinates. Is this truly an objective difficulty, or do historians themselves also participate in a kind of historical-erudite cult that pertains more to the myth of Francis than to his history?
The study of Francis of Assisi through the sources constitutes an absolutely original and almost unique case study for understanding how a medieval figure can enter into dialogue with a contemporary mythical icon – one that presents Francis as the saint of peace, poverty, ecology, interreligious dialogue, and care for the marginalized, among other ideals – adapting to and interpreting certain contradictions or variations characteristic of our own time. Francis of Assisi is, in fact, the most famous Italian saint in the world, enjoying devotion and sympathy not only among believers but also among non-believers and adherents of other religions. How can the biographical history of a man who lived in the thirteenth century be reconciled with the saint of today’s almost global imagination? Are we dealing, in both cases, with the same Francis?
This course aims to examine the two most recent biographies, published by different authors – one a historian and the other a writer and popularizer – seeking, through the testimony of the available sources, to investigate how Francis’s contemporary image has been “constructed” in the most recent books of our time, the aims these works pursue, and the relationship they establish with historical knowledge. The course has a seminar format and alternates between lectures and student contributions, interpretations, and points of view. For this reason, students are required to obtain the reference books from the outset (Barbero, Cazzullo and Fonti Francescane).
Please note that the examination – during which students’ knowledge of the required readings and of the topics discussed in class will be assessed – also includes a short research paper on a subject related to the course (for example, other well-known biographies), to be agreed upon with the instructor. The paper should be approximately ten to twenty pages in length and must include footnotes and a final bibliography. It must be submitted by email to the instructor (raimondo.michetti@uniroma3.it) about five days before the examination session the student intends to attend.
Only students who have never taken an examination in medieval history are required to add a general medieval history textbook, which will also be part of the examination syllabus: Medioevo. I caratteri originali di un'età di transizione, by G. Vitolo (Sansoni, 2000).
Aldo Cazzullo, Francesco. Il primo italiano, Harper Collins, 2025
Fonti Francescane, Terza edizione rivista e aggiornata, Editrici Francescane, Padova, 2011
Mutuazione: 20710735 Religione, società e culture nel Medioevo in Storia e società LM-84 R MICHETTI RAIMONDO
Programma
How Should We Study Francis of Assisi?On the eighth centenary of the death of Francis of Assisi, numerous biographies and scholarly studies have been published –and many more are forthcoming – devoted to the figure of the saint of Assisi, often as if his story were being addressed for the first time. In reality, between the nineteenth and the twenty-first centuries we have witnessed a vast proliferation of publications seeking to illuminate his historical figure, as though it were particularly difficult to grasp him within his biographical, intellectual, and contextual coordinates. Is this truly an objective difficulty, or do historians themselves also participate in a kind of historical-erudite cult that pertains more to the myth of Francis than to his history?
The study of Francis of Assisi through the sources constitutes an absolutely original and almost unique case study for understanding how a medieval figure can enter into dialogue with a contemporary mythical icon – one that presents Francis as the saint of peace, poverty, ecology, interreligious dialogue, and care for the marginalized, among other ideals – adapting to and interpreting certain contradictions or variations characteristic of our own time. Francis of Assisi is, in fact, the most famous Italian saint in the world, enjoying devotion and sympathy not only among believers but also among non-believers and adherents of other religions. How can the biographical history of a man who lived in the thirteenth century be reconciled with the saint of today’s almost global imagination? Are we dealing, in both cases, with the same Francis?
This course aims to examine the two most recent biographies, published by different authors – one a historian and the other a writer and popularizer – seeking, through the testimony of the available sources, to investigate how Francis’s contemporary image has been “constructed” in the most recent books of our time, the aims these works pursue, and the relationship they establish with historical knowledge. The course has a seminar format and alternates between lectures and student contributions, interpretations, and points of view. For this reason, students are required to obtain the reference books from the outset (Barbero, Cazzullo and Fonti Francescane).
Please note that the examination – during which students’ knowledge of the required readings and of the topics discussed in class will be assessed – also includes a short research paper on a subject related to the course (for example, other well-known biographies), to be agreed upon with the instructor. The paper should be approximately ten to twenty pages in length and must include footnotes and a final bibliography. It must be submitted by email to the instructor (raimondo.michetti@uniroma3.it) about five days before the examination session the student intends to attend.
Only students who have never taken an examination in medieval history are required to add a general medieval history textbook, which will also be part of the examination syllabus: Medioevo. I caratteri originali di un'età di transizione, by G. Vitolo (Sansoni, 2000).
Testi Adottati
Alessandro Barbero, San Francesco, Laterza, 2025Aldo Cazzullo, Francesco. Il primo italiano, Harper Collins, 2025
Fonti Francescane, Terza edizione rivista e aggiornata, Editrici Francescane, Padova, 2011
Modalità Valutazione
Oral exam
scheda docente
materiale didattico
On the eighth centenary of the death of Francis of Assisi, numerous biographies and scholarly studies have been published –and many more are forthcoming – devoted to the figure of the saint of Assisi, often as if his story were being addressed for the first time. In reality, between the nineteenth and the twenty-first centuries we have witnessed a vast proliferation of publications seeking to illuminate his historical figure, as though it were particularly difficult to grasp him within his biographical, intellectual, and contextual coordinates. Is this truly an objective difficulty, or do historians themselves also participate in a kind of historical-erudite cult that pertains more to the myth of Francis than to his history?
The study of Francis of Assisi through the sources constitutes an absolutely original and almost unique case study for understanding how a medieval figure can enter into dialogue with a contemporary mythical icon – one that presents Francis as the saint of peace, poverty, ecology, interreligious dialogue, and care for the marginalized, among other ideals – adapting to and interpreting certain contradictions or variations characteristic of our own time. Francis of Assisi is, in fact, the most famous Italian saint in the world, enjoying devotion and sympathy not only among believers but also among non-believers and adherents of other religions. How can the biographical history of a man who lived in the thirteenth century be reconciled with the saint of today’s almost global imagination? Are we dealing, in both cases, with the same Francis?
This course aims to examine the two most recent biographies, published by different authors – one a historian and the other a writer and popularizer – seeking, through the testimony of the available sources, to investigate how Francis’s contemporary image has been “constructed” in the most recent books of our time, the aims these works pursue, and the relationship they establish with historical knowledge. The course has a seminar format and alternates between lectures and student contributions, interpretations, and points of view. For this reason, students are required to obtain the reference books from the outset (Barbero, Cazzullo and Fonti Francescane).
Please note that the examination – during which students’ knowledge of the required readings and of the topics discussed in class will be assessed – also includes a short research paper on a subject related to the course (for example, other well-known biographies), to be agreed upon with the instructor. The paper should be approximately ten to twenty pages in length and must include footnotes and a final bibliography. It must be submitted by email to the instructor (raimondo.michetti@uniroma3.it) about five days before the examination session the student intends to attend.
Only students who have never taken an examination in medieval history are required to add a general medieval history textbook, which will also be part of the examination syllabus: Medioevo. I caratteri originali di un'età di transizione, by G. Vitolo (Sansoni, 2000).
Aldo Cazzullo, Francesco. Il primo italiano, Harper Collins, 2025
Fonti Francescane, Terza edizione rivista e aggiornata, Editrici Francescane, Padova, 2011
Mutuazione: 20710735 Religione, società e culture nel Medioevo in Storia e società LM-84 R MICHETTI RAIMONDO
Programma
How Should We Study Francis of Assisi?On the eighth centenary of the death of Francis of Assisi, numerous biographies and scholarly studies have been published –and many more are forthcoming – devoted to the figure of the saint of Assisi, often as if his story were being addressed for the first time. In reality, between the nineteenth and the twenty-first centuries we have witnessed a vast proliferation of publications seeking to illuminate his historical figure, as though it were particularly difficult to grasp him within his biographical, intellectual, and contextual coordinates. Is this truly an objective difficulty, or do historians themselves also participate in a kind of historical-erudite cult that pertains more to the myth of Francis than to his history?
The study of Francis of Assisi through the sources constitutes an absolutely original and almost unique case study for understanding how a medieval figure can enter into dialogue with a contemporary mythical icon – one that presents Francis as the saint of peace, poverty, ecology, interreligious dialogue, and care for the marginalized, among other ideals – adapting to and interpreting certain contradictions or variations characteristic of our own time. Francis of Assisi is, in fact, the most famous Italian saint in the world, enjoying devotion and sympathy not only among believers but also among non-believers and adherents of other religions. How can the biographical history of a man who lived in the thirteenth century be reconciled with the saint of today’s almost global imagination? Are we dealing, in both cases, with the same Francis?
This course aims to examine the two most recent biographies, published by different authors – one a historian and the other a writer and popularizer – seeking, through the testimony of the available sources, to investigate how Francis’s contemporary image has been “constructed” in the most recent books of our time, the aims these works pursue, and the relationship they establish with historical knowledge. The course has a seminar format and alternates between lectures and student contributions, interpretations, and points of view. For this reason, students are required to obtain the reference books from the outset (Barbero, Cazzullo and Fonti Francescane).
Please note that the examination – during which students’ knowledge of the required readings and of the topics discussed in class will be assessed – also includes a short research paper on a subject related to the course (for example, other well-known biographies), to be agreed upon with the instructor. The paper should be approximately ten to twenty pages in length and must include footnotes and a final bibliography. It must be submitted by email to the instructor (raimondo.michetti@uniroma3.it) about five days before the examination session the student intends to attend.
Only students who have never taken an examination in medieval history are required to add a general medieval history textbook, which will also be part of the examination syllabus: Medioevo. I caratteri originali di un'età di transizione, by G. Vitolo (Sansoni, 2000).
Testi Adottati
Alessandro Barbero, San Francesco, Laterza, 2025Aldo Cazzullo, Francesco. Il primo italiano, Harper Collins, 2025
Fonti Francescane, Terza edizione rivista e aggiornata, Editrici Francescane, Padova, 2011
Modalità Valutazione
Oral exam