Most weeks there will be lectures on Mondays and Wednesdays and discussions on Fridays. Lectures are based on the assumption that the required reading has been done. Though at times lectures will reiterate reading assignments, most class presentations will expand upon certain topics and introduce new ones. Five sets of documents dealing with important problems of the period along with websites, several films, and the books will provide the basis for class discussion. Discussions will sometimes occur in class and sometimes on-line.

The conversation about websites, books, films, and primary sources is a crucial element of the course. Critical reading and reflection are important skills for individual students to take from courses; as well, the discourse among class members--both in class and in cyberspace--will be vital to the intellectual development of all of us involved with the course.

Thus my expecation is that each member of the class participates in each discussion. This means that you read or view the assigned text and reflect on it prior to the time set aside for discussion.

Because of the importance of this element of the course, each student will be graded for each discussion. Depending upon the quality of the contribution, the grade will range between A and B. A silent presence will be graded as a C, and an absence will be marked down as F.

There are examinations scheduled for October 3, October 31, and December 10 (Finals Week). Exams will be take-home (see below), and will weigh equally in determining the course grade. During the semester there will also be four short papers assigned, one based upon a documentary problem, one dealing with Seaver's Wallington's World, a third examining the life and times of an English monarch and the fourth a critical review of Braveheart (see Papers).

The course grade will be based upon the following determination:

		3 examinations	40%
		4 papers	40%
		discussion	20%

Required Texts:
			Kenneth O. Morgan, The Oxford History of Britain
			Frank Barlow, Thomas Becket
			Judith Bennett, A Medieval Life
			Caroline Litzenberger, The English Reformation and the Laity
			Garrett Mattingly, The Armada
			Paul Seaver, Wallington's World

Document Packets (to be distributed with course pack or available on the Web):

		#1 Early English Christianity
		#2 Magna Carta
		#3 The Peasants' Rebellion
		#4 Medieval London
		#5 Plague and Fire

Films:

• Adventures of Robin Hood
• Braveheart
• Man for All Seasons