楽しい歴史！：中世、暗くても興味深い時代。

This 4-week interactive class is an in-depth introduction to Medieval history. The middle ages, sandwiched between the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, is full of surprises, amusing facts, and shockingly, not as dark as we often think! 

We'll meet once a week for a fun and interactive lesson with images, videos, games, and lectures. We'll find answers to questions like: What was the role of the church in Medieval Europe? How did rats change the course of history? What was "La Reconquista"? What were the Crusades? We'll also discover the main thing that plebeians, knights, and kings had in common. And, we'll learn more than you ever wished to know about chamberpots, mice fur (ackkk!), and eagle poop (what?). 

This class does not require any prerequisite learning.

We'll cover: 
Week I:  Early Middle Ages: Charlemagne, the geography + the people of Europe, and the influence of the Holy Roman Empire.
Week II:  Kingdoms, Feudalism + the Rise of Towns: the economy, social structure, gender roles, and the lives of peasants.
Week III: The Crusades, Culture and the Church: William the Conqueror, Henry II, Monarchies in Frances and the Eastern States of the Slavs, European Crusaders, Architecture, universities, theology, language, literature. The effects of religion in society   
Week IV:  Late Middle Ages: famine, plagues, the Black Death in Europe, conflict in the church, divisions in politics, the hundred years' war, La Reconquista, 

By the end of the course students will be able to: 
-Explain how the geography of Europe shaped the development of cultures.
-Describe the role of the church in medieval Europe.
-Determine the role that architecture, education, literature, and religion played in the Middle Ages.
-Understand what feudalism was and why it became an important social structure. 
-Identify the causes and effects of the Crusades and the Reconquista.
-Understand the consequences of the Bubonic plague on European and world history.
-Analyze gender roles during the Middle Ages.

I can’t wait to see you in class!!!