The Middle Ages

Your first assignment will be to investigate the middle ages. This gives us a backdrop to many of the critical developments that define modern European history. Our first conversation will be about Christianity and the church. No such thing as sep of church and state. This is also pre-reformation. There is no such thing as toleration for "other" understandings of how Christianity was to be practiced.

How would you evaluate the papacy's grip on European politics, economy, and culture in the 13c and 14c?

What were the issues at stake in the controversies between Pope Boniface VIII and the king of France?

Why was Dante's Divine Comedy considered to be a synthesis of the medieval world view?


You can look these topic up in Speilvogel. Record them as notes and then we will have a conversation on the topic in the blog.

Opening Act July

Ok kids...a blogging we will go. Yes, 21st Century communication has arrived in my class. No doubt we can make some good use out of blogger. How? Share ideas...have discussion...view sources...make fun of the things we say in class. Serisously I could not have picked a better assembly of kids to spend 9 months with working on an amazing topic.

First thing is first. I want you to confirm you accessed this blog and have a password / login. The next entry will have the first set of questions you need to address. You should have your book now. Please use a user name that we can identify too. I will be mark z. I want you to record your responses in a notebook of some sort...and then we will follow up with a blog conversation. The blog will allow us to self assess, raise questions, examine primary sources....as mentioned above. So your first entry should be to remark with a "just testing" to this posting. Thanks. MZ