070128 PS BA-Proseminar - Social Media in the Post Roman World (2022S)

Course Description:

This course will explore the transformation of social life in the post-Roman world of the Mediterranean and surrounding regions from the fifth through to the eighth centuries. The political and social changes of this period had a lasting effect on the broad variety of social networks that defined the lives of individuals. These networks will be examined from the perspective of the dominant social media of the time: primarily letters, but also including other forms of literature and art. As well this course will provide an introduction to modern epistolographic theory and discussions regarding letters and letter writing as an ancient and medieval genre. It is hoped that the course will provide an introduction to the vibrant social world of the period between antiquity and the middle ages and the social institutions that bound it together. By using the framework of “social media,” which has very strong modern connotations, students will be encouraged to look beyond the ideal lives often portrayed by our sources and see the very real human lives that underlie them.
The course will follow a broad chronological approach with the first half dealing with the period of late antiquity from the fifth to the middle of the sixth century, and the second half with the early middle ages up until the end of the eighth century—however some topics may cross this boundary where necessary. Major themes explored will include: ancient and early medieval friendship, politeness and etiquette in writing, religious networks, kinship, group identities such as gender and class, patronage, diplomacy, and the practicalities of communication.

Learning Outcomes:

In addition to providing an overview to the period and the social dynamics that defined it students will be introduced to a broad base of theoretical approaches particularly from the fields of social history, epistolography, network science, and critical theory. Students will be asked to explore a range of source materials including, letters, hagiography, panegyrics, and chronicles and to discuss them critically. Finally, students will be asked to critique, through the assessed course journals, a selection of studies on topics discussed in class in order to show their understanding of the main themes and theoretical approaches of the course.