Teacher(s)
Language
French
Prerequisites
The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| This seminar aims to develop the students' skills (research, reflection, critical thinking) through a long-term research work of real scientific relevance. | |
Content
This is a research seminar on primary sources. Each student will be requested to address a specific aspect of a common theme, within the research fields of the professor and relating to medieval history. Each student is invited to compare his/her results with those of the other students and to enrich his/her own work as the course and work progress. Theme and source material vary from one year to another. Past topics have included: "The ‘Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles’ at the court of the Dukes of Burgundy: faithful or biased reflection of society?"; "Relationship, sociability, material culture, religious sensitivity and socio-political structures: Nivelles in the fifteenth century. A town through its testaments" ; "Violence, honor and courage. Representations and experiences of violence through narrative sources of the late Middle Ages"; "The feodal levy in Walloon Brabant during the reign of Charles the Bold (1475)".
For the academic year 2026-27, the chosen theme will be: "The Changing Character of Late Medieval Warfare: Military Treatises and Memoirs between Theory and Practice". While embedded in the history of war, possible approaches will include chivalry, women's and gender history, court culture, literacy and material culture, including codicology, etc.
For the academic year 2026-27, the chosen theme will be: "The Changing Character of Late Medieval Warfare: Military Treatises and Memoirs between Theory and Practice". While embedded in the history of war, possible approaches will include chivalry, women's and gender history, court culture, literacy and material culture, including codicology, etc.
Teaching methods
The course takes the form of seminars, alternating joint sessions and individual work of the student based on literature and primary sources.
The professor will develop a research question and framework. The students will conduct bibliographical research and elaborate a state of the art. The seminar also includes supervised palaeographic initiation (in the case of original documents); critical editing of documents (if applicable); use of documents and historian argumentation; discussion sessions about the problems and results; writing of an individual piece of work.
The professor will develop a research question and framework. The students will conduct bibliographical research and elaborate a state of the art. The seminar also includes supervised palaeographic initiation (in the case of original documents); critical editing of documents (if applicable); use of documents and historian argumentation; discussion sessions about the problems and results; writing of an individual piece of work.
Evaluation methods
Final written paper, following the standards of academic writing (critical apparatus, footnotes, annexes, argumentation). The assessment also takes into account the students' participation in the discussions and an intermediate presentation of their results in an oral presentation.
The use of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, for the production of any written piece is strictly prohibited for this seminar.
For the preparation of written work or visual aids for oral presentations, any use of generative AI, other than those explicitly authorized in the course instructions, is prohibited and will be considered fraud under the terms of the RGEE.
In the event of suspected fraud, the lecturer may summon the student. In any case, the student must be able to demonstrate oral mastery of the content developed in their written work. In this case, failure in either of the two assessments is decisive (failure in the written or oral assessment results in failure of the entire assessment).
The use of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, for the production of any written piece is strictly prohibited for this seminar.
For the preparation of written work or visual aids for oral presentations, any use of generative AI, other than those explicitly authorized in the course instructions, is prohibited and will be considered fraud under the terms of the RGEE.
In the event of suspected fraud, the lecturer may summon the student. In any case, the student must be able to demonstrate oral mastery of the content developed in their written work. In this case, failure in either of the two assessments is decisive (failure in the written or oral assessment results in failure of the entire assessment).
Other information
The bibliographic handout of the “Heuristics of the Middle Ages” course (part of “Heuristics of the various periods of History” course) will be available.
Besides the University libraries, the students may have to visit different major documentary repositories nearby (such as the National Archives of Belgium and the Royal Library of Belgium) or within reasonable distance.
Attendance to the seminar sessions is mandatory.
Besides the University libraries, the students may have to visit different major documentary repositories nearby (such as the National Archives of Belgium and the Royal Library of Belgium) or within reasonable distance.
Attendance to the seminar sessions is mandatory.
Bibliography
La réalisation de la bibliographie, à partir d'amorces fournies par l'enseignant, fait partie intégrante du travail de l'étudiant-e.
Faculty or entity
