HIS4217 – History of the World in the Year 1000
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This course poses the question to what degree, or if at all, we may understand the world as it existed in 1000 as global. Did globalization begin only in the eurocentrically labelled "Age of Discovery around 1500, or does the phenomenon have deeper roots? In order to focus our attention and make a wide geographical approach possible, we will study the world at one moment in history, the turn of the first millennium, which we will understand loosely as encompassing a century or two on either side of 1000. To further help us organize our explorations, we will study six long-distance encounters and twelve individual locations. Overarching themes include resources, communications, and impacts. The course affords you the opportunity to research and synthesize the global history of a period over a millennium ago.
In our work, you will encounter Arab travelers visiting sub-Saharan Africa, India, Europe, and northern China, just as Chinese and Indian ships carried large quantities of luxury goods to many Indian Ocean ports. At the turn of the first millennium, the Silk Road connected Asian and European civilizations. Scandinavians raided the rest of Europe as Vikings at the same time as they settled not only Iceland and Greenland, but also constructed homesteads on Newfoundland (now in Canada). Settlers in eastern Europe sought to control overland communications to and from Asia. The Maya traded chocolate for turquoise from New Mexico, and gold came to Meso-America from Panama and/or Colombia.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master`s Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Recommended previous knowledge
To take this course students have to have a basic understanding of the historian’s craft, which includes the ability to find and read research relevant historiographical literature and to identify and analyze primary sources. A good ability to read and understand English is also required.
Teaching
The course is taught in seminars, where the students will be active participants. Students are expected to prepare the seminar readings for discussion and to contribute orally to the course. Students will also be divided into small working groups to fulfil a set of assignments before and during class meetings.
Compulsory assignments:
- Group presentation of a source, orally and in writing.
- Individual presentation of a place, orally and in writing in the World Fact Book 1000.
- Group presentation of a resource/trade good, orally and in writing
Resources and information will be provided via Canvas
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
The course is assessed by a term paper on an encounter, the places and trade goods involved, and its longterm consequences. The term paper should consist of maximum 5000 words, including footnotes. The bibliography is not included in the word count.
The reference style Chicago A is required.
Quotations and extracts must be translated into the written language of the exam. The original quotations must be included in footnotes.
Submission of assignment:
- You submit your term paper in Inspera.
- The file must be submitted in pdf-format and we stress that the student is responsible for making sure that the files are readable. If you need assistance in converting your file into pdf, we recommend that you follow these instructions.
- The students are responsible to make sure that the documents are complete upon submitting them in Inspera. The submissions will be assessed in the form by which they are uploaded by the students. Unreadable or incomplete documents are assessed as they are.
Language of examination
You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.