L588: The History of the Book to 1450

Syllabus

Fall 2005

Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., Lilly Library

Instructor: Joel Silver (855-2452; e-mail "silverj@indiana.edu")

This is a course on the history of the manuscript and printed book, from their beginnings to approximately the year 1450. This is a very broad subject, and some topics will receive more coverage than others. Although there will be some coverage of the non-Western book, the overwhelming emphasis will be on the history of the book in the West, with a specific focus on the production, distribution, and use of manuscripts in medieval Europe.

Grading:

Grades will be based on two research papers and a take-home examination:

Research Paper no. 1: Due Wednesday, October 5. This paper will count 25% toward the final course grade.

Resarch Paper no. 2: Due Friday, December 2. This paper will count 40% toward the final course grade.

Take-home final examination. This examination will be distributed in class on Tuesday, November 15, and will be due on Tuesday, December 6. This examination will count 35% toward the final course grade.

Some of the books noted in the course schedule, including the book by Casson and the two books by De Hamel, are available for purchase at the Friends of Art Bookshop (Fine Arts 121). Course readings will be drawn from a variety of sources, including the following:

Casson: Lionel Casson. Libraries in the Ancient World. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001.

De Hamel: Christopher De Hamel. A History of Illuminated Manuscripts. Second edition. London: Phaidon, 1994.

----- Scribes and Illuminators. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1994.

Avrin: Leila Avrin. Scribes, Script and Books: The Book Arts from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Chicago and London: American Library Association and The British Library, 1991 (out of print).

Clanchy: M.D. Clanchy, From Memory to Written Record: England 1066-1307. Second Edition. Oxford: Blackwell, 1993.

Course Schedule:

The following assigned readings will form the basis for the topics covered during each class session. The assigned readings should be read before the class session for which they are assigned. Copies of all assigned articles and chapters from books will be on e-reserve or physical reserve at the SLIS Library, and the books themselves will be on physical reserve at the SLIS Library and/or the Lilly Library Reading Room. Unless otherwise noted, all references below to "De Hamel" relate to A History of Illuminated Manuscripts.

Tuesday, August 30: Introduction

Tuesday, September 6: Writing and the Book in the Ancient World

Casson: Read entire book

Tuesday, September 13: "Books for Missionaries"

De Hamel, introduction and chapter 1 (pp. 8-41)

De Hamel, Scribes and Illuminators. Read entire book

Tuesday, September 20: "Books for Emperors"

De Hamel, chapter 2 (pp. 42-73)

Tuesday, September 27: "Books for Monks"

De Hamel, chapter 3 (pp. 74-107)

Week of Tuesday, October 4: Writing and the Book in the Islamic World and the Far East

Please note: The class will not meet on Tuesday, October 4, but please try to attend one of the following two sessions (please let me know which session you can attend):

Thursday, October 6, 1-2:30 p.m., or Friday, October 7, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Avrin, chapter 11 (pp. 261-282)

Tuesday, October 11: No Class Meeting

Tuesday, October 18: No Class Meeting

Week of Tuesday, October 25: Writing and Documents in Medieval England

Please note: The class will not meet on Tuesday, October 25, but please try to attend one of the following two sessions (please let me know which session you can attend):

Thursday, October 27, 1-2:30 p.m., or 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Clanchy, chapter 4 (pp. 114-144)

Tuesday, November 1: "Books for Students"

De Hamel, chapter 4 (pp. 108-141)

Tuesday, November 8: "Books for Aristocrats"

De Hamel, chapter 5 (pp. 142-167).

Tuesday, November 15: "Books for Everybody"

De Hamel, chapter 6 (pp. 168-199)

Tuesday, November 22: Thanksgiving Holiday – No Class Meeting

Tuesday, November 29: "Books for Priests"

De Hamel, chapter 7 (pp. 200-231)

Tuesday, December 6: "Books for Collectors"

De Hamel, chapter 8 (pp 232 -257)

De Hamel, Christopher. Cutting up Manuscripts for Pleasure and Profit. Charlottesville: Book Arts Press, 1998. (On hold shelf at Lilly and on physical reserve at SLIS Library)

Academic Dishonesty and Grades at SLIS: All SLIS instructors have been asked to include the following information in their syllabi. Please take note of it.

Academic dishonesty

There is extensive documentation and discussion of the issue of academic dishonesty in the Indiana University "Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct". Of particular relevance is the section on plagiarism:

3. Plagiarism

A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, words, or statements of another person without appropriate acknowledgment. A student must give credit to the originality of others and acknowledge an indebtedness whenever he or she does any of the following:

a. Quotes another person's actual words, either oral or written;

b. Paraphrases another person's words, either oral or written;

c. Uses another person's idea, opinion, or theory; or

d. Borrows facts, statistics, or other illustrative material, unless the information is common knowledge.

From: http://www.dsa.indiana.edu/Code/index1.html

Indiana University and School of Library and Information Science policies on academic dishonesty will be followed. Students found to be engaging in plagiarism, cheating, and other types of dishonesty will receive an F for the course. As a rule of thumb, when in doubt, cite the source!

Grades at SLIS

The following definitions of letter grades have been defined by student and faculty members of the Committee on Improvement of Instruction and have been approved by the faculty (November 11,1996) as an aid in evaluation of academic performance and to assist students by giving them an understanding of the grading standards of the School of Library and Information Science: