Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Women in Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern Europe (Online)

HIST 4600-30I

Course: HIST 4600-30I
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: HSOC
CRN: 32335

Course Description

3 Credit(s)

Examines the roles, status, treatment, and experiences of women, as well as cultural attitudes about gender, from antiquity through early modern Europe, including the study of witch-hunts. (Fall) [Graded (Standard Letter)]

Required Texts

Bridenthal, Stuard, Wiesner, eds., Becoming Visible: Women in European History, 3rd ed. (Boston, 1998; Brian Levack, The Witch-hunt in Early Modern Europe , 4th ed.(London, 2019); Alcuin Blamires, ed., Woman Defamed and Woman Defended:  An Anthology of Medieval Texts (Oxford, 1992)

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • 1) Analyze written artifacts (primary sources) to gain insight into the treatment and status of women in the specified time frame
  • 2) Determine and evaluate social and cultural factors that shaped or contributed to the formation of female gender constructs
  • 3) Delineate and explain the causes of the European early modern witch-hunts
  • 4) Demonstrate analytical, research, and writing skills in discussions and informative assignments.

Course Requirements

Course Procedure
This course unfolds simply.  Begin by reading the first chapter in Bridenthal et al., Becoming Visible, "Women of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia," by Lesko.  Next, access Quiz 1 (all quizzes and discussions are in Modules), focusing on that chapter.  Due dates for quizzes and discussions are indicated in their respective Module sections.  After taking quiz 1, read chapter 2, "Daughters of Demeter:  Women in Classical Greece," by Katz in Becoming Visible.  No quiz on this chapter.  Quizzes 2-9, due dates in Modules, correlate to chapters 3 through 8 in Becoming Visible; note that quizzes 2 and 3 are based on chapter 3 on Roman women by McNamara, followed by quiz 4 on Bitel's chapter, then quizzes 5 and 6 on Stuard's superb chapter 5 in Becoming Visible.  Quiz 7 is on Levin's chapter about women in the European Renaissance; quiz 8 focuses on Karant-Nunn's chapter about women in the Reformation era.  The last chapter to be read in Becoming Visible is by Wiesner-Hanks, her chapter 8, "Spinning Out Capital," corresponds to quiz 9.  The instructions for quizzes 2 and 3 and quizzes 5 and 6, indicate the page divisions to be read for the respective quizzes.

Having finished our study of information provided in Becoming Visible, we move on to the early modern witch-hunts in Europe.  For this horrendous period, we will glean information from Levack's, The Witch-hunt in Early Modern Europe.  His first chapter, "Introduction," full of interesting information, supplies the statements for quiz 10.  Chapter 2, "The Intellectual Foundations," relates to quiz 11 and chapter 3, "The Legal Foundations," to quiz 12.  The last quiz, 13, is based on information in Levack's chapter 5, "The Social Context."

To this point, I have indicated chapters in our textbooks and corresponding quizzes based on secondary sources.  My favorite focus of study, my passion (forgive the dramatics), is the investigation of primary sources.  All discussions focus on primary sources to be read in conjunction with the relevant secondary sources.  These sources are in Blamires, ed., Woman Defamed and Woman Defended, or in the digitized handouts located in Modules. The dates for these discussions are indicated in Modules; their due dates come after the chapter quiz on the primary source's time period. For example, the discussion on Luther's text comes after the chapter quiz on Karant-Nunn's essay on women and the Reformations in the first half of the sixteenth century.

Course Outline

See the "course requirements" above.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late Policy:  After a 1-hour grace period that follows the specified time a quiz or discussion response is due, for each additional hour a discussion or a quiz is submitted late, 3 points will be deducted from the assignment's score.
Make-Up Work/Extra Credit:  Make-up work is accepted only when an extension is granted.   Extensions are not granted after an assignment is due, except in exceptional circumstances.  "Exceptional" in this case is defined as unexpected illness, an accident of some kind (I hope not), a family emergency, or some other incident or situation I deem 'exceptional.'  Overlooking a due date or an unexpected change in a schedule are not "exceptional circumstances."  If you inform me of an upcoming event or some other situation that will impact completing an assignment before its due date, in all likelihood, an extension is granted.
No extra credit points, except those available in assignments, are offered.

Attendance Policy

As this is an online course, attendance is not monitored.

Course Fees

There is a $15 fee for online courses.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.