LIBR 284-03
LIBR 284-12
Seminar in Archives and Records Management
Medieval Manuscripts

Dr. Linda Main
E-mail
Office: Clark Hall 420B (San José)
Phone: 408-924-2494
Office Hours: Virtually by e-mail, in person by appointment

The access code for the Angel site will be sent via the MySJSU messaging system to those enrolled in the class on the 22nd August. The Angel site will open for self-enrollment on the 25th August. 

Course Description

This course will focus on both codicology-the study of all aspects of the making of medieval manuscripts and paleography – the study of scripts and writing used in medieval manuscripts.

The main focus is Western Europe in the period between 500AD and 1500AD

Course Prerequisites: LIBR 200, 202, 204 required. Other prerequisites may be added depending on content.

Course Objectives

At the completion of this section students will understand the:

• Context of manuscript production and the people involved
• Terminology employed to describe the elements, styles, and forms of manuscripts and manuscript llumination
• Physical processes and techniques employed and in particular:
  • How designed
  • Why illuminated
  • How illuminated
  • Parchment, pens, layout of text, illumination, decoration
• The types of text encountered
• Scripts used in writing medieval manuscripts

LIBR 284 supports the following SLIS Core Competencies:

• Use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information;
• Understand the system of standards and methods used to control and create information structures and apply basic principles involved in the organization and representation of knowledge.

Top of Page

Course Requirements

Course Modules
The course will be taught as a series of modules. There will be six assignments associated with the modules. There will also be discussion items and a final exam that will be held via Angel.

• 25th August -8th September
  Module 1: The Medieval World
  Assignment One (10 points)
• 8th September-6th October
  Module II: Codicology: The physical making of manuscripts
  Assignment Two (15 points)
  Assignment Three (15 points)
• 6th October-3rd November
• Module III: Paleography: Scripts and Writing
  Assignment Four (15 points)
  Assignment Five (15 points)
• 3rd November-24th November
  Module IV: Manuscript genres (15 points)
  Assignment Six

Assignments will be presented in a Web format via SLIS’s wikidot software

Final Exam
Held via Angel between 7pm-7:45pm PST on Wednesday 1st December (10 points)

Discussions
Discussions on Angel (5 points)

Note: There will be no rounding up of points

Late Assignments
Late assignments will not be accepted. If you have an illness (medical certificate supplied) or a family tragedy please contact the instructor.

Incompletes
No incompletes will be awarded.

Textbooks and Software

Instructional Materials
Instructional materials will be available each week. We will also have access  to  passworded Web-based videos on the Making of a Medieval Manuscript and the Medieval Scriptorium and to a passworded version of Ductus: Digital Paleography.

Recommended Textbook:

• Alexander, J. J. G. (1994). Medieval Illuminators and Their Methods of Work. Yale. Available through Amazon: 0300060734.

• Brown, M. E. (1994). Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms. J. Paul Getty Museum and British Library. Available through Amazon: 0892362170

• Brown, M. P. (1998). The British Library Guide to Writing and Scripts. British Library. Available through Amazon: 080208172X

• De Hamel, C. (1986). A History of Illuminated Manuscripts (2nd ed.). Phaidon. Available through Amazon: 0714834521.

• De Hamel, C. (2001). The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination. British Library. Available through Amazon: 0802081738

Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

• C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
• B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work;
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation.  You must repeat the class the following semester. If -on the second attempt- you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  
• A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

General Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities of the Student

As members of the academic community, students accept both the rights and responsibilities incumbent upon all members of the institution. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with SJSU's policies and practices pertaining to the procedures to follow if and when questions or concerns about a class arises. See University Policy S90-5 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S90-5.pdf. More detailed information on a variety of related topics is available in the SJSU catalog at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/LIS.html. In general, it is recommended that students begin by seeking clarification or discussing concerns with their instructor. If such conversation is not possible, or if it does not serve to address the issue, it is recommended that the student contact the Department Chair as a next step.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester's Catalog Policies section at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.

Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.

Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material

University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain instructor's permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the syllabus:

• "Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor's permission to make audio or video recordings in this class. Such permission allows the recordings to be used for your private, study purposes only. The recordings are the intellectual property of the instructor; you have not been given any rights to reproduce or distribute the material."
  • It is suggested that the syllabus include the instructor's process for granting permission, whether in writing or orally and whether for the whole semester or on a class by class basis.
  • In classes where active participation of students or guests may be on the recording, permission of those students or guests should be obtained as well.
• "Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes, or homework solutions without instructor consent."

Academic integrity

Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University. The University Academic Integrity Policy F15-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F15-7.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.

Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center (AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to access PDF files.

More accessibility resources.