For over eleven centuries, the Byzantine empire played a predominant role in the political, ecclesiastical and cultural developments in South-eastern Europe and Asia Minor. The course will use documentary sources to examine the Byzantine imperial ideology; the diplomatic policy of the Byzantine emperors; the political relations with the Latin West, including the crusades; the ecclesiastical relations with the Latin West including the causes, events and consequences of the Schism; the reaction to the political and military rise of neighbouring nations, namely Persians, Arabs, and Armenians; the impact of the settlement of the German peoples in Central and Western Europe, of the Slavs in the Balkans and of the Turks in Asia Minor.
Byzantium and Its Neighbours
This is an In-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Overview
Programme details
Course begins: 22nd Jan 2024
Week 1: Byzantine Empire: an Overview (geographical and chronological definition; peoples who lived in the empire; survey of documentary sources). Course requirements
Week 2: Imperial Ideology; Relations with the Germans and the Huns
Week 3: Relations with the Persians
Week 4: Relations with the Arabs
Week 5: Relations with the Armenians
Week 6: Relations with the Balkan Slavs
Week 7: Relations with the Russians
Week 8: Relations with the Turks
Week 9: Political relations with the Latin West
Week 10: Ecclesiastical Relations with the Latin West
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Availability of titles on the reading list (below) can be checked on SOLO, the library catalogue.
Preparatory reading
- Alexiad (tr. by E.R.A. Sewter) / Anna COMNENA
- De Administrado Imperio, trans. G. Moravcsik / Constantine PORPHYROGENITUS
- Byzantium and Venice, A Study in Diplomatic and Cultural Relations / Donald NICOL
- East and West: the making of a rift in the Church, from Apostolic times until the Council of Florence, / Henry CHADWICK
- Byzantium and the Crusades / Jonathan HARRIS.
- Arab-Byzantine Relations in Early Islamic Times / M. BONNER (ed.)
Digital Certification
To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £257.00 |
| Take this course for CATS points | £10.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Dr Aphrodite Papayianni
Aphrodite Papayianni holds a PhD in Byzantine History and teaches at the University of London and OUDCE. She has a particular interest in the Byzantine-Western relations and has published articles in various topics of Byzantine History.
Course aims
To provide a comprehensive introduction to various aspects of the relations between Byzantium and its neighbours.
Course Objectives:
- To provide an overview of the relations between Byzantium and its neighbours.
- To encourage an enquiring and analytical approach to various aspects of the diplomatic policies of Byzantium.
- To identify, use and interpret appropriate primary (documentary and visual) sources.
Teaching methods
A range of teaching and learning methods will be employed, including lectures followed by discussion, reading and interpreting documents. Students will be encouraged to undertake assignments.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- be able to evaluate aspects of the Byzantine external policy and identify its main characteristics;
- gain knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of the Byzantine diplomacy;
- be able to identify, interpret and evaluate a range of primary source materials.
Assessment methods
Assessment of learning will take place through the evaluation and marking of written assignments (essay; book review) of c.1500 words.
Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form
Application
To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).
Level and demands
Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.
To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.
Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.