HIS 246 There and Back Again

This course examines the movement of people, goods, and ideas in the Middle Ages, both within Europe and to/from the rest of the world. In addition to travel narratives such as Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta, this class examines religious pilgrimages, both penitential and voluntary, as well as established trade routes, from the Silk Road to the Hanseatic League. Not all journeys were physical: holy men and women made otherworldly mystical journeys and ghostly visitors warned of the horrors of purgatory. While some journeys were enriching, bringing scientific, medical, and technological advancements to Europe, others were destructive, such as the military expeditions of the Crusades. Though globalization is a buzzword of the modern world, connections and exchange enriched medieval society as well. World Culture (Western) component of the International Perspective. Noncredit for students who completed HIS 286 There and Back Again.