Empire: Introduction to Ancient and Medieval Studies
Three empires anchor this MIT OpenCourseWare offering: Rome under Augustus, the Frankish empire of Charlemagne, and England during the Hundred Years War. Students work across disciplines, examining primary sources, chronicles, and material evidence to trace how imperial power was built, justified, and contested over roughly a thousand years. The course is structured around identifying continuities and changes between ancient and medieval societies rather than treating them as separate fields. This capture reflects the syllabus as taught in 2012, with readings and assignments drawn from history and literature. Materials include the syllabus, reading lists, and assignments as published by MIT OpenCourseWare, free to access with no certificate offered. It suits students wanting a comparative introduction to empire as a political and cultural structure rather than a single-civilization survey.