Abelard and Heloise, Letters, in Love, Marriage and Family in the Middle Ages: A Reader, ed. J. Murray, 134-
147
According to her letters to Abelard, how did Heloise feel about their relationship?
Or…
Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias, in Love, Marriage and Family in the Middle Ages: A Reader, ed. J. Murray, ch. 24
According to Hildegard of Bingen, what is purpose of marriage, and why?
Or…
Meg Bogin, The Women Troubadours, 82-117, selected poems
How are these poems different from or similar to the work of Ibn Hazm?
General Instructions for Weekly Response Papers
Each week, you will write a short response paper on one of the primary sources assigned for that week. These
papers are due at the beginning of class. Your weekly response papers should be 500-750 words – please list
the word count at the end of the paper.
I’m mainly interested in how well you understand the primary source texts, not the background readings. Your
papers should demonstrate a close reading of the texts—a serious attempt to understand those texts and the
ideas contained therein, and carefulness in writing and expressing your own thoughts.
Each response paper should contain the following 2 parts:
Part 1: A very brief summary of ONE of the primary sources. This should be no more than a sentence or two,
and set apart from the main body of the response paper.
Part 2: An analysis of the primary source you select that answers one of the questions asked for that text. This
is the main focus of the response papers. Please make sure to answer the question I am asking, and explain
what you find to be significant in this text, and why. Please do not merely summarize or describe the text.
Optional:
If you wish, you can conclude with a sentence or two of what you find interesting or noteworthy about the text.
This is an extension of element no. 2, above, and allows for you to give your own opinion about the text and
what lessons it can impart.