Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE LAS1041

 
TITLE Malta: People and History 1

 
UM LEVEL I - Introductory Level

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences

 
DESCRIPTION This Unit will give students a coherent overview of the continuities and changes that characterize the history of Malta and its people over the centuries. The Unit will be of interest to native Maltese as it will help to fill in gaps in their knowledge and challenge received ideas and assumptions by presenting the latest scientific research. It will also be of interest to expats living in Malta who wish to better understand the past of these islands in order to make sense of their present. No prior knowledge is required - just a willingness and enthusiasm to learn.

The Unit will commence with an introductory lecture which will tackle the range and variety of themes to be presented in the following sessions; this will serve as a 'road-map' for students as it will provide the bearings necessary for them to meander through a rich, complex and evocative past.

Malta: People and History 1 will present an overview from prehistory to 1798, with each session being presented by an expert in that particular field. Students will therefore gain a good understanding of the main events and themes in Maltese history. The lectures are organized in a chronological sequence, but there is a strong thematic element running throughout. There will be a field trip/s to archives (to be organised in due course in consultation with students).

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the Unit the student will be able to:
- better appreciate and understand various phases in Maltese history;
- proceed with greater ease to the study of specific areas in Maltese history such as art, architecture, culture, politics and society;
- know how to go about approaching an archive in order to do research;
- understand and appreciate the intricacies of historical research and historiography.

2. Skills:

By the end of the Unit the student will be able to:
- engage in more meaningful conversation and discussion on various aspects of Maltese history;
- transmit a better understanding of Maltese history to others, including visitors to the islands;
- engage critically with works on Maltese history;
- show an awareness that there are divergent points-of-view about history as a discipline and the past as a category of analysis.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:

- Blouet, B., The story of Malta, (several editions, latest 2004).
- Bonanno, A., Malta. Phoenician, Punic, and Roman. Midsea Books, Malta, 2005.
- Gambin, T. and Azzopardi, E., Archaeology and the Sea in the Maltese islands, Midsea Books, Malta, 2012.
- Trump, D. H., Malta: Prehistory and Temples, Midsea Books, Malta, 2002.
- Dalli, C., Malta: The Medieval Millenium, Midsea, Malta, 2006.
- Buttigieg, E., Nobility, Faith and Masculinity. The Hospitaller Knights of Malta, c.1580-c.1700, Continuum, London and New York, 2011.
- Mallia-Milanes, V. (ed.), Hospitaller Malta: studies on early modern Malta and the Order of St John of Jerusalem, Mireva, Malta, 1993.

Supplementary Readings:

- Bonanno, A., ‘The lure of the islands: Malta’s first Neolithic colonizers’, in Nellie Phoca-Cosmetatou (ed.), The First Mediterranean Islanders: initial occupation and survival strategies, Oxford University School of Archaeology, Oxford, 2001, pp. 145-156.
- Bruno, B., Roman and Byzantine Malta: trade and economy (trans. G. Cutajar, with P.J. Hudson). Midsea, Malta, 2009.
- Cilia, D. (ed.), Malta before History, Miranda, Malta, 2004.
- Cini, C. and Borg, J. (eds), The Maritime History of Malta: the first millennia. Salesians of Don Bosco, Heritage Malta, Malta, 2011.
- Frendo, A. J. (ed.), ‘Malta and the Phoenician World’ (multiple articles there), Journal of Mediterranean Studies, 3, 1993, pp. 169-290.
- Frendo, A. J. and Vella, N. C., ‘Les îles phéniciennes du milieu de la mer’, Dossiers d'Archéologie 267, 2001, pp. 46-55.
- Markoe, G., Phoenicians, British Museum Press, London, 2002.
- Tanasi, D. and Vella, N. C. (eds), Site, artefacts, landscape: prehistoric Borġ in-Nadur, Polimetrica, Malta-Monza, 2011.
- Cassar, C., Society, culture and identity in early modern Malta, Malta, Mireva, 2000.
- Ciappara, F., Society and the Inquisition in early modern Malta, Malta, PEG, 2001.
- Freller, T., Malta and the Grand Tour, Midsea, Malta, 2009.
- Wettinger, G., The Jews of Malta in the late Middle Ages, Malta, Midsea Books, 1985.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Fieldwork

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM1 Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Joan Abela
Anthony Bonanno
Emanuel Buttigieg
Charles Dalli
Timothy Gambin
Nicholas Vella
Abigail Zammit

 

 
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The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit