A general introduction on : the making of Western and Eastern Christianity; political ideology and religious life in Byzantium; icons, saints, asceticism and monastic life. To be followed by increasing concentration on : Ottoman religious policy in the Balkans; Mehmed II's policies around and after the conquest of Constantinople; the making of the patriarchate and the millet system; Christians and Jews in Ottoman society; Mount Athos, other monasteries and monastic networks, and their interactions with Istanbul as well as local society in the Balkans. Requirements : a major research paper of around 30 pages. Counts towards fulfilling the seminar requirement in History.
