The Educational Potential of the PostNauka Website for Studying Medieval Western European History in Universities

Abstract

This article discusses the PostNauka’s educational potential for studying medieval Western European history and describes the main features distinguishing it from other e-learning projects. A new and widely distributing information culture has developed in humanities scholarship because of the rapid Internet evolution. Online research and educational resources have become an integral part of studying in universities, including historical ones. Among such resources, the PostNauka project stands out. It aims to provide access to solid data on a variety of ideas and concepts. Here, we classify and summarize its content on medieval history using the examples of several annotated indexes of the video lectures on the Middle Ages in Western Europe that are arranged based on the chronological, problem- and topic-related, cultural, and personal principles. Possible benefits from using the materials and courses of this project while studying medieval history and historiography are considered. The best ways to organize interaction during seminars on the historiography of the Middle Ages are singled out. The analysis shows that the PostNauka’s lectures are both popular and reliable because of the professionalism of the lecturers who cover a range of urgent topics by telling gripping and evidence-based stories at convenient timing. The conclusion is made that using the PostNauka’s materials for studying is a good chance to gain stable knowledge on the history of a particular period, and it also helps students to develop skills in applying this source (video lectures) for writing their reports, term and graduation theses, as well as for compiling annotated catalogs.