Objectives

The Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program provides students with a broad introduction to the development of western civilization from the end of antiquity to the 17th century. It is founded on the principle that an interdisciplinary perspective is the most profitable way to gain an understanding of the formation of early modern Europe. In order to develop a multifaceted picture of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, all students select one of two core courses in history, and they are encouraged to explore a variety of disciplinary perspectives provided by various national literatures, fine arts, and philosophy. The exact balance of these approaches depends on a student's interest. The program offers a useful complement to many concentrations, and it is a good foundation to graduate study in a variety of fields.

How to Become a Program Member

The most important requirement for taking part in the program is an interest in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Students may enter the program at any time in their undergraduate careers, but an early start maximizes a student's range of choice because a number of courses are offered at different intervals. Students should consult with their advisor and the chair of the program to map out their particular plan of study.

Committee

(Fine Arts)

(Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)

(English and American Literature)

(English and American Literature)

(Romance and Comparative Literature)

(History)

(Romance and Comparative Literature)

(Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)

(Psychology)

(Music)

(Music)

(Romance and Comparative Literature)

(Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)

(History)

(Classical Studies)

Requirements for the Program

A. Core Course: HIST 110b (The Civilization of the High and Late Middle Ages) or HIST 123a (The Renaissance).

B. Students in the program must complete the University language requirement in one of the following: French, Italian, Spanish, German, Latin, Greek, Russian, Arabic, or Hebrew.

C. Four other courses from the program listing. In order to promote an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, two of these courses should be in two different fields other than history.

D. In addition, completion of one semester of independent study (98a or b), under the direction of one or more members of the program faculty, requiring completion of a research paper;

or

Participation in a program seminar or colloquium, when offered;

or

A senior thesis in the student's department of concentration, with an emphasis on some aspect of medieval or Renaissance studies and read by at least two faculty members in the program.

Special Notes

Please note that MUS 10a and 10b yield half-course credit each, therefore two semesters of MUS 10 are required to equal one full semester course, i.e., one elective course.

Courses of Instruction

(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students

Usually offered every year.

Staff

Usually offered every year.

Staff

Elective Courses

The following courses are approved for the program. Not all are given in any one year. Please consult the Course Schedule each semester.

Love in the Middle Ages

Madness and Folly in Renaissance Literature

The Renaissance

Shakespeare

Renaissance Poetry

Chaucer I

Advanced Shakespeare

Introduction to Old Norse

Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama

Arthurian Literature

Spenser and Milton

The Formation of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Art

Art and the Origins of Europe

The Age of Cathedrals

The Art of Medieval England

St. Peter's and the Vatican

Art of the Early Renaissance in Italy

Renaissance Art in Northern Europe

High and Late Renaissance in Italy

The French Middle Ages

The Renaissance

The Civilization of the Early Middle Ages

The Civilization of the High and Late Middle Ages

The Crusades and the Expansion of Medieval Europe

English Medieval History

Colloquium in Medieval Studies: Britain in the Later Middle Ages

The Renaissance

Reformation Europe (1400-1600)

Early Modern Europe (1500-1700)

Household and Family in Late Medieval and early Modern Europe (1300-1800)

Dante's Divine Comedy

Islam: Civilization and Institutions

Medieval Latin

Early Music Ensembles

(two semesters required to equal one elective course)

The Authenticity Question: Applying Historical Performance Practices

History of Music to 1700

Medieval Jewish Philosophy

History of the Jews from Maccabees to 1497

The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire, 1300-1800

Merchants, Moneylenders, and Ghetti of Venice

Introduction to Peninsular Spanish Literature

Don Quijote

Literary Women in Early Modern Spain

Golden Age Drama and Society