Medieval/Early Modern Studies Minor

Coordinator:
Heather Hayton,

Department of English

The medieval and early modern period (ca. 400-1800 C.E.) has been profoundly formative of the world we live in today. Study of this period, a time markedly different from our own, provides a crucial vantage point for understanding the present age. The medieval/early modern studies minor aims at introducing students to interdisciplinary developments in literature, religion, history, philosophy and culture. It explores such matters as: the determination of life’s meaning; the encounter with diverse civilizations; the pursuit (or evasion) of truth through reason, faith and experience; the unsettled confluence of three great world religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam); the relation among religion, arts and science; the origins of romantic love and humanism; the development of bourgeois society and urban centers out of feudalism and manorialism; the emergence of the great national literatures of Europe; and the shaping of the mythological foundations of the modern West.

Although the locus of study is clearly Europe, students may take courses in medieval China, Japan and Africa, which offer alternative perspectives on this time period and our own.

Minor Requirements

The minor requires a minimum of 17 credit hours (four courses).

1.     GST 225 Medieval  & Renaissance Culture
1 credit

2-5.  Four courses from:
16 credits

        ART/HIST 235 Renaissance in Florence

        ART 274 Renaissance Art

        ENGL 151 King Arthur

        ENGL 151 Fairies, Witches, Rebels, Caribs

        ENGL 221 British Literature I

        ENGL 223 Shakespeare

        ENGL 288 Shakespeare & Film

        ENGL 306 Medieval Literature

        ENGL 309 Early Modern Literature

        HIST 101 The Medieval Web

        HIST 233 Medieval Civilization: Crusades and Chivalry

        HIST 235 The Renaissance

        HIST/REL 236 Reformation

        HIST 241 Africa before 1800

        HIST 336 The Elizabethan Age

        HIST 383 Imperial China

        HIST 385 Medieval Japan

        PHIL 201 Ancient Western Philosophy

        PHIL 202 Modern Western Philosophy

        PSCI 106 Classics in Political Thought

        REL 240 History of Christianity

        SPAN 323 Culture and Society

        THEA 130 Theatre and Culture I

   

Total credit hours required for medieval/early modern studies minor
17 credits

Various special topics courses that are medieval or early-modern in content may also be counted toward the minor (for example, ENGL 250 Dante, ENGL 350 Chaucer or HIST 250 Studies in the Renaissance). Please see the MEMS coordinator for petition information.

In order to provide coherence to the minor, students are required to build a portfolio of major essays that they have written in each of their four courses. Students will cap this portfolio with an analytical summary prior to completing the minor.