Medieval/Early Modern Studies Minor
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).
- GST 225 Medieval & Renaissance Culture – 1 credit
- Four courses from: 16 credits
- ART/HIST 235 Renaissance in Florence
- 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 271 Colonial Latin America
- HIST/ENGL 336 The Elizabethan Age
- HIST 383 Imperial China
- HIST 385 Medieval Japan
- PHIL 310 Ancient Western Philosophy
- PHIL 320 Modern Western Philosophy
- PSCI 106 Classics in Political Thought
- REL 236 Reformation: Luther to Fox
- REL 240 History of Christianity
- REL 288 Witches, Ghosts, & Demons
- 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.
