Medieval and Renaissance Studies

The Medieval and Renaissance Studies Minor encourages students interested in the cultures and polities that flourished from (ca. 250-CE-1700) to deepen their understanding of these worlds through an interdisciplinary program of study. Heirs to ancient empires and creators of complex cultures, societies in northern Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, and areas of Asia and Africa offer fascinating opportunities to watch communities and cultures coping with timeless problems of power, identity, meaning and belief. Students explore these topics through written, archaeological, material, and visual evidence in pursuit of a rich, multi-dimensional understanding of other peoples and other worlds.

The minor is open to students in ANY major who wish to expand their knowledge of this important and fascinating period of human history and all of the cultures and connections that contributed.

A total of 42 credits (usually 7 courses) is required for the minor: 18 credits in "Core" courses, 18 credits in "Supporting" courses; and a capstone seminar. In addition to the capstone seminars listed below, students may count--with prior approval of both the course instructor and the minor coordinators--another advanced course (at the 200 or 300 level) as a capstone course provided that the minor pursues a substantial interdisciplinary research project on a topic within the period covered by the minor.

Optional Off-Campus Programs: Off-campus study can be an important part of the minor. Students interested in study abroad as part of the concentration are advised to consult with their academic advisers in deciding when to go off-campus and with the minor coordinators to discuss the range of programs available and potential programs of study. Courses taken abroad may count for up to two "core" courses (12 credits) and two "supporting courses" (12 credits).

Requirements for the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Minor

42 credits are required for the minor:

Core Courses (3 courses/18 credits required):

ARBC 185 The Creation of Classical Arabic Literature
ARCN 246 Archaeological Methods & Lab
ARTH 101 Introduction to Art History I
ARTH 102 Introduction to Art History II
ARTH 155 Islamic Art and Architecture (not offered in 2023-24)
ARTH 203 Intersectional Medieval Art
ARTH 213 The Medieval Book as Art and Object
ARTH 235 Revival, Revelation, and Re-animation: The Art of Europe's "Renaissance" (not offered in 2023-24)
ARTH 255 Islam in the Eyes of the West (not offered in 2023-24)
ARTH 263 Architectural Studies in Europe Program: Prehistory to Postmodernism
ARTH 321 Arts of the Chinese Scholar's Studio
ARTH 324 The Sexuality of Jesus Christ (not offered in 2023-24)
CHIN 258 Classical Chinese Thought: Wisdom and Advice from Ancient Masters (not offered in 2023-24)
CLAS 124 Roman Archaeology and Art
ENGL 114 Introduction to Medieval Narrative (not offered in 2023-24)
ENGL 144 Shakespeare I
ENGL 203 Other Worlds of Medieval English Literature (not offered in 2023-24)
ENGL 210 From Chaucer to Milton: Early English Literature
ENGL 216 Milton (not offered in 2023-24)
ENGL 244 Shakespeare I
ENGL 285 Textual Technologies from Parchment to Pixel (not offered in 2023-24)
ENGL 310 Shakespeare II (not offered in 2023-24)
FREN 330 Bodies and Borders: Encountering the other in Medieval French
HIST 100 Confucius and His Critics
HIST 131 Saints and Society in Late Antiquity (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 133 Crisis, Creativity, and Transformation in Late Antiquity (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 135 Making and Breaking Institutions in the Middle Ages: Structure, Culture, Corruption, and Reform (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 137 Early Medieval Worlds in Transformation (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 139 Foundations of Modern Europe
HIST 150 Politics of Art in Early Imperial China (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 159 Age of Samurai
HIST 169 Colonial Latin America
HIST 201 Rome Program: Building Power and Piety in Medieval Italy, CE 300-1150 (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 206 Rome Program: The Eternal City in Time: Structure, Change, and Identity (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 231 Mapping the World Before Mercator (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 232 Renaissance Worlds in France and Italy (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 233 The Byzantine World and Its Neighbors, 750-ca. 1453 (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 235 Making and Breaking Institutions: Structure, Culture, Corruption, and Reform in the Middle Ages
HIST 236 The Worlds of Hildegard of Bingen
HIST 238 The Viking World
HIST 243 The Peasants are Revolting! Society and Politics in the Making of Modern France
HIST 245 Ireland: Land, Conflict and Memory (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 278 The Aztecs and Their World
HIST 289 Gender and Ethics in Late Medieval France (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 331 Regional States: Boundaries and Horizons in Fourteenth-Century Italy
HIST 332 Image Makers and Breakers in the Premodern World (not offered in 2023-24)
LATN 243 Medieval Latin (not offered in 2023-24)
POSC 224 Ancient and Medieval Political Theory
RELG 111 Introduction to the Qur'an (not offered in 2023-24)
RELG 122 Introduction to Islam
RELG 162 Jesus, the Bible, and Christian Beginnings
RELG 231 From Luther to Kierkegaard
RELG 234 Angels, Demons, and Evil
RELG 235 Religion and Identity in the Medieval Middle East
RELG 278 Semantics of Love in Sufism (not offered in 2023-24)
RELG 282 Samurai: Ethics of Death and Loyalty (not offered in 2023-24)
SPAN 301 Greek and Christian Tragedy (not offered in 2023-24)
SPAN 318 Islamic Spain (not offered in 2023-24)
SPAN 330 The Invention of the Modern Novel: Cervantes' Don Quijote (not offered in 2023-24)

Supporting Courses (18 credits required):

Note: all courses listed as "core courses" also qualify as "supporting courses."

ARBC 185 The Creation of Classical Arabic Literature
ARBC 315 Readings in Premodern Arabic Anthologies (not offered in 2023-24)
ARBC 387 The One Thousand and One Nights
ARCN 111 Archaeology of the Americas
ARCN 211 Coercion and Exploitation: Material Histories of Labor (not offered in 2023-24)
ARCN 222 Experimental Archaeology and Experiential History
ARCN 246 Archaeological Methods & Lab
ARCN 395 Archaeology: Science, Ethics, Nationalism and Cultural Property
ARTH 101 Introduction to Art History I
ARTH 102 Introduction to Art History II
ARTH 155 Islamic Art and Architecture (not offered in 2023-24)
ARTH 165 Japanese Art and Culture
ARTH 166 Chinese Art and Culture (not offered in 2023-24)
ARTH 203 Intersectional Medieval Art
ARTH 209 Chinese Painting (not offered in 2023-24)
ARTH 213 The Medieval Book as Art and Object
ARTH 235 Revival, Revelation, and Re-animation: The Art of Europe's "Renaissance" (not offered in 2023-24)
ARTH 236 Baroque Art
ARTH 255 Islam in the Eyes of the West (not offered in 2023-24)
ARTH 263 Architectural Studies in Europe Program: Prehistory to Postmodernism
ARTH 324 The Sexuality of Jesus Christ (not offered in 2023-24)
ARTS 117 Living London Program: Visualizing Renaissance England (not offered in 2023-24)
CHIN 258 Classical Chinese Thought: Wisdom and Advice from Ancient Masters (not offered in 2023-24)
CLAS 124 Roman Archaeology and Art
DGAH 264 Visualizing the Ancient City
ENGL 114 Introduction to Medieval Narrative (not offered in 2023-24)
ENGL 144 Shakespeare I
ENGL 203 Other Worlds of Medieval English Literature (not offered in 2023-24)
ENGL 205 “Passing Strange”: Shakespeare’s Othello and its Modern Afterlives
ENGL 206 William Shakespeare: The Henriad
ENGL 207 Princes. Poets. Power
ENGL 208 The Faerie Queene
ENGL 209 Much Ado About Nothing: A Project Course (not offered in 2023-24)
ENGL 210 From Chaucer to Milton: Early English Literature
ENGL 213 Christopher Marlowe (not offered in 2023-24)
ENGL 214 Revenge Tragedy (not offered in 2023-24)
ENGL 219 Global Shakespeare (not offered in 2023-24)
ENGL 244 Shakespeare I
ENGL 310 Shakespeare II (not offered in 2023-24)
FREN 330 Bodies and Borders: Encountering the other in Medieval French
HIST 131 Saints and Society in Late Antiquity (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 133 Crisis, Creativity, and Transformation in Late Antiquity (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 136 The Global Middle Ages
HIST 137 Early Medieval Worlds in Transformation (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 139 Foundations of Modern Europe
HIST 159 Age of Samurai
HIST 201 Rome Program: Building Power and Piety in Medieval Italy, CE 300-1150 (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 206 Rome Program: The Eternal City in Time: Structure, Change, and Identity (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 231 Mapping the World Before Mercator (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 232 Renaissance Worlds in France and Italy (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 233 The Byzantine World and Its Neighbors, 750-ca. 1453 (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 235 Making and Breaking Institutions: Structure, Culture, Corruption, and Reform in the Middle Ages
HIST 236 The Worlds of Hildegard of Bingen
HIST 238 The Viking World
HIST 243 The Peasants are Revolting! Society and Politics in the Making of Modern France
HIST 245 Ireland: Land, Conflict and Memory (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 246 Making Early Medieval England (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 278 The Aztecs and Their World
HIST 288 Reason, Authority, and Love in Medieval France (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 289 Gender and Ethics in Late Medieval France (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 331 Regional States: Boundaries and Horizons in Fourteenth-Century Italy
HIST 332 Image Makers and Breakers in the Premodern World (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 334 Voyages of Understanding
HIST 335 Finding Ireland's Past
IDSC 150 Plague, War and Crisis: Reading Hobbes Reading Thucydides, Books 1-2: Plague and Democracy (not offered in 2023-24)
IDSC 151 Plague, War, Crisis: Reading Hobbes Reading Thucydides: Books 3-5 Revolt and Revolution (not offered in 2023-24)
IDSC 152 Plague, War, Crisis: Reading Hobbes Reading Thucydides: Books 6-8 Catastrophe and Coup (not offered in 2023-24)
LATN 233 The Catilinarian Conspiracy (not offered in 2023-24)
LATN 234 Julius Caesar: the Gallic and Civil Wars (not offered in 2023-24)
LATN 255 Biography, History, and Empire in Tacitus’ Agricola (not offered in 2023-24)
PHIL 113 The Individual and the Political Community (not offered in 2023-24)
PHIL 270 Ancient Greek Philosophy
PHIL 272 Early Modern Philosophy: Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Philosophy
POSC 224 Ancient and Medieval Political Theory
POSC 250 Kings, Tyrants, Philosophers: Plato's Republic
POSC 254 Freedom, Excellence, Happiness: Aristotle's Ethics
RELG 111 Introduction to the Qur'an (not offered in 2023-24)
RELG 120 Introduction to Judaism
RELG 121 Introduction to Christianity (not offered in 2023-24)
RELG 122 Introduction to Islam
RELG 152 Religions in Japanese Culture
RELG 153 Introduction to Buddhism
RELG 155 Hinduism: An Introduction (not offered in 2023-24)
RELG 231 From Luther to Kierkegaard
RELG 233 Gender and Power in the Catholic Church
RELG 235 Religion and Identity in the Medieval Middle East
RELG 237 Yoga: Religion, History, Practice
RELG 242 Oh My G*d: Christianity and Sexual Revolutions (not offered in 2023-24)
RELG 254 Zen Buddhism (not offered in 2023-24)
RELG 278 Semantics of Love in Sufism (not offered in 2023-24)
RELG 287 Many Marys (not offered in 2023-24)
RELG 322 Apocalypse How?
SPAN 301 Greek and Christian Tragedy (not offered in 2023-24)
SPAN 330 The Invention of the Modern Novel: Cervantes' Don Quijote (not offered in 2023-24)
THEA 195 Acting Shakespeare

Capstone Seminars (6 credits required):

Please consult with Program Coordinator regarding the Capstone Seminar/Project Requirement)

HIST 331 Regional States: Boundaries and Horizons in Fourteenth-Century Italy
HIST 332 Image Makers and Breakers in the Premodern World (not offered in 2023-24)
HIST 335 Finding Ireland's Past
RELG 322 Apocalypse How?
SPAN 301 Greek and Christian Tragedy (not offered in 2023-24)
SPAN 318 Islamic Spain (not offered in 2023-24)
SPAN 330 The Invention of the Modern Novel: Cervantes' Don Quijote (not offered in 2023-24)