Medieval and Renaissance Studies

The Medieval and Renaissance Studies Minor encourages students interested in the cultures and kingdoms that flourished from Late Antiquity through the Renaissance to deepen their understanding of these periods through an interdisciplinary program of study. Heirs to ancient empires, the societies of Europe, Byzantium, and the Muslim world each offer fascinating opportunities to watch societies cope with timeless problems of power, identity, and belief. The minor is open to students in ANY major who wish to expand their knowledge of this important and fascinating period of human history.

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--other advanced courses (200 or 300 level) in which the minor pursues an interdisciplinary research project focused 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

Core Courses (3 courses/18 credits required):

ARBC 185 The Creation of Classical Arabic Literature (not offered in 2020-21)
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 2020-21)
ARTH 235 Revival, Revelation, and Re-animation: The Art of Europe's "Renaissance" (not offered in 2020-21)
ARTH 255 Islam in the Eyes of the West (not offered in 2020-21)
ARTH 263 Architectural Studies in Europe Program: Prehistory to Postmodernism (not offered in 2020-21)
ARTH 321 Arts of the Chinese Scholar's Studio (not offered in 2020-21)
CLAS 124 Roman Archaeology and Art (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 114 Introduction to Medieval Narrative (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 125 Norse and Celtic Mythology (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 144 Shakespeare I
ENGL 203 Other Worlds of Medieval English Literature
ENGL 210 From Chaucer to Milton: Early English Literature (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 216 Milton (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 244 Shakespeare I
ENGL 278 London Program: Shakespeare's England
ENGL 285 Textual Technologies from Parchment to Pixel
ENGL 310 Shakespeare II
FREN 351 Love, War and Monsters in Renaissance France (not offered in 2020-21)
FREN 352 The Arthurian Legend (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 100 Immigration, Conversion, and Cultural Change in Early England and Ireland
HIST 131 Saints and Society in Late Antiquity
HIST 133 Crisis, Creativity, and Transformation in Late Antiquity (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 135 Making and Breaking Institutions in the Middle Ages: Structure, Culture, Corruption, and Reform
HIST 137 Early Medieval Worlds in Transformation (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 138 Crusades, Mission, and the Expansion of Europe (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 139 Foundations of Modern Europe
HIST 201 Rome Program: Building Power and Piety in Medieval Italy, CE 300-1150
HIST 202 Icons, Iconoclasm, and the Quest for the Holy in Byzantium and Its Neighbors (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 204 Jews, Christians and Muslims in the Medieval Mediterranean (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 206 Rome Program: The Eternal City in Time: Structure, Change, and Identity
HIST 231 Mapping the World Before Mercator
HIST 233 The Byzantine World and Its Neighbors, 750-ca. 1453 (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 236 Women and Gender in Europe before the French Revolution (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 238 The Viking World (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 243 The Peasants are Revolting! Society and Politics in the Making of Modern France (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 245 Ireland: Land, Conflict and Memory
HIST 331 Regional States: Boundaries and Horizons in Fourteenth-century Italy
LATN 243 Medieval Latin (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 122 Introduction to Islam (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 162 Jesus, the Bible, and Christian Beginnings (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 229 Monks and Mystics (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 231 From Luther to Kierkegaard (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 234 Angels, Demons, and Evil (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 263 Sufism (not offered in 2020-21)
SPAN 227 Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Early Modern Spain (not offered in 2020-21)
SPAN 330 The Invention of the Modern Novel: Cervantes' Don Quijote (not offered in 2020-21)

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 (not offered in 2020-21)
ARCN 222 Experimental Archaeology and Experiential History
ARCN 246 Archaeological Methods & Lab
ARCN 395 Archaeology: Science, Ethics, Nationalism and Cultural Property (not offered in 2020-21)
ARTH 100 Renaissance, Revolution, and Reformation: The Life and Art of Albrecht Dürer
ARTH 101 Introduction to Art History I
ARTH 102 Introduction to Art History II
ARTH 155 Islamic Art and Architecture (not offered in 2020-21)
ARTH 165 Japanese Art and Culture
ARTH 166 Chinese Art and Culture
ARTH 209 Chinese Painting (not offered in 2020-21)
ARTH 235 Revival, Revelation, and Re-animation: The Art of Europe's "Renaissance" (not offered in 2020-21)
ARTH 236 Baroque Art
ARTH 263 Architectural Studies in Europe Program: Prehistory to Postmodernism (not offered in 2020-21)
ARTH 323 Idolatry (not offered in 2020-21)
ARTS 117 Visualizing Renaissance England
CLAS 124 Roman Archaeology and Art (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 114 Introduction to Medieval Narrative (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 126 Arthurian Tradition: From Medieval to Modern (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 144 Shakespeare I
ENGL 203 Other Worlds of Medieval English Literature
ENGL 204 History of the English Language (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 205 The Medieval Outlaw (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 206 Arthurian Tradition: From Medieval to Modern (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 207 Princes. Poets. Power
ENGL 208 The Faerie Queene
ENGL 209 Much Ado About Nothing: A Project Course (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 210 From Chaucer to Milton: Early English Literature (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 213 Christopher Marlowe (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 214 Revenge Tragedy
ENGL 219 Global Shakespeare
ENGL 228 Encountering the Other: The Crusades (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 244 Shakespeare I
ENGL 302 The Medieval Outlaw (not offered in 2020-21)
ENGL 310 Shakespeare II
EUST 111 The Age of Cathedrals (not offered in 2020-21)
FREN 351 Love, War and Monsters in Renaissance France (not offered in 2020-21)
FREN 352 The Arthurian Legend (not offered in 2020-21)
GEOL 245 “When the Earth Shook…” Earthquakes in Human History and Lab (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 131 Saints and Society in Late Antiquity
HIST 133 Crisis, Creativity, and Transformation in Late Antiquity (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 137 Early Medieval Worlds in Transformation (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 138 Crusades, Mission, and the Expansion of Europe (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 139 Foundations of Modern Europe
HIST 201 Rome Program: Building Power and Piety in Medieval Italy, CE 300-1150
HIST 202 Icons, Iconoclasm, and the Quest for the Holy in Byzantium and Its Neighbors (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 204 Jews, Christians and Muslims in the Medieval Mediterranean (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 206 Rome Program: The Eternal City in Time: Structure, Change, and Identity
HIST 231 Mapping the World Before Mercator
HIST 233 The Byzantine World and Its Neighbors, 750-ca. 1453 (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 236 Women and Gender in Europe before the French Revolution (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 238 The Viking World (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 243 The Peasants are Revolting! Society and Politics in the Making of Modern France (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 245 Ireland: Land, Conflict and Memory
HIST 246 Making Early Medieval England (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 288 Reason, Authority, and Love in Medieval France
HIST 289 Gender and Ethics in Late Medieval France
HIST 330 Ideas Incarnate: Institutional Formation, Reform, and Governance in the Middle Ages (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 331 Regional States: Boundaries and Horizons in Fourteenth-century Italy
IDSC 150 Plague, War and Crisis: Reading Hobbes Reading Thucydides, Books 1-2: Plague and Democracy
IDSC 151 Plague, War, Crisis: Reading Hobbes Reading Thucydides: Books 3-5 Revolt and Revolution
IDSC 152 Plague, War, Crisis: Reading Hobbes Reading Thucydides: Books 6-8 Catastrophe and Coup
LATN 233 The Catilinarian Conspiracy (not offered in 2020-21)
LATN 234 Julius Caesar: the Gallic and Civil Wars
LATN 257 Caesar, Lucan, and Civil War (not offered in 2020-21)
PHIL 113 The Individual and the Political Community
PHIL 270 Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 272 Early Modern Philosophy
POSC 250 Kings, Tyrants, Philosophers: Plato's Republic (not offered in 2020-21)
POSC 254 Freedom, Excellence, Happiness: Aristotle's Ethics
POSC 354 Freedom, Excellence, Happiness: Aristotle's Ethics*
RELG 121 Introduction to Christianity
RELG 122 Introduction to Islam (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 152 Religions in Japanese Culture
RELG 153 Introduction to Buddhism (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 228 Martyrdom (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 229 Monks and Mystics (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 231 From Luther to Kierkegaard (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 233 Gender and Power in the Catholic Church (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 236 History of Antisemitism (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 242 Oh My G*d: Christianity and Sexual Revolutions
RELG 263 Sufism (not offered in 2020-21)
RELG 287 Many Marys
RELG 322 Apocalypse How? (not offered in 2020-21)
SPAN 227 Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Early Modern Spain (not offered in 2020-21)
SPAN 330 The Invention of the Modern Novel: Cervantes' Don Quijote (not offered in 2020-21)
THEA 195 Acting Shakespeare (not offered in 2020-21)

Capstone Seminars (please consult with Program Coordinator regarding the Capstone Seminar/Project Requirement)
(Six credits required):

ARCN 395 Archaeology: Science, Ethics, Nationalism and Cultural Property (not offered in 2020-21)
FREN 351 Love, War and Monsters in Renaissance France (not offered in 2020-21)
FREN 352 The Arthurian Legend (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 330 Ideas Incarnate: Institutional Formation, Reform, and Governance in the Middle Ages (not offered in 2020-21)
HIST 331 Regional States: Boundaries and Horizons in Fourteenth-century Italy
RELG 322 Apocalypse How? (not offered in 2020-21)
SPAN 330 The Invention of the Modern Novel: Cervantes' Don Quijote (not offered in 2020-21)