ART 361. Saints and She-Devils (Term 7)
Examination of some of the most common depictions of women during the late Medieval and Renaissance periods, beginning with Eve and the Virgin Mary. Themes include popular images of the hag, the witch, and the prostitute as well as other depictions that demonstrate how man is led astray by feminine wiles. Readings span from the Bible and Thomas Aquinas to contemporary scholars in gender studies. Prerequisite: 200-level art history course or permission of the instructor. Offered every third year. (Humanities)
Prof. Christina McOmber.
MUS 321. History of Western Music: Medieval and Renaissance
(Term 7)
Our main objective in MUS 321 will be to explore the earliest known
musical products of Western civilization – starting with music
created prior to the birth of Christ, and extending through the beginning
of the seventeenth century. While we will certainly be concerned with
studying the composers and pieces that have become “landmarks”
of music history, the temporal distance between ourselves and the cultures
of the Middle Ages and Renaissance demands that we look further than
the music itself. As a result, we will also study the non-musical parts
of culture during these eras - thinking about the historical, political,
intellectual, and artistic contexts that surrounded early musical production.
(Humanities) Prof. Jama Stilwell.
MUS 322. History of Western Music II: Baroque and Classical
(Term 1)
Chronological development of Western music from the Baroque (seventeenth
century) through Beethoven. Emphasis on historical, cultural, aesthetic,
and structural examination of musical works; and the development of
genres, forms, and performance practices. For MEMS majors, of particular
interest is the birth and development of Opera and the interplay between
the history of Music and contemporary social, political, scientific,
and cultural forces. Prerequisites: writing-designated course (W) and
the ability to read music. (Humanities) Prof. James Martin
Europe: 800-1300 (HIS 101)
Europe: 1300-1700 (HIS 102)
Europe: the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries (HIS 304)
HIS 331. Topic: High Middle Ages (Term 2)
An in-depth look at the culture and society of Medieval Europe during the years 1000 to 1500 CE. Specific topics will include the growth of cities and the development of a nascent urban middle class; the changes in the prestige and power of the papacy and in the European aristocracy; contact and interaction with the non-European world; and appearance of the cult of courtly love, among many others. Prerequisite: Junior standing and HIS 101. (Humanities) MILLER
HIS 331. Topic: The Medieval Spains (Term 8)
An overview of 1000 years of Iberian history, from roughly 500 to 1500 CE. Course topics will include the fall of the Visigoths, the growth and destruction of a Muslim polity in al-Andalus, the rise of Christian power, and the development of a unified Spanish nation out historically disparate parts. Particular attention will be paid to intellectual and social trends, and to cross-cultural interactions between Muslims, Christians and Jews during this period. Prerequisite: Junior standing. (Humanities) MILLER
ENG 211 English Survey I (Term 8)
Covering 1000 years of literature in "English," from the 8th
to the "long 18th century" (which apparently began in 1660),
English 211 will provide you with a grounding in the genres and historical
traditions of English literature, and give you a sense of its cultural
context. To help you keep your bearings, we will revisit the convergent
themes of love (sacred and profane), politics, and death in each of
the three main historical periods of the survey: the Middle Ages, the
Renaissance, and the post-Restoration era. We will pay close attention
to the language, form, and genre of individual works to the extent that
the pace of the survey course allows us, but several of your formal
assignments, including the final exam will ask you to demonstrate a
grasp of inter-textual connections and developments in literature over
time. Prerequisite: writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) Prof.
Katy Stavreva.
Sample
syllabus for ENG 211
ENG 324 Shakespeare II: Tragedies and Histories (Term 9)
Critical analysis of the development of Shakespeare's histories and
tragedies, with attention paid to their cultural contexts. Prerequisite:
writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) Stavreva.
ENG 325. Studies in Renaissance Non-Dramatic Literature: Women Writers in the Age of Shakespeare (Term 6)
The course will explore self-narratives by early modern women writers from around the world, including religious visionaries Cecilia Ferrazzi and Barabara Blaugdone, transvestite mercenary Catalina de Erauso, lady of the Heian court Murasaki Shikibu, queen Elizabeth I. What compelled these writing women to challenge cultural prejudices against women’s words, how did they fashion themselves through writing, what kind of authority did they claim to be able to write? What did they contribute to the construction of gender as a category of difference and play? How did they shape the notion of literature? These are the central questions we will address in discussion and writing assignments. Charting new territories in literary studies, the class will produce our own annotated edition of a text authored by an early modern woman. Prerequisite: Writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) STAVREVA
ENG 327. Shakespeare after Shakespeare: Performance and Cultural Criticism (Term 2)
A study of historically and culturally diverse forms of Shakespearean performances on stage and screen, including Asian, East European, and other renditions of three to four plays. Focus on the relationship of performance to the processes of cultural formation and reflection. Students in the class produce and perform one of the Shakespeare plays studied, a production enabled by the Stephen Lacey Memorial Shakespeare Fund. Alternate years. Prerequisite: Writing-designated course (W). (Humanities) STAVREVA
French 315. Medieval Literature (Term 7) Medieval allegories (such as the spicy Romance of the Rose), epics (for example, the Chanson de Roland chronicling the exploits of a medieval hero), the enigmatic tales of Marie de France, and poems--some delicate, some racy--from France's first poets. This course will include, if at all possible, a relevant day-long field trip. Pre-requisite: French 311. (Humanities) Prof. Jan Boney. Visit the FRE 315 links. Sample Syllabus for FRE 315
SPA 321 Spanish Golden Age: Romancero and the Comedia
(Term 2)
A study of the development of a Spanish national consciousness seen
through popular ballads and the theatre of Golden Age Spain. The romances
(ballads) form part of a long oral tradition in Spain that has its roots
in Spanish epic poetry, but these do not appear in a definitive, written
form until the sixteenth century. Of equal importance for understanding
the national character is the Spanish Theatre of the Golden Age, which
spans the latter half of the sixteenth and first half of the seventeenth
centuries. Plays written by Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, and Calderon
de la Barca are seen as expressions of national customs, values, and
ideals. Spanish 321 is taught entirely in Spanish, and all the readings
are in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPA 311. (Humanities) Prof. Carol Lacy-Salazar.
Sample
syllabus for SPA 321
Medieval French Literature (FRE 315)
French Renaissance Literature (FRE 321)
Spanish Golden Age: Romancero and the Comedia (SPA 321)
Spanish Golden Age: Don Quijote (SPA 322)
Intermediate French (FRE 205)
Intermediate German (GER 205)
Introduction to Classical Greek Literature (GRE 205)
Intermediate Latin (LAT 205)
Intermediate Spanish (SPA 205)
REL. 354: The Protestant Revolution (Term 8)
The aim of this course is to understand the major figures, movements,
and ideas that contributed to the division of Western Christendom into
Protestant and Roman Catholic communities. Primary emphasis will be
placed on the writings of the two most influential reformers, Martin
Luther and John Calvin. Three other reform movements, the so-called
"Radical Reformation" (Anabaptists), the Community of True
Inspiration, and the establishment of the Church of England, will also
be introduced. The course will conclude with an in-depth study of the
writings of John and Charles Wesley, founders of a revival movement
known as Methodism that began within, and later broke from, the Church
of England.
Sample
Syllabus for REL 354
Seminar, independant projects, courses off
campus, etc.
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Internships (MEM 280/380)
Individual Project (MEM 290/390
Medieval and Early Modern Studies Senior Project. (MEM 485)
Semester in the Arts
of London and Florence (MEM 951)
Semester in Florence
(MEM 952)
Newberry Library Program in the
Humanities, when the topic studied is relevant to Medieval and Early
Modern Studies, with the approval of the Medieval and Early Modern Studies
Advisor. (MEM 962)
