Medieval and Renaissance Studies Concentration
Coordinators: Assistant Professors Victoria Morse and William North
The Medieval and Renaissance Studies Concentration 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. Encompassing three key, organically interconnected historical periods, the concentration allows students to examine issues of continuity and change more fully, while its interdisciplinary offerings (drawing on ten disciplines) provide the student opportunities to approach these complex societies from multiple complementary perspectives. The concentration 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 concentration: 18 credits in "Core" courses, 18 credits in "Supporting" courses; and a capstone seminar (usually numbered 395). In addition to the seminars listed below, students may count—with prior approval of both the course instructor and the concentration coordinator's—other advanced seminars in which the concentrator's research focuses on a topic within the period covered by the concentration.
Optional Off-Campus Programs: Off-campus study can be an important part of the concentration. Students interested in study abroad as part of the concentration are advised to consult with their academic advisors in deciding when to go off-campus and with the concentration 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 Concentration:
Courses marked with an * may count as either a core course or a supporting course.
Core Courses (3 courses/18 credits required):
ARTH 101: Introduction to Art History I
ARTH 180: Medieval Art
CLAS 229: The Later Roman Empire, Byzantium, and Islam (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
ENGL 210: Chivalry in Medieval Literature
ENGL 300: Chaucer I: Canterbury Tales
ENGL 303: Studies in Medieval Literature: Dante (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
ENGL 308: English Renaissance Verse (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
ENGL 310: Shakespeare: The Histories and Comedies
ENGL 311: Shakespeare Problems, Plays, Tragedies and Romances
ENGL 313: Major Works of the English Renaissance: The Faerie Queen
ENGL 314: Major Works of the English Renaissance: Paradise Lost
FREN 351: Topics in Sixteenth Century Literature: Metamorphoses: Love, War, and Monsters in Early Modern France (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
HIST 134: The Mediterranean in the Middle Ages (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
HIST 138: The Making of Europe
HIST 139: Foundations of Modern Europe
HIST 142: The Peasants are Revolting! Popular Culture in Early Modern Europe (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
HIST 171: Spain and Its Empire, 1492-1820
HIST 230: Power, Sanctity and the Search for Order: The Early Medieval World, 300-1000 (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
HIST 231: Order, Innovation, and Persistance: Europe in The Later Middle Ages, 1000-1400 (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
HIST 233: Cultures of Empire: Byzantium, 850-1453
HIST 234: France in the Making, 987-1460
LATN 243: Medieval Latin (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
MUSC 210: Medieval and Renaissance Music (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
RELG 122: Introduction to Islam
RELG 231: Protestant Thought
SOAN 246: Archaeological Methodology (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
Supporting Courses (18 credits required):
(Note: all courses listed as "core courses" also qualify as "supporting courses.")
ARTH 100: The Sistine Chapel and Its Contexts (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
ARTH 233: Van Eyck, Bosch, Bruegel: Their Visual Culture (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
ARTH 234: Italian Renaissance Art* (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
GERM 230: From Gutenberg to Gates: History and Practice of the Book
GERM 231: Damsels, Dwarfs, and Dragons: Medieval German Literature (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
HIST 110: Saints, Sinners and Philosophers in Late Antiquity (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
HIST 110: The English Civil War (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
HIST 238: Topics in Medieval History: Gender and Ethics in Medieval France (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
HIST 238: Topics in Medieval History: Papacy, Church, and Empire (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
MUSC 188: Carleton Pro Musica (six credits cumulative)
PHIL 111: Introduction to Western Philosophy I: Ancient and Medieval* (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
POSC 250: Ancient Political Philosophy (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
RELG 225: Contemporary Catholic Theology
RELG 262: Millennialism in Cross-Cultural Perspective
RELG 330: Islamic Aesthetics
SPAN 330: Cervantes — Don Quijote: Hero or Fool? (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
Advanced Research Seminars (one course required)
HIST 395: City and Countryside in Medieval Europe
HIST 395: Conquest, Assimilation, and Resistance: Medieval Frontiers in Comparative Perspective (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
HIST 395: European Family History (Students must work on a topic in the period covered by the concentration) (Not offered in 2001-2002.)
ENGL 395: Gender and Romance in Medieval Literature (Not offered in 2001-2002.)