Courses

Course ID	Title	Offered
MEDVL1101	FWS: Aspects of Medieval Culture Full details for MEDVL 1101 - FWS: Aspects of Medieval Culture
MEDVL2082	Of Ice and Men: Masculinities in the Medieval North The Middle Ages are usually imagined as a time of manly men and feminine women: no room for gender ambiguity in Conan the Barbarian! Yet gender, then as now, was in fact unstable, multiple, and above all, constructed. This course explores the different ways masculinity was understood, manufactured, and manipulated in northern Europe – primarily early Ireland, England, and Scandinavia – using a variety of literary, legal, historical, archaeological, and artistic sources. Students will gain new perspectives on both gender and sex, on the one hand, and the history of medieval Europe, on the other. Full details for MEDVL 2082 - Of Ice and Men: Masculinities in the Medieval North	Spring.
MEDVL2100	Medieval Romance: Voyages to the Otherworld Romances were, essentially, medieval science fiction and fantasy writing. They were how authors in the Middle Ages imagined things beyond rational understanding that, at the same time, greatly extended the possibilities of the world around them. The course will survey some medieval narratives concerned with representative voyages to the otherworld or with the impinging of the otherworld upon ordinary experience. The syllabus will normally include some representative Old Irish otherworld literature: selections from The Mabinogion; selections from the Lays of Marie de France; Chretian de Troye's Erec, Yvain, and Lancelot; and the Middle English Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. We will finish by looking at a few contemporary otherworld romances, such as selections from J.R.R. Tolkein. All readings will be in modern English. This class counts toward the pre-1800 requirement for English majors. Full details for MEDVL 2100 - Medieval Romance: Voyages to the Otherworld	Spring.
MEDVL2722	Of Saints, Poets, and Revolutionaries: Medieval and Modern Iran and Central Asia From the poet-kings of medieval Persia to the trading networks of the famed "Silk Road" to the wandering mystics of Herat to the constitutional revolution of Iran to the colonial and post-colonial occupations of contemporary Afghanistan, this course offers a broad cultural and political history of Iranian and Turkic Central Asia. In addition, we will explore the highly complex intellectual, artistic, and architectural trends and "cross-cultural" exchanges that formed the backbone of many disparate Iranian-Turkic cultures. Full details for MEDVL 2722 - Of Saints, Poets, and Revolutionaries: Medieval and Modern Iran and Central Asia	Spring.
MEDVL3120	Beowulf Beowulf has received renewed attention in popular culture, thanks to the production of recent movies and riveting new translations. The poem's popular appeal lies in its complex depictions of monsters, its accounts of heroic bravery, and its lavish portrayals of life in the Meadhall. Through close readings we will also explore the "darker side" of the poem: its punishing depictions of loss and exile, despairing meditations on unstable kingship and dynastic failure, and harrowing depictions of heroic defeat and the vanities of existence on the Middle-Earth. Attention will be given to the poem's cultural contexts, its literary heritage, and its layered pagan and Christian perspectives. A bilingual edition of the poem will be assigned so that students may read in Old and Modern English. The class counts toward the pre-1800 requirement for English majors. Full details for MEDVL 3120 - Beowulf	Spring.
MEDVL3190	Chaucer Chaucer became known as the "father of English poetry" before he was entirely cold in his grave. Why is what he wrote more than six hundred years ago still riveting for us today? It's not just because he is the granddaddy of this language and its literature; it's because what he wrote was funny, fierce, thoughtful, political, philosophical and, oh yes, notoriously bawdy. We'll read some of Chaucer's brilliant early work, and then dig into his two greatest achievements: the epic Troilus and Crisyede, and The Canterbury Tales, his oft-censored panorama of medieval English life. Chaucer will be read in Middle English, which will prove surprisingly easy and pleasant. The class counts toward the pre-1800 requirement for English majors. Full details for MEDVL 3190 - Chaucer	Fall or Spring.
MEDVL3200	The Viking Age This course aims to familiarize students with the history of Scandinavia, ca. 800-1100 ad. Although well known as a dramatic chapter in medieval history, this period remains enigmatic and often misunderstood. Our goal will be to set Norse history within its European context, observing similarities with processes elsewhere in the medieval world, the better to perceive what makes the Norse unique. We will examine the social, economic and political activities of the Norsemen in continental Scandinavia, in Western and Eastern Europe, and in the North Atlantic. Full details for MEDVL 3200 - The Viking Age	Spring.
MEDVL3210	Medieval Philosophy A selective survey of Western philosophical thought from the fourth to the 14th century. Topics include the problem of universals, the theory of knowledge and truth, the nature of free choice and practical reasoning, and philosophical theology. Readings (in translation) include Augustine, Boethius, Anselm, Abelard, Aquinas, Scotus, and Ockham. Some attention will be given to the development of ideas across the period and the influence of non-Western traditions on the West. Full details for MEDVL 3210 - Medieval Philosophy	Spring.
MEDVL3300	Romanesque and Early Gothic Art and Architecture: Europe and the Mediterranean, 1000-1150 A.D. This course will address both "Romanesque" and the earliest manifestations of "Gothic" art and architecture as Western Mediterranean phenomena, rather than northern European ones. We will adopt a comparative approach which includes Islamic and, to a lesser extent, Byzantine cultures and material. In addition to the more usual art historical skills, such as visual and stylistic analysis and "compare-and-contrast," we will use selected primary sources and historical analysis to attempt to understand the objects and monuments we address. Full details for MEDVL 3300 - Romanesque and Early Gothic Art and Architecture: Europe and the Mediterranean, 1000-1150 A.D.	Spring.
MEDVL3316	Old Norse II Old Norse is a collective term for the earliest North Germanic literary languages: Old Icelandic, Old Norwegian, Old Danish, and Old Swedish. The richly documented Old Icelandic is the center of attention, and the purpose is twofold: the students gain knowledge of an ancient North Germanic language, important from a linguistic point of view, and gain access to the medieval Icelandic (and Scandinavian) literature. Extensive reading of Old Norse texts, among them selections from some of the major Icelandic family sagas: Njals saga, Grettis saga, and Egils saga, as well as the whole Hrafnkels saga. Full details for MEDVL 3316 - Old Norse II	Spring.
MEDVL3545	Imagining the Middle Ages: Films, Games, and Media The medieval past often returns in modern media with a critical twist. This course explores the imagination of the Middle Ages in modern films, video games, and other popular media. It introduces classic medieval films (Dreyer, Bergman, Buñuel), theories of medievalism (Huizinga, Balázs, Eco), and recent tabletop and video games from the German-speaking world and beyond. Working primarily with visual and interactive materials, we will discuss questions of aesthetics, identity, and representation; the dialectics of tradition and innovation; and the mobilization of the past in service of the present. Full details for MEDVL 3545 - Imagining the Middle Ages: Films, Games, and Media	Spring.
MEDVL3724	Death and the Afterlife in Islam What happens after death? If there is an Afterlife, how is it connected to earthly life? What would the Afterlife actually look like? What role does God or Satan play in the Afterlife? Since the earliest Qur'anic Revelations, Muslims have questioned, imagined and written about the Afterlife. In this course, we will read widely from across the Islamic religious and literary traditions, reading primary texts in translation. We will begin with a survey of the imagination of the Afterlife in scriptural, religious and literary texts, before examining the role and importance of the Afterlife in Islamic legal thinking and morality. Thereafter, we will focus on theological and ethical problems that arise from the imagination of the Afterlife, focusing in particular on the gendered experience of the Afterlife, as well as the question of whether the individual has free will and moral agency or whether eschatological fate is predetermined. Full details for MEDVL 3724 - Death and the Afterlife in Islam	Spring.
MEDVL4689	Sex, Gender, and the Natural World in Medieval Culture Seemingly timeless concepts of natural sex and gender have a history. In fact, they have many histories, some of which are only just starting to be written. This class examines the relationship between the (human and non-human) natural world and concepts of sex-gender variance in pre- modernity. It asks: How might crossing pre-modern conceptions of sex and gender with those of our contemporary moment lead us to approach cultural objects from the past differently? And what can pre-modern sources reveal about the histories behind the sex-gender diversity of today's natural world? We will pursue these questions through readings of contemporary scholarly literature on the topic and through the analysis of historical examples comprised of visual and textual materials studied in translation. Full details for MEDVL 4689 - Sex, Gender, and the Natural World in Medieval Culture	Spring.
MEDVL4691	Crossing the Apocalypse How do we cross from an era of destruction and devastation to one of hope and possibility? When we see the signs of endings and extinctions all around us, can we move forward with courage and creativity? This course explores ancient Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts, which speak simultaneously of destruction and hope, judgment and possibility. These sensational and sensory formulations of the end times reverberate today in art, film, and music, as well as in environmental writings. Our readings will range from ancient apocalyptic texts, including the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation, to medieval apocalyptic treatises, modern film and art analyses, and ecological treatments of the apocalypse, environment, and future possibilities. Full details for MEDVL 4691 - Crossing the Apocalypse	Spring.
MEDVL6020	Latin Philosophical Texts Reading and translation of Latin philosophical texts. Full details for MEDVL 6020 - Latin Philosophical Texts	Fall, Spring.
MEDVL6102	Latin Paleography This course is an introduction to and survey of Latin scripts from Roman antiquity through the early Renaissance, with an emphasis on the identification, localization, and reading of scripts. Class meetings will combine practical study of Latin scripts through medieval manuscripts in the Kroch library, facsimiles, and online digital reproductions with instruction in the cultural-historical background to manuscript production, library practices, and bibliographical resources. Students will also be introduced to basic techniques for codicological description and the principles of textual criticism. Full details for MEDVL 6102 - Latin Paleography	Spring.
MEDVL6120	Beowulf Beowulf has received renewed attention in popular culture, thanks to the production of recent movies and riveting new translations. The poem's popular appeal lies in its complex depictions of monsters, its accounts of heroic bravery, and its lavish portrayals of life in the Meadhall. Through close readings we will also explore the "darker side" of the poem: its punishing depictions of loss and exile, despairing meditations on unstable kingship and dynastic failure, and harrowing depictions of heroic defeat and the vanities of existence on the Middle-Earth. Attention will be given to the poem's cultural contexts, its literary heritage, and its layered pagan and Christian perspectives. A bilingual edition of the poem will be assigned so that students may read in Old and Modern English. Full details for MEDVL 6120 - Beowulf	Spring.
MEDVL6190	Chaucer Chaucer became known as the "father of English poetry" before he was entirely cold in his grave. Why is what he wrote more than six hundred years ago still riveting for us today? It's not only because he was the model for a number of key literary forms and features, or because he opened projects that invited participation and imitation. It's also because what he wrote was funny, fierce, thoughtful, political, philosophical, scientific, and notoriously bawdy. We'll read some of Chaucer's early work against a few of his own models, then dig into his two greatest achievements: Troilus and Crisyede and The Canterbury Tales. We'll learn to read Chaucer's Middle English, which will prove surprisingly easy and rewarding. Full details for MEDVL 6190 - Chaucer	Fall or Spring.
MEDVL6210	Topics in Medieval Philosophy Graduate seminar covering a topic in medieval philosophy. Full details for MEDVL 6210 - Topics in Medieval Philosophy	Spring.
MEDVL6300	Romanesque and Early Gothic Art and Architecture: Europe and the Mediterranean, 1000-1150 A.D. This course will address both "Romanesque" and the earliest manifestations of "Gothic" art and architecture as Western Mediterranean phenomena, rather than northern European ones. We will adopt a comparative approach which includes Islamic and, to a lesser extent, Byzantine cultures and material. In addition to the more usual art historical skills, such as visual and stylistic analysis and "compare-and-contrast," we will use selected primary sources and historical analysis to attempt to understand the objects and monuments we address. Full details for MEDVL 6300 - Romanesque and Early Gothic Art and Architecture: Europe and the Mediterranean, 1000-1150 A.D.	Spring.
MEDVL6689	Sex, Gender, and the Natural World in Medieval Culture Seemingly timeless concepts of natural sex and gender have a history. In fact, they have many histories, some of which are only just starting to be written. This class examines the relationship between the (human and non-human) natural world and concepts of sex-gender variance in pre- modernity. It asks: How might crossing pre-modern conceptions of sex and gender with those of our contemporary moment lead us to approach cultural objects from the past differently? And what can pre-modern sources reveal about the histories behind the sex-gender diversity of today's natural world? We will pursue these questions through readings of contemporary scholarly literature on the topic and through the analysis of historical examples comprised of visual and textual materials studied in translation. Full details for MEDVL 6689 - Sex, Gender, and the Natural World in Medieval Culture	Spring.
MEDVL6691	Crossing the Apocalypse How do we cross from an era of destruction and devastation to one of hope and possibility? When we see the signs of endings and extinctions all around us, can we move forward with courage and creativity? This course explores ancient Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts, which speak simultaneously of destruction and hope, judgment and possibility. These sensational and sensory formulations of the end times reverberate today in art, film, and music, as well as in environmental writings. Our readings will range from ancient apocalyptic texts, including the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation, to medieval apocalyptic treatises, modern film and art analyses, and ecological treatments of the apocalypse, environment, and future possibilities. Full details for MEDVL 6691 - Crossing the Apocalypse	Spring.
MEDVL6724	Death and the Afterlife in Islam What happens after death? If there is an Afterlife, how is it connected to earthly life? What would the Afterlife actually look like? What role does God or Satan play in the Afterlife? Since the earliest Qur'anic Revelations, Muslims have questioned, imagined and written about the Afterlife. In this course, we will read widely from across the Islamic religious and literary traditions, reading primary texts in translation. We will begin with a survey of the imagination of the Afterlife in scriptural, religious and literary texts, before examining the role and importance of the Afterlife in Islamic legal thinking and morality. Thereafter, we will focus on theological and ethical problems that arise from the imagination of the Afterlife, focusing in particular on the gendered experience of the Afterlife, as well as the question of whether the individual has free will and moral agency or whether eschatological fate is predetermined. Full details for MEDVL 6724 - Death and the Afterlife in Islam	Spring.
MEDVL8010	Directed Study - Individual This course gives students the opportunity to work with a selected instructor to pursue special interests or research not treated in regularly scheduled courses. After getting permission of the instructor, students should contact the department to request access to an instructor's section. Enrolled students are required to provide the department with a course description and/or syllabus along with the instructor's approval by the end of the first week of classes. Full details for MEDVL 8010 - Directed Study - Individual	Fall, Spring.
MEDVL8020	Directed Study - Group This course should be used for an independent study in which a small group of students works with one member of the graduate faculty. After getting permission of the instructor, students should contact the department to request access to an instructor's section. Enrolled students are required to provide the department with a course description and/or syllabus along with the instructor's approval by the end of the first week of classes. Full details for MEDVL 8020 - Directed Study - Group	Fall, Spring.

MEDVL1101

FWS: Aspects of Medieval Culture

Full details for MEDVL 1101 - FWS: Aspects of Medieval Culture

MEDVL2082

Of Ice and Men: Masculinities in the Medieval North

The Middle Ages are usually imagined as a time of manly men and feminine women: no room for gender ambiguity in Conan the Barbarian! Yet gender, then as now, was in fact unstable, multiple, and above all, constructed. This course explores the different ways masculinity was understood, manufactured, and manipulated in northern Europe – primarily early Ireland, England, and Scandinavia – using a variety of literary, legal, historical, archaeological, and artistic sources. Students will gain new perspectives on both gender and sex, on the one hand, and the history of medieval Europe, on the other.

Full details for MEDVL 2082 - Of Ice and Men: Masculinities in the Medieval North

Spring.

MEDVL2100

Medieval Romance: Voyages to the Otherworld

Romances were, essentially, medieval science fiction and fantasy writing. They were how authors in the Middle Ages imagined things beyond rational understanding that, at the same time, greatly extended the possibilities of the world around them. The course will survey some medieval narratives concerned with representative voyages to the otherworld or with the impinging of the otherworld upon ordinary experience. The syllabus will normally include some representative Old Irish otherworld literature: selections from The Mabinogion; selections from the Lays of Marie de France; Chretian de Troye's Erec, Yvain, and Lancelot; and the Middle English Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. We will finish by looking at a few contemporary otherworld romances, such as selections from J.R.R. Tolkein. All readings will be in modern English. This class counts toward the pre-1800 requirement for English majors.

Full details for MEDVL 2100 - Medieval Romance: Voyages to the Otherworld

Spring.

MEDVL2722

Of Saints, Poets, and Revolutionaries: Medieval and Modern Iran and Central Asia

From the poet-kings of medieval Persia to the trading networks of the famed "Silk Road" to the wandering mystics of Herat to the constitutional revolution of Iran to the colonial and post-colonial occupations of contemporary Afghanistan, this course offers a broad cultural and political history of Iranian and Turkic Central Asia. In addition, we will explore the highly complex intellectual, artistic, and architectural trends and "cross-cultural" exchanges that formed the backbone of many disparate Iranian-Turkic cultures.

Full details for MEDVL 2722 - Of Saints, Poets, and Revolutionaries: Medieval and Modern Iran and Central Asia

Spring.

MEDVL3120

Beowulf

Beowulf has received renewed attention in popular culture, thanks to the production of recent movies and riveting new translations. The poem's popular appeal lies in its complex depictions of monsters, its accounts of heroic bravery, and its lavish portrayals of life in the Meadhall. Through close readings we will also explore the "darker side" of the poem: its punishing depictions of loss and exile, despairing meditations on unstable kingship and dynastic failure, and harrowing depictions of heroic defeat and the vanities of existence on the Middle-Earth. Attention will be given to the poem's cultural contexts, its literary heritage, and its layered pagan and Christian perspectives. A bilingual edition of the poem will be assigned so that students may read in Old and Modern English. The class counts toward the pre-1800 requirement for English majors.

Full details for MEDVL 3120 - Beowulf

Spring.

MEDVL3190

Chaucer

Chaucer became known as the "father of English poetry" before he was entirely cold in his grave. Why is what he wrote more than six hundred years ago still riveting for us today? It's not just because he is the granddaddy of this language and its literature; it's because what he wrote was funny, fierce, thoughtful, political, philosophical and, oh yes, notoriously bawdy. We'll read some of Chaucer's brilliant early work, and then dig into his two greatest achievements: the epic Troilus and Crisyede, and The Canterbury Tales, his oft-censored panorama of medieval English life. Chaucer will be read in Middle English, which will prove surprisingly easy and pleasant. The class counts toward the pre-1800 requirement for English majors.

Full details for MEDVL 3190 - Chaucer

Fall or Spring.

MEDVL3200

The Viking Age

This course aims to familiarize students with the history of Scandinavia, ca. 800-1100 ad. Although well known as a dramatic chapter in medieval history, this period remains enigmatic and often misunderstood. Our goal will be to set Norse history within its European context, observing similarities with processes elsewhere in the medieval world, the better to perceive what makes the Norse unique. We will examine the social, economic and political activities of the Norsemen in continental Scandinavia, in Western and Eastern Europe, and in the North Atlantic.

Full details for MEDVL 3200 - The Viking Age

Spring.

MEDVL3210

Medieval Philosophy

A selective survey of Western philosophical thought from the fourth to the 14th century. Topics include the problem of universals, the theory of knowledge and truth, the nature of free choice and practical reasoning, and philosophical theology. Readings (in translation) include Augustine, Boethius, Anselm, Abelard, Aquinas, Scotus, and Ockham. Some attention will be given to the development of ideas across the period and the influence of non-Western traditions on the West.

Full details for MEDVL 3210 - Medieval Philosophy

Spring.

MEDVL3300

Romanesque and Early Gothic Art and Architecture: Europe and the Mediterranean, 1000-1150 A.D.

This course will address both "Romanesque" and the earliest manifestations of "Gothic" art and architecture as Western Mediterranean phenomena, rather than northern European ones. We will adopt a comparative approach which includes Islamic and, to a lesser extent, Byzantine cultures and material. In addition to the more usual art historical skills, such as visual and stylistic analysis and "compare-and-contrast," we will use selected primary sources and historical analysis to attempt to understand the objects and monuments we address.

Full details for MEDVL 3300 - Romanesque and Early Gothic Art and Architecture: Europe and the Mediterranean, 1000-1150 A.D.

Spring.

MEDVL3316

Old Norse II

Old Norse is a collective term for the earliest North Germanic literary languages: Old Icelandic, Old Norwegian, Old Danish, and Old Swedish. The richly documented Old Icelandic is the center of attention, and the purpose is twofold: the students gain knowledge of an ancient North Germanic language, important from a linguistic point of view, and gain access to the medieval Icelandic (and Scandinavian) literature. Extensive reading of Old Norse texts, among them selections from some of the major Icelandic family sagas: Njals saga, Grettis saga, and Egils saga, as well as the whole Hrafnkels saga.

Full details for MEDVL 3316 - Old Norse II

Spring.

MEDVL3545

Imagining the Middle Ages: Films, Games, and Media

The medieval past often returns in modern media with a critical twist. This course explores the imagination of the Middle Ages in modern films, video games, and other popular media. It introduces classic medieval films (Dreyer, Bergman, Buñuel), theories of medievalism (Huizinga, Balázs, Eco), and recent tabletop and video games from the German-speaking world and beyond. Working primarily with visual and interactive materials, we will discuss questions of aesthetics, identity, and representation; the dialectics of tradition and innovation; and the mobilization of the past in service of the present.

Full details for MEDVL 3545 - Imagining the Middle Ages: Films, Games, and Media

Spring.

MEDVL3724

Death and the Afterlife in Islam

What happens after death? If there is an Afterlife, how is it connected to earthly life? What would the Afterlife actually look like? What role does God or Satan play in the Afterlife? Since the earliest Qur'anic Revelations, Muslims have questioned, imagined and written about the Afterlife. In this course, we will read widely from across the Islamic religious and literary traditions, reading primary texts in translation. We will begin with a survey of the imagination of the Afterlife in scriptural, religious and literary texts, before examining the role and importance of the Afterlife in Islamic legal thinking and morality. Thereafter, we will focus on theological and ethical problems that arise from the imagination of the Afterlife, focusing in particular on the gendered experience of the Afterlife, as well as the question of whether the individual has free will and moral agency or whether eschatological fate is predetermined.

Full details for MEDVL 3724 - Death and the Afterlife in Islam

Spring.

MEDVL4689

Sex, Gender, and the Natural World in Medieval Culture

Seemingly timeless concepts of natural sex and gender have a history. In fact, they have many histories, some of which are only just starting to be written. This class examines the relationship between the (human and non-human) natural world and concepts of sex-gender variance in pre- modernity. It asks: How might crossing pre-modern conceptions of sex and gender with those of our contemporary moment lead us to approach cultural objects from the past differently? And what can pre-modern sources reveal about the histories behind the sex-gender diversity of today's natural world? We will pursue these questions through readings of contemporary scholarly literature on the topic and through the analysis of historical examples comprised of visual and textual materials studied in translation.

Full details for MEDVL 4689 - Sex, Gender, and the Natural World in Medieval Culture

Spring.

MEDVL4691

Crossing the Apocalypse

How do we cross from an era of destruction and devastation to one of hope and possibility? When we see the signs of endings and extinctions all around us, can we move forward with courage and creativity? This course explores ancient Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts, which speak simultaneously of destruction and hope, judgment and possibility. These sensational and sensory formulations of the end times reverberate today in art, film, and music, as well as in environmental writings. Our readings will range from ancient apocalyptic texts, including the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation, to medieval apocalyptic treatises, modern film and art analyses, and ecological treatments of the apocalypse, environment, and future possibilities.

Full details for MEDVL 4691 - Crossing the Apocalypse

Spring.

MEDVL6020

Latin Philosophical Texts

Reading and translation of Latin philosophical texts.

Full details for MEDVL 6020 - Latin Philosophical Texts

Fall, Spring.

MEDVL6102

Latin Paleography

This course is an introduction to and survey of Latin scripts from Roman antiquity through the early Renaissance, with an emphasis on the identification, localization, and reading of scripts. Class meetings will combine practical study of Latin scripts through medieval manuscripts in the Kroch library, facsimiles, and online digital reproductions with instruction in the cultural-historical background to manuscript production, library practices, and bibliographical resources. Students will also be introduced to basic techniques for codicological description and the principles of textual criticism.

Full details for MEDVL 6102 - Latin Paleography

Spring.

MEDVL6120

Beowulf

Beowulf has received renewed attention in popular culture, thanks to the production of recent movies and riveting new translations. The poem's popular appeal lies in its complex depictions of monsters, its accounts of heroic bravery, and its lavish portrayals of life in the Meadhall. Through close readings we will also explore the "darker side" of the poem: its punishing depictions of loss and exile, despairing meditations on unstable kingship and dynastic failure, and harrowing depictions of heroic defeat and the vanities of existence on the Middle-Earth. Attention will be given to the poem's cultural contexts, its literary heritage, and its layered pagan and Christian perspectives. A bilingual edition of the poem will be assigned so that students may read in Old and Modern English.

Full details for MEDVL 6120 - Beowulf

Spring.

MEDVL6190

Chaucer

Chaucer became known as the "father of English poetry" before he was entirely cold in his grave. Why is what he wrote more than six hundred years ago still riveting for us today? It's not only because he was the model for a number of key literary forms and features, or because he opened projects that invited participation and imitation. It's also because what he wrote was funny, fierce, thoughtful, political, philosophical, scientific, and notoriously bawdy. We'll read some of Chaucer's early work against a few of his own models, then dig into his two greatest achievements: Troilus and Crisyede and The Canterbury Tales. We'll learn to read Chaucer's Middle English, which will prove surprisingly easy and rewarding.

Full details for MEDVL 6190 - Chaucer

Fall or Spring.

MEDVL6210

Topics in Medieval Philosophy

Graduate seminar covering a topic in medieval philosophy.

Full details for MEDVL 6210 - Topics in Medieval Philosophy

Spring.

MEDVL6300

Romanesque and Early Gothic Art and Architecture: Europe and the Mediterranean, 1000-1150 A.D.

This course will address both "Romanesque" and the earliest manifestations of "Gothic" art and architecture as Western Mediterranean phenomena, rather than northern European ones. We will adopt a comparative approach which includes Islamic and, to a lesser extent, Byzantine cultures and material. In addition to the more usual art historical skills, such as visual and stylistic analysis and "compare-and-contrast," we will use selected primary sources and historical analysis to attempt to understand the objects and monuments we address.

Full details for MEDVL 6300 - Romanesque and Early Gothic Art and Architecture: Europe and the Mediterranean, 1000-1150 A.D.

Spring.

MEDVL6689

Sex, Gender, and the Natural World in Medieval Culture

Seemingly timeless concepts of natural sex and gender have a history. In fact, they have many histories, some of which are only just starting to be written. This class examines the relationship between the (human and non-human) natural world and concepts of sex-gender variance in pre- modernity. It asks: How might crossing pre-modern conceptions of sex and gender with those of our contemporary moment lead us to approach cultural objects from the past differently? And what can pre-modern sources reveal about the histories behind the sex-gender diversity of today's natural world? We will pursue these questions through readings of contemporary scholarly literature on the topic and through the analysis of historical examples comprised of visual and textual materials studied in translation.

Full details for MEDVL 6689 - Sex, Gender, and the Natural World in Medieval Culture

Spring.

MEDVL6691

Crossing the Apocalypse

How do we cross from an era of destruction and devastation to one of hope and possibility? When we see the signs of endings and extinctions all around us, can we move forward with courage and creativity? This course explores ancient Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts, which speak simultaneously of destruction and hope, judgment and possibility. These sensational and sensory formulations of the end times reverberate today in art, film, and music, as well as in environmental writings. Our readings will range from ancient apocalyptic texts, including the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation, to medieval apocalyptic treatises, modern film and art analyses, and ecological treatments of the apocalypse, environment, and future possibilities.

Full details for MEDVL 6691 - Crossing the Apocalypse

Spring.

MEDVL6724

Death and the Afterlife in Islam

What happens after death? If there is an Afterlife, how is it connected to earthly life? What would the Afterlife actually look like? What role does God or Satan play in the Afterlife? Since the earliest Qur'anic Revelations, Muslims have questioned, imagined and written about the Afterlife. In this course, we will read widely from across the Islamic religious and literary traditions, reading primary texts in translation. We will begin with a survey of the imagination of the Afterlife in scriptural, religious and literary texts, before examining the role and importance of the Afterlife in Islamic legal thinking and morality. Thereafter, we will focus on theological and ethical problems that arise from the imagination of the Afterlife, focusing in particular on the gendered experience of the Afterlife, as well as the question of whether the individual has free will and moral agency or whether eschatological fate is predetermined.

Full details for MEDVL 6724 - Death and the Afterlife in Islam

Spring.

MEDVL8010

Directed Study - Individual

This course gives students the opportunity to work with a selected instructor to pursue special interests or research not treated in regularly scheduled courses. After getting permission of the instructor, students should contact the department to request access to an instructor's section. Enrolled students are required to provide the department with a course description and/or syllabus along with the instructor's approval by the end of the first week of classes.

Full details for MEDVL 8010 - Directed Study - Individual

Fall, Spring.

MEDVL8020

Directed Study - Group

This course should be used for an independent study in which a small group of students works with one member of the graduate faculty. After getting permission of the instructor, students should contact the department to request access to an instructor's section. Enrolled students are required to provide the department with a course description and/or syllabus along with the instructor's approval by the end of the first week of classes.

Full details for MEDVL 8020 - Directed Study - Group

Fall, Spring.

Courses by semester

Courses for Spring 2024