Program Requirements
The Minor Concentration in Medieval Studies facilitates undergraduate training in the interrelated branches of the discipline (e.g., history, literature, art history, languages, religion, philosophy), providing students with experience working in an inherently interdisciplinary filed and a valuable credential to pursue graduate study in the field (in any area).
Required Course (3 credits)
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MDST 400 Interdisciplinary Seminar in Medieval Studies (3 credits)
Overview
MDST : Interdisciplinary approaches to themes in medieval culture and history. Emphasizes the development of interdisciplinary research skills and awareness of global approaches to the period. Topics will vary from year to year.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Van Dussen, Michael (Winter)
Complementary Courses (15 credits)
15 credits from the following list, of which only 9 credits may be taken in any one department. No more than 6 credits may be taken below the 300 level.
Art History and Communication Studies
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ARTH 204 Introduction to Medieval Art and Architecture (3 credits)
Overview
Art History : Surveys the arts from late Antiquity to the fourteenth century in Western Europe. Focuses on the body and space to introduce artistic and architectural concepts, practices, and styles from the late Roman, Byzantine and Carolingian empires to monastic and royal patronage of the French Kings.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Moubayed, Anna-Maria (Winter)
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ARTH 314 The Medieval City (3 credits)
Overview
Art History : Towns and cities in the Middle Ages as architectural entities, their urban planning and development; main building types, profane and ecclesiastical: castle, defence works, town halls, houses, cathedrals, churches and monasteries; the role architecture played in forming a society.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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ARTH 425 Arts of Medieval Spain (3 credits)
Overview
Art History : This course examines the arts of medieval Spain from the late antique 'barbarian' invasions through the fifteenth century. Within this broad span, particular attention will be paid to key themes, including historiography, the centrality of pilgrimage for shaping artistic practice, and the concept of 'convivencia' among Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: Any 300-level course or permission of instructor.
English
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ENGL 306 Theatre History: Medieval and Early Modern (3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : A study of works of Mediaeval and Tudor drama.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Ritchie, Fiona (Fall)
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
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ENGL 337 Theme or Genre in Medieval Literature (3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : Study of a particular theme or genre of significance to the development of medieval literature.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
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ENGL 342 Introduction to Old English (3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : An introduction to grammar and basic vocabulary in Old English.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Chan, Antje (Winter)
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
Winter
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ENGL 351.
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ENGL 348 Great Writings of Europe 2 (3 credits) *
Overview
English (Arts) : A study of selected texts that significantly enhance understanding of English literature.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Van Dussen, Michael (Fall)
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
Winter
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ENGL 349 English Literature and Folklore 1 (3 credits) *
Overview
English (Arts) : A study of representative texts from Beowulf to the late Renaissance period in relation to their background in folk tradition. A focus on the origin and development of folklore motifs.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
Fall
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ENGL 356 Middle English (3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : A study of works in Middle English.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Van Dussen, Michael (Winter)
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
Winter
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ENGL 357 Chaucer
(3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : A study of the works of Chaucer.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Chan, Antje (Fall)
Topics vary from year to year.
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ENGL 452 Studies in Old English (3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : Study of an aspect of Old English Literature which presupposes a grounding in the language.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
Winter
Prerequisite: ENGL 351 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor
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ENGL 456 Middle English (3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : A study of works in Middle English.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Van Dussen, Michael (Winter)
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
Fall
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ENGL 500 Middle English (3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : A study of works in Middle English.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Chan, Antje (Winter)
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
Winter
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ENGL 553 Old English Literature (3 credits)
Overview
English (Arts) : A seminar on Old English. Topic varies by year.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
For the most detailed and up-to-date descriptions of course and seminar offerings please see the Department of English website at .
Prerequisite (Undergraduate): ENGL 342 or equivalent
* Note: When content relates to Medieval Studies.
History and Classical Studies
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CLAS 419 Advanced Latin: Post-Classical (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Translation and examination of Latin text(s) from the Late Antique, Medieval or Renaissance period.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credits of 300-level Latin or permission of instructor.
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HIST 194 FYS: Jewish Concepts of Others (3 credits)
Overview
History : A survey, using translated primary and selected secondary sources, of the ways in which Jews represented Christians from late antiquity to the present. Legal, liturgical, literary and other sources are examined with the focus on the Medieval and Early Modern periods.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Restriction: Open only to newly admitted students in U0 or U1, who may take only one FYS. Students who register for more than one will be obliged to withdraw from all but one of them.
Maximum 25 students.
For first year students only.
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HIST 319 The Scientific Revolution (3 credits)
Overview
History : The intellectual and cultural history of science and technology, in Europe and in the wider world, from the time of Leonardo to the time of Newton (c. 1500-c.1700).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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HIST 323 History and Sexuality 1 (3 credits)
Overview
History : Antiquity to Early Modern Europe. The cultural meanings and social institutions that create the historical context for sexual behaviours. Possible topics include: Greek homosocial and homosexual culture; sex and citizenship; wives and concubines in the ancient world; Christianity and aestheticism; misogyny and gender in Medieval Europe; adultery and lineage.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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HIST 356 Medicine in the Medieval West (3 credits)
Overview
History : The history of ideas about the human body, disease and therapeutics and the diverse practices of medicine in western Europe in the Middle Ages (ca. AD 300-1500), with particular attention to their social, intellectual, cultural and religious context.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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HIST 358 China's Middle Empires (3 credits)
Overview
History : Developments of China's middle empires, ca. 600-1300 CE. Studies changing international relations, rapid commercialization, religious developments, the rise of the civil service examination system, and ensuing social change.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: HIST 208 recommended.
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HIST 380 The Medieval
Mediterranean
(3 credits)
Overview
History : Thematic history of the Mediterranean during the Medieval period, covering elements of Latin, Byzantine and Islamic civilizations and their interactions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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HIST 401 Topics: Medieval Culture and Society (3 credits)
Overview
History : Selected topics in the intellectual and cultural history of the Middle Ages. Emphasis on modern critical approaches to medieval culture, including literature, the supernatural, religious experience.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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HIST 567D1 Seminar: Medieval Medicine (3 credits)
Overview
History : Models of the body, disease and medical intervention current in western Europe between 400 and 1500 AD will be examined through analysis of primary sources in translation, and modern historical scholarship.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Students must register for both HIST 567D1 and HIST 567D2
No credit will be given for this course unless both HIST 567D1 and HIST 567D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
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HIST 567D2 Seminar: Medieval Medicine (3 credits)
Overview
History : Models of the body, disease and medical intervention current in western Europe between 400 and 1500 AD will be examined through analysis of primary sources in translation, and modern historical scholarship. The sequel to this course is HIST 496.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: HIST 567D1
No credit will be given for this course unless both HIST 567D1 and HIST 567D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
Islamic Studies
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ISLA 325 Introduction to Shi'i Islam (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : Developments in doctrines, legal school, rituals and political thought of Twelver Shi'ite Muslims during early and late medieval periods (centuries VII-XIII). The emergence of the earliest Shi'ite communities in Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Iran stressing the relationship of the Shi'ite Imams and their religious scholars to the Sunnite Caliphates.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
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ISLA 350 From Tribe to Dynasty (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The political and intellectual developments shaping Arab and Persian societies from the rise of Islam in the 7th century until the early mid 8th century, including the major social changes, political revolts, religious schisms, and the consolidation of lasting cultural institutions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Fall
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ISLA 420 Indo-Islamic Civilization: Medieval (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The rise of Islam in South Asia in the 8th Century and its subsequent expansion; evolution of Indo-Islamic civilization and its apogee during Mughal rule up to 1707. Themes include state and religion; ruling institutions; political theory, Sufism and the process of conversion, as well as the formation of a composite culture.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
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ISLA 430 Islamdom: Baghdad to Cordoba (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The course examines the major socio-political developments in Iraq, Persia, Syria, Egypt, North Africa and Spain from the 9th to the 13th Century. Emphasis is laid on the Umayyad Caliphate centered in Cordoba, and the 'Abbasid Caliphate centered in Baghdad, and the rise of important local dynasties leading up to the Mongol invasion. The course underscores the formation of Islamic cultures in distinct geographical settings and the transformation of religious life under new socio-economic conditions. It also explores shifting notions of civil society and orthodoxy.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Abisaab, Rula (Winter)
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ISLA 516 Medieval Islam, 13th-15th Century (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The historical circumstances surrounding the Crusades against Muslims in Greater Syria and Egypt. The socio-economic, political, and cultural transformation of Muslim society following the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the rise of the Ikl-Khanid Mongols in Iran and Iraq, as well as the Mamluks in Syria and Egypt. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of new Persian, Turkish, and Indian populations into Islamic imperial culture.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisites; ISLA 200
Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 511D1/D2.
Jewish Studies
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JWST 261 History of Jewish Philosophy and Thought (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : An introduction to Jewish philosophy and thought from the Hellenistic period (Philo) to the beginning of the modern era (Spinoza) focusing on topics such as prophecy and philosophy, God and the world; the Law as a canon of ethical rules and as a political constitution. Survey of the treatment of such issues by Jewish thinkers from Philo to Maimonides.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Fraenkel, Carlos (Fall)
For detailed course content go to .
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JWST 337 Jewish Philosophy and Thought 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : Focuses on either a period, a current of thought or the work of a thinker in the history of Jewish thought from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, paying particular attention to the relationship of Jewish thinkers to intellectual trends in their respective cultural contexts. Contemporary Muslim and Christian theologians and philosophers.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Fraenkel, Carlos (Winter)
For detailed course content go to .
Winter
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
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ITAL 355 Dante and the Middle Ages (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : An introduction to the work of Dante Alighieri, a pillar of medieval European literature. The times in which he lived, the institutions and cultural shifts of that era, the influence exercised by Dante's work, as well as how it has been perceived in our time.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Soranzo, Matteo (Winter)
Fall
Given in English
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ITAL 356 Medieval Discourses on Love (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : Medieval ideas, attitudes and behaviour surrounding love as represented in literature: readings will include excerpts from early Italian love lyrics, Dante's Vita Nuova, Petrarch's Canzoniere, Boccaccio's Decameron.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Winter
Given in Italian
Prerequisite: ITAL 215D1/ITAL 215D2, ITAL 216, or equivalent
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ITAL 465 Religious Identities in Italy (3 credits)
Overview
Italian (Arts) : This course examines the role played by religion in shaping Italian identities by looking at the works of Dante, Marsilio Ficino, Giovanni Pico, Galileo Galilei and other Early Modern authors in their cultural and institutional contexts. By looking at how these authors expressed their beliefs and interacted with religious institutions, students are invited to critically engage on the concept of "religion".
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Langue et litt茅rature fran莽aises
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FREN 455 La litt茅rature m茅di茅vale 1 (3 credits) **
Overview
French (Arts) : 脡tude d'oeuvres, d'auteurs ou de courants de la litt茅rature fran莽aise du moyen-芒ge (des origines au 15e si猫cle).
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Arseneau, Isabelle (Fall)
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FREN 456 La litt茅rature m茅di茅vale 2 (3 credits) **
Overview
French (Arts) : 脡tude d'oeuvres, d'auteurs ou de courants de la litt茅rature fran莽aise du moyen-芒ge (des origines au 15e si猫cle).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
** Note: Course taught and all coursework done in French.
Philosophy
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PHIL 344 Medieval and Renaissance Political Theory (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : A study of Medieval and Renaissance political theory.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Muniz-Fraticelli, Victor (Winter)
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PHIL 356 Early Medieval Philosophy (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An examination of selected works in the Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions. Topics in moral and political philosophy, logic and metaphysics, philosophical psychology and epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophical theology may be discussed.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Menn, Stephen (Fall)
Religious Studies
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RELG 322 Church and Empire to 1300
(3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A survey of major institutional developments in the history of Western Christianity in Church and Empire from the end of the apostolic age to 1300.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Kirby, W J Torrance (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 532 History of Christian Thought 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The development of Christian theology in the Patristic and Medieval periods. Focus on the controversial development of Christian doctrines and disciplines through intensive exposure to primary texts.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisite: At least six (6) credits at the 300 level in Christianity or the Christian Bible.
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken RELG 320
