Course Offerings

Medieval Studies (667)

Medieval Civilization 01:667:281
Cross-listed - See History 01:510:209

African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian Languages and Literatures (013)

01:013:201 Crossroads: Classical Lit. of Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia
Professors Khayyat, Emrah, Mani, Preetha
T-TH 9:50 AM - 11:10 AM  CAC   SC-216
Cross-listed with  01:685:204:01 

An introductory survey of the "classical" literatures of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, stretching from antiquity to about the beginning of the 19th century. It examines the critical areas of difference and similarity between the literary traditions of the three regions through the study of excerpts of sample "canonical" texts. It begins with an overview of the oral tradition and proceeds to demonstrate its enduring impact on the written word in its various genres across time and space. It also explores new literary formations that have arisen out of the historical interchange between people's of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. In the process, students will also be exposed to the different kinds of scripts, both original and improvised, that have been used over the centuries in the written traditions of the societies of these interlocking regions of the world.

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Art History (082)

01:82:105 Intro to Art History
Sec. 01   T-F 12:00 PM - 1:20 PM   LIV   BE-201
Sec. 05   M-Th 10:55 AM - 12:15 PM   D/C   ARH-200, Prof. Puglisi
Sec. 07  T-Th 7:40 PM - 9:00 PM   CAC   VH-105, Prof. Paulsen

This course presents an introductory overview of the history of Western art from antiquity to the late medieval period. It considers the achievements of great civilizations ranging from Egypt to the Holy Roman Empire, and focuses on a diversity of cultural and religious traditions, including, Byzantine, Islamic, and Jewish. The class examines a wide array of objects, including statues of gods and emperors, reliquaries containing saints’ bones, Greek temples and Gothic cathedrals, early synagogue decoration, devotional manuscripts, and gold-gilded altarpieces.

Emphasizing significant stylistic movements in Western Europe, this course lays the groundwork for more advanced art history courses by introducing visual analysis and other interpretative tools of art historical research. Students will also learn how the visual products of a culture relate to historical circumstances, societal values, and shifting personal and collective identities. The skills developed in this class provide important tools for navigating and interpreting media and visual representation in the twenty-first century.

01:82:308   Italy 1250-1400: The Hinge between Medieval and Renaissance
T-TH 1:10 PM - 2:30 PM   CAC   ZAM-MPR
Prof. McHam

This is a survey of Italian art and architecture from the mid-13th century until 1400, focusing on the painting of Giotto and Duccio and their legacies. This was a time of great change as art began to move away from medieval ideals and set the stage for the beginnings of the renaissance. The course will investigate the development of a humanized, expressive interpretation in religious art, and the ways in which art and architecture served to construct civic identity and pride in the peninsula’s independent city-states, as well as to meet the objectives of its patrons, whether male or female, secular or religious. There will be a class held at the Metropolitan Museum, a mid-term and a final exam, as well as a short research paper.

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English (358)

01:358:246 Introduction to the Gothic
M-Th 11:30 AM - 12:50 PM   CAC   MU-208
Prof. Jackson

We read gothic literature for pleasure, for the thrill it gives us, for the spine-tingling suspense that builds to a sudden-often deeply-unsettling crescendo. No sooner do we recover from one fright, but we feel the narrative tension mounting again. But aside from pleasure, what is gothic literature about? Why the focus on fear, anxiety, and the helplessness of a protagonist? What is our draw to dark foreboding landscapes, the wilderness, the urban underworld, haunted houses, demonic realms, and alien forces? Why are we simultaneously repulsed by and drawn to urban legends, dark villains, and stories of macabre murders? If you're interested in psychological narratives, in understanding the human mind through literature, this might be the course for you.

In exploring the questions above, we will focus primarily on short stories and urban legends. We will also look to the critical frameworks offered by psychology, folklore, anthropology, philosophy, and literary and cultural theory. We will try to explain the aesthetic payoff of fear, tracing it back from our present time to its roots in occult practices. Be forewarned: while we will not be reading horror fiction in this course, the gothic can, at times, be somewhat unsettling.

01:358:306 Chaucer
T-Th 1:10 PM - 2:30 PM   CAC   FH-A5
Prof. Scanlon

This class is an introduction to Chaucer through close study of his most famous work: the Canterbury Tales. At once a tale-telling contest, a game, and a journey, the Canterbury Tales offers students the opportunity to learn Middle English; to investigate major social, philosophical, and theological questions important to late medieval English culture; and to take pleasure in beautiful, challenging, sometimes quite funny, sometimes sobering poetry. Assignments include two papers, two exams, and a series of unannounced reading quizzes.

01:358:309  Issues & Problems in Medieval Literature and Culture
Sec. 01 M-TH 9:50 AM - 11:10 AM   CAC   HH-A6
Sec. 02 M-Th 6:10 PM - 7:30 PM   CAC   FH-B1

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History (510)

01:510:101 Ancient & Medieval Europe
Sec. 08 M-TH 9:50 AM - 11:10 AM   CAC   MU-210, Prof. Pinyan
Sec. 09 M-TH 9:50 AM - 11:10 AM   CAC   MU-210, Prof. Pinyan

Introductory survey of European history from ancient times to the early modern period. Introduction to historical interpretation and historical inquiry.

01:510:209  Emergence of Medieval Europe
Sec. 01 TH 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM   CAC   HH-B3, Prof. DiBattista
Sec. 03 T 9:50 AM - 12:50 PM   CAC   SC-106, Prof. DiBattista

Europe from the fall of Rome through the Dark Ages and into the feudal age--the era of Charlemagne, the Vikings, and the Crusades.

01:510:255 Dracula: Facts and Fictions
ONLINE
Prof. Reinert

History of Dracula in context of early modern Balkan and Ottoman political and military history. Historical and literary legacies of Dracula from the 15th century to the late 19th century.

01:510:307 Roman World in Late Antiquity
HYBRID Th 4:30 PM - 5:50 PM   CAC   CA-A5
Prof. Takacs

Development of the Roman state and society from the late third through early seventh centuries. The transformation of the late classical world, and the origins of Byzantium and the medieval West.

01:510:313 Muslims, Christians, & Jews in Medieval Spain
T-TH 2:50 PM - 4:10 PM   CAC   MH-115

History of medieval Spain with a focus on cultural, religious, and political diversity.

01:510:319  Age of Reformation
T-TH 2:50 PM - 4:10 PM   CAC   FH-B3
Prof. DiBattista

The Protestant and Catholic reformations and their significance for European society.

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French (420)

01:420:216  Aspects of French Literature 
Sec. 01 M-W 2:50 PM - 4:10 PM   CAC   SC-102
Sec. 02 T-Th 2:50 PM - 4:10 PM   CAC   SC-115, Prof. Pairet

An introduction to French literature from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, via the Renaissance and the Classical age. Readings include the medieval tale La Châtelaine de Vergy as well as fiction by Rabelais and Voltaire; excerpts from Montaigne’s Essais and the 18th century Encyclopédie; plays by Corneille and Molière; and poems by Labé, Ronsard, and La Fontaine. Building on the experience of 215, the main goal of the course is to allow students to understand and enjoy major works from an earlier era, while sharpening reading, comprehension, and essay-writing skills. [Prerequisite: placement test or 420:132 or 420:137]

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Jewish Studies 563

01:563:307 Muslims, Christians, & Jews in Medieval Spain
Cross-listed - see History 510:313

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Religion 840

01:840:212 Religions of the Western World
Sec. 01 M-Th 12:00 PM - 1:20 PM   LIV   TIL-226, Prof. Fruchtman
Sec. 02 M-W 2:15 PM - 3:35 PM   D/C   HCK-214, Prof. Pavlin
Sec. 03 M-W 3:55 PM - 5:15 PM   D/C   HCK-214, Prof. Pavlin

Religious beliefs, practices and sacred writings of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

01:840:226 Islam
HYBRID Wednesday 4:30 PM - 5:50 PM   CAC   SC-115
Prof. Mojaddedi

Muhammad and the development of Muslim beliefs and practices; major movements and their effects on historical and current events. 

01:840: 305 Apocalypse Now: Religious Movements and the End of Time
M-W 6:10 PM - 7:30 PM   CAC   SC-203
Prof. Jeong

The course compares ancient, Medieval, and contemporary apocalyptic movements. Case studies will include the Jewish apocalyptic movement associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls and Pauline Christianity, Medieval apocalypticism surrounding Joachim of Fiore and the Crusades, and more contemporary movements such as Jonestown and the Left Behind series of Christian thrillers

01:840:372 Islamic Mystical Literature
HYBRID Wednesday 1:10 PM - 2:30 PM   CAC   MU-114
Prof. Mojaddedi

Course description not yet available