Medieval and Renaissance Studies (Minor)
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Minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies
The Minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies draws from a wide range of courses across two faculties and several disciplines to form a unified whole.
The millennium-long period between the fall of Rome and the Enlightenment possesses enormous importance to the further development of the Western world, and, given the dominance which the Western European world later attained, to the rest of the world. In particular, the Medieval and Renaissance periods witness the beginnings of print culture, European expansion, the founding of the modern state, the construction of credit mechanisms and modern notions of currency, and important advances in technology and communications. Its study intersects with and informs economic, political, and social history, and the histories of ideas and technology. It is also the founding period for several major world languages and lays the groundwork of their literatures.
Language Requirement
Students must complete 6 credits in one language other than English spoken in Europe during the relevant time period.
Note: the language requirement is in addition to the B.A. requirements for an approved second language. The language may be the same as that used to satisfy the B.A. requirement but carried to a higher level, or it may be an additional language, such as Latin, Greek, Old English, etc.
First and Second Years
Students must complete all of the B.A. first- and second-year credit requirements, as well as any prerequisites for the required upper-level courses. In addition, students must complete the following:
- One of ENGL 220, 241, 242, 243; and
- 3 credits from HIST 116, 119.
Third and Fourth Years
18 credits from the courses listed below. Students may not apply more than 9 credits in a single discipline toward the Minor.
| Art History and Visual Culture Course List |
|---|
| ARTH 370 Art and Literature of the Islamic World |
| Economics Course List |
| ECON 330 World Economy to 1800 |
| English Course List |
| ENGL 315 Studies in Backgrounds to 16th-Century Literature |
| ENGL 340 Introduction to Old English |
| ENGL 343 Old English Literature |
| ENGL 344 Medieval Studies |
| ENGL 347 Renaissance Studies |
| ENGL 349 17th-Century Studies |
| ENGL 411 Tudor and Stuart Drama |
| ENGL 420 17th-Century Literature: Prose |
| ENGL 422 17th-Century Literature: Poetry |
| ENGL 427 Chaucer's Earlier Poetry |
| ENGL 428 Chaucer's Canterbury Tales |
| ENGL 438 Shakespeare: Earlier Works |
| ENGL 439 Shakespeare: Later Works |
| French Course List1 |
| FREN 407 Studies in Medieval French Literature |
| FREN 408 Studies in French Literature of the 16th Century |
| FREN 439 Epistolary Style: When Women Speak |
| FREN 460 17th-Century French Tragedy |
| FREN 461 17th- and 18th-Century French Comedy |
| History Course List |
| HIST 305 British Imperial History up to 1783 |
| HIST 308 The Scientific Revolution |
| HIST 325 Europe in 1215 |
| HIST 343 Tudor England, 1485-1603 |
| HIST 344 Stuart England, 1603-1714 |
| HIST 413 Reformation Europe |
| HIST 414 Medieval England |
| HIST 420 Women in Early Modern Europe |
| HIST 424 Women in the Middle Ages |
| HIST 471 History of Germany to 1789 |
| Latin Course List1 |
| LATN 300 Introduction to Latin for Senior Students |
| LATN 480 Directed Studies in Latin |
| Philosophy Course List |
| PHIL 314 Philosophy in the 17th Century |
| Political Science Course List |
| POLI 354 History of Political Ideas I |
| Spanish Course List1 |
| SPAN 410 Medieval Literature |
| SPAN 420 Golden Age Literature |
Note: not all courses will be offered each year.
Occasional offerings of courses, such as Spanish 380 (Selected Topics in Spanish), may concentrate on the relevant period and will therefore be considered as satisfying some of the credits toward this Minor.
1French, Latin, and Spanish courses may be used to satisfy either the additional language requirement or the third- and fourth-year requirements.
