Fall 2014Medieval Studies Courses
- Undergraduate Course Descriptions (incl. 400-level)
- Graduate Course Descriptions
- Medieval Studies Major & Minor Requirements
Note: For Cross-listed courses the CRN is that for MDVL; the CRN for other Departments will differ
I. Undergraduate Courses
HIST 100 AL1 Global History: The Medieval World
This course can be used to fulfill either Western or non-Western general education categories, but not both.This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in FALL2014 for a UIUC: Non-Western Culturescourse , and UIUC: Hist&Philosoph Perspectcourse , and UIUC: Western Compartv Cultcourse. Students majoring or minoring in Medieval Studies may petition to have this section of HIST 100 count in place of MDVL 201.
Instructor: M. McLaughlin
30338 / Lecture / AL1 / 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM / MW / 314Altgeld HallThis course examines the “deep history” of the complex world we live in today. While it is easy to assume that our lives are entirely modern, in fact our languages, beliefs, laws, family structures, ethnic identities, religions, economies, politics—even our technologies--are still being shaped in significant ways by developments that began hundreds of years ago. This course looks at human societies across the world, during the period from 500 to 1500 C.E.; important course themes will be wealth and poverty, exchanges (of people, goods, and ideas) between different parts of the world, and political systems (including systems of gender hierarchy).
HIST 220 Traditional China
Same as EALC 220
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in FALL2014 for a UIUC: Non-Western Culturescourse , and UIUC: Hist&Philosoph Perspectcourse
Instructor: K. Chow
49157 / Lecture / A / 09:30 AM - 10:50 AM / TR / 384ArmoryHistorical background to the modern age, tracing the Chinese state and empire from the earliest times until 1644 A.D. Basic political, social, and economic patterns; cultural, intellectual, and technological achievements; and China's impact on Asia and the world.
HIST 245 A Women and Gender in Pre-Modern Europe
Same as GWS 245 and MDVL 245
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in FALL2014 for a UIUC: Hist&Philosoph Perspectcourse , and UIUC: Western Compartv Cultcourse
Instructor: M. McLaughlin
34348 / Lecture-Discussion / A / 02:00 PM - 02:50 PM / MWF / 386ArmoryAn introduction to some major issues in the history of women and gender from the fifth to the seventeenth century. Among the subjects to be discussed are the impact of class on gender roles, women’s work and access to property, the relationship between the public and private spheres of life, women’s roles in the conversion of Europe to Christianity and in The Reformation, and the connection between the misogynist tradition and pre-modern women’s sense of self.
MDVL 240 Italy in the Middle Ages & Renaissance
Same as ITAL 240 and CWL 240
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in FALL2014 for a UIUC: Literature and the Artscourse
Instructor: C. Flack
53946 / Lecture-Discussion / E / 03:00 PM - 03:50 PM / MWF / 214Davenport HallThe development of Medieval Italian civilization in a literary context from the Sicilian School of love poetry to the early Renaissance in Florence; lectures and readings are in English.
MDVL 252 Viking Sagas in Transaltion
Same as SCAN 252 and CWL 252
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in FALL2014 for a UIUC: Literature and the Artscourse , and UIUC: Western Compartv Cultcourse
Instructor: B. Malekin
48307 / Lecture-Discussion / D / 03:00 PM - 03:50 PM / MWF / G46Foreign Languages BuildingViking Sagas in Translation is a course designed as an introduction to the medieval Icelandic sagas which record the traditions of the Viking Age. The sagas are one of the great medieval literatures, but they are unique by virtue of subject matter, prose form, and narrative technique. In the course of the semester we will discuss the special conditions under which these sagas have been composed: the cultural background of the texts as well as their transmission, structure, form, and socio-historical validity. The discussions of the cultural aspects will deal with such issues as the settlement of Iceland, Icelandic society, love and marriage, blood feuds, law and legal systems, pagan religion, the conversion to Christianity, politics, social customs, poetry, travels abroad, etc. During the course we will read and discuss several Icelandic sagas as well as a few shorter tales.
EALC 275 Masterpieces of Asian Literature
Same as CWL 275
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in FALL2014for a UIUC: Literature and the Artscourse, and UIUC: Non-Western Culturescourse
Instructor: TBA
47209 / Lecture-Discussion / AL1 / 12:00 PM - 12:50 PM / MW / 180Bevier HallStudy of major works in the literary traditions of China and Japan, including haiku, noh, Tale of Genji, kabuki, Tang poetry, Ming theater, and the colloquial tale.
HIST 347AProtestant and Catholic Reformations
Same as RLST 347
Instructor: C. Koslofsky
46027 / Lecture-Discussion / A / 01:00 PM - 02:20 PM / MW / 315Gregory HallIn 1517, the birth-year of the Protestant Reformation, the great humanist Desiderius Erasmus wrote that “as if on a given signal, splendid talents are stirring.” In 1536, the year of his death, this same Erasmus wrote:“This is the worst age of history.” In both cases, Erasmus was right. The age of Reformations combined a powerful sense of promise with bitter human misery. It combined dreams of freedom with brutal subjugation. This age of astonishing beauty, penetrating faith, and fervent piety also saw so much waste and needless suffering: witch-burnings and religious war, forced conversions, famine, and enslavement.
In this course we will examine the many faces of this age by reading and discussing firsthand accounts of this time of creativity and destruction, hope and fear. In each class we will discuss the primary sources of the age of Reformations, focusing on the relationship between text and context. The course begins by examining Christianity and society in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
JAPN 407 Introduction to Classical Japanese
Instructor: E. Oyler
12-week video-conference course, 9-10:50 TR, Sept. 3 - Nov. 14
Introduction to the grammar, morphology, vocabulary, and style of classical Japanese language as found in premodern Japanese literary and historical writings. Prerequisite: Three years of modern Japanese language or equivalent.
MDVL 415 Classical Rhetorics
Same as CLCV 415 and CMN 415
Instructor: N. O’Gorman
45889 / Lecture-Discussion / 1G / 12:00 PM - 12:50 PM / MWF / 4053Lincoln Hall45888 / Lecture-Discussion / 1U / 12:00 PM - 12:50 PM / MWF / 4053Lincoln Hall
Introduction to the main outlines of the history of rhetoric in antiquity. Students will read primary texts (in translation), write several short papers during the term, and take exams. Texts will include those by Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and Augustine.
RLST 440 Early Christian Thought
Instructor: R. Layton
55887 / Lecture-Discussion / G4 / 01:00 PM - 01:50 PM / MWF55886 / Lecture-Discussion / U3 / 01:00 PM - 01:50 PM / MWF
This course explores the emergence of a distinct Christian community, institutions and intellectual traditions in the earliest centuries of the Common Era (C.E.0. In chronological terms, the course centers on the period from 90 CE to 337 CE, which spans from the earliest recognition of the new community by outside Roman elites to the death of Constantine. A number of interrelated issues emerge in this period, including: 1) the relationship between Christian communities and the wider Roman society and institutions; 2) the production, transmission, evaluation and consolidation of tradition; 3) the definition of critical institutions and values; and 4) the management of intellectual and theological diversity. The course seeks to integrate substantive discussion of these issues with methodological considerations of the relevant evidence and original research by students.
FR 443 Studies in French. Topic: “Une chambre à soi”: Christine de Pizan et son monde
3 undergraduate hours; 3-4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: junior standing
Instructor: K. Fresco
53385 / Lecture-Discussion / G / 12:00 PM - 01:20 PM / TRLa France des 14e et 15e siècles est écartelée par des crises politiques, sociales et économiques. C’est au cours de cette période désastreuse que Christine de Pizan se fait une place dans une tradition littéraire définie par les hommes. Au cours du semestre nous nous pencherons sur des questions telles le rapport entre le genre sexuel et la lecture, la réception, la création littéraire, la construction d’une voix féminine. Nos lectures comprendront un choix des ouvrages de Christine tant littéraires que politiques, historiques, et didactiques.
Texts will be in French and English. The class will be conducted in either French or English depending on the capacities of the students.
ANTH459 The Ancient Maya
Instructor: L. Lucero
55593 / Lecture-Discussion / 1 / 09:00 AM - 11:50 AM / WCourse Objectives: The ancient Maya are famous for their hieroglyphs, large pyramid temples, ceramic vessels with vibrant painted scenes, royal tombs and iconography; however, these features only reflect a small portion of ancient Maya society. In this course we focus on all levels of Maya society to understand how they lived and survived in a challenging setting‹the semitropics. Excavation data, iconography, and inscriptions are used to reconstruct political and social organization, ideology, subsistence activities, and inter-regional Interactions.
MDVL 460 Medieval Latin
Same as LAT 460
Prerequisite: Two years of college Latin or consent of instructor.
Instructor: B. Walters
Literary and historical texts in prose and poetry will be read in the original; the course will also cover patristic writings.
English 461 1G/1U Topic: Old Irish
Instructor: C. Wright
51247 / Lecture-Discussion / 1G / 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM / TR / 307Gregory Hall51246 / Lecture-Discussion / 1U / 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM / TR / 307Gregory Hall
An intensive introduction to the Old Irish language, with readings in Old Irish prose and poetry. No prior knowledge or linguistic expertise is required. WhileOld Irish--the language of early medieval Ireland--is a very difficult language, the goal of this course is not to master its intricacies, but to acquire a level of familiarity sufficient to enable you to read Old Irish texts in edition with full glossaries and notes, and with a grammar at your side to consult as you read. We will work through the basic grammar of the language and read as we go the parodic taleScéla Mucce Meic Dathó (“The Story of Mac Datho’s Pig”), followed by selections from the epic Táin Bó Cuailnge (“The Cattle-Raid of Cooley”) as well as some lyric poems. There will be language quizzes, a midterm, and a final, but no term paper.
Required Texts: R. Lehmann and W.P. Lehmann, An Introduction to Old Irish; J. Strachan and O. Bergin, Old-Irish Paradigms and Selections from the Old-Irish Glosses; Antony Green, Old Irish Verbs and Vocabulary; Selections from the Táin, ed. R. Thurneysen.
EALC 488 History of Chinese Buddhism
Same as RLST 488. Prerequisite: RLST 287 or consent of instructor.
Instructor: A. Mayer
57383 / Lecture-Discussion / AM / 02:00 PM - 04:50 PM / F / 311Davenport HallSurvey of the history of Chinese Buddhism since its introduction; analysis of Buddhological trends and styles; and the sociocultural milieu of Chinese Buddhism and its place in the total history of ideas and lifestyles.
II. Graduate Courses
MDVL 514E Seminar in Medieval Literature. Topic: Middle English’s Greatest Hits
Same as ENGL 514
Instructor: R. Barrett
34489 / Lecture-Discussion / E / 01:00 PM - 02:50 PM / M / 123English BuildingIn this seminar, we’ll undertake a survey of Middle English literature from approximately 1200 to 1500 CE, concentrating on those works that graduate students most need to know as practicing medievalists and early modernists: Ancrene Wisse, a thirteenth-century guide for female recluses; Havelok the Dane and Bevis of Hampton, chivalric romances featuring border-crossing heroes; William Langland’s Piers Plowman, a series of vision quests to save England?s soul; John Gower’s Confessio Amantis, a lover’s penance for his misdeeds; Thomas Hoccleve’s Series, a fraught attempt to cure madness through narrative; Julian of Norwich’s Shewings, a recluse’s account of her communications with God; The Book of Margery Kempe, a English housewife’s autohagiography; Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur, a history of King Arthur’s rise and fall; and Robert Henryson’s Moral Fables, witty recastings of Aesopian tales. (Geoffrey Chaucer and the Gawain-poet have been left off this reading list to make room in the graduate curriculum for other interesting Middle English works.) Sex/gender will be an obvious concern of the class, as will nation/region, natureculture, and narrativity itself. We will be reading all of our texts in well-glossed Middle English editions, usually from the TEAMS Middle English Texts series: an option that gives us access to free, keyword-searchable online versions of most of the works. Expect to read relevant literary criticism as well! Your written work for the course will consist of one or two short diagnostic pieces early in the semester followed by the multi-stage production of an article-length research essay.
EALC 522 Seminar in Chinese History
Same as HIST 521
Instructor: K. Chow
46555 / Discussion/Recitation / A / 03:00 PM - 04:50 PM / M / 331Gregory HallThis course introduces students to important bibliographical and scholarly methods and tools for the study of traditional Chinese history, using Chinese documents. A major objective of this course is to help student produce a substantial research paper to be expanded into a larger research project, using Chinese sources. Even though this course focuses on historical research, it is designed to introduce research tools for students studying literature, religion, and other disciplines within the field of Chinese studies. The particular interests of individual student's research will be integrated into the course as students are required to select documents related to their project for class discussion and presentation.
Various genres of Chinese documents will be studied to show their limitations and “biases.” How different types of information are organized and classified. Students will learn where to look for information and how to use Chinese documents with knowledge of “biases” and “perspectives” of specific types of documents. Documents to be examined in class include conventional and modern bibliographies, biographical essays, genealogies, local gazetteers, official documents, official and private historical works, literary collections, poetry and prose anthologies, as well as archival materials. Other types of materials, e.g.,painting, calligraphy, stele inscriptions, may be included if students' projects call for use of such materials. Textual, electronic, and internet resources and reference tools will be introduced and.
Participation in discussion is required and students are responsible for presentations of readings and research proposals. There will be written assignments. Students are required to produce a 25 page research paper.
ENGL 583 Topics in Writing Pedagogy & Program Design. Topic: Writing Instruction from Classical Antiquity to Renaissance Humanism
Same as Cl 566
Instructor: M. Camargo
39503 / Lecture-Discussion / E / 01:00 PM - 02:50 PM / W / 123English BuildingThe seminar will trace major developments in the theory and practice of writing pedagogy from the Athenian schools of the fifth century B.C.E. through the Humanist schools of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Among the topics that may be considered are the disciplinary overlaps and oppositions between grammar and rhetoric, the relationship between oral and textual “delivery,” the nature and function of the sequenced elementary exercises known as progymnasmata, imitation and variation as inventional techniques, genre-based pedagogies, Latinity vs. emergent vernacular textuality, and changing social and institutional contexts for writing instruction. Course requirements include participation in class discussion, one or two oral presentations, and an article-length research paper.
Major in Medieval Studies
The Interdisciplinary Concentration in Medieval Studies introduces students to medieval (ca. 500- ca. 1500 CE) cultures across the world, providing them with an understanding of periods and movements, institutions, material culture, ideas, beliefs, and values of the diverse cultures that comprise the medieval globe. The coursework spans both geographic regions and disciplines to introduce students to the breadth of medieval cultures as well as to the diversity of methods and perspectives for their study.
The concentration includes a minimum of 45 hours, divided into (I) an introductory course in global medieval literatures and cultures; (II) geographical distribution coursework as specified below; (III) advanced medieval coursework selected by the student in consultation with a Medieval Studies faculty advisor; and (IV) a capstone experience involving an intensive writing and research project. Because Medieval Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study, students are urged to consult with a Medieval Studies faculty advisor to ensure that they take a diverse range of courses providing some exposure to the fields of History and Anthropology; Literature; the Arts; and Philosophy or Religion. Although study of medieval languages is not a requirement, students who intend to pursue graduate study in Medieval Studies should complete at least two courses in an appropriate language; up to twelve hours of appropriate language study can be applied to the Additional Medieval Studies Coursework.
Hours / Requirement3 / Introduction to Medieval Studies1
ENGL 202- Medieval Lit and Culture (same as MDVL 201)
18 / Geographical Distribution Coursework2
6 hours- Medieval Europe- Two courses chosen from the following:
ARTH111/MDVL 111Ancient to Medieval Art
ARTH 222/ MDVL 222Medieval Art
ARTH 231/MDVL 231Northern Renaissance Art
ITAL 240/MDVL 240Italy Middle Ages & Renaiss
HIST 245/MDVL 245Women & Gender in Pre-Mod Europe
HIST 247/MDVL 247Medieval Europe
SCAN 251/MDVL 251Viking Mythology
SCAN 252/MDVL 252Viking Sagas in Translation
HIST 255/MDVL 255British Isles to 1688
ARCH 412/MDVL 412Medieval Architecture
6 hours- Classical and medieval East Asia- Two courses chosen from the following:
HIST 220Traditional China
HIST 226Pre-modern Japanese History
EALC 240Chinese Civilization
EALC 275 Masterpieces of East Asian Lit
RLST 287Introduction to Buddhism
6 hours- Medieval Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East- Two courses chosen from the following:
HIST 130History of South Asia
HIST 135History of Islamic Middle East
LA 218S Asian Cultural Landscapes
LA 222 Islamic Gardens and Architecture
RLST 213Intro to Islam (ACP)
RLST 214Introduction to Islam
RLST 223Qur’an Structure and Exegesis
RLST 260Mystics and Saints in Islam
RLST 283Jewish Sacred Literature
CWL 208Lits Cultures of South Asia
21 / Additional Medieval Studies Coursework
Medieval-related coursework from participating departments selected in consultation with the concentration advisor. At least 12 hours must be at the 300- or 400-level. A list of courses in Medieval Studies is maintained on the Medieval Studies Program website <. Up to 12 hours of appropriate language study can be applied to meet this requirement with approval of aMedieval Studies faculty advisor.
3 / Capstone Experience
A capstone experience (normally in the student’s senior year) involving intensive interdisciplinary research and writing on a medieval topic. Any 400-level MDVL course (or medieval-related course not cross-listed with MDVL, with the approval of a Medieval Studies faculty advisor) can be designated as a capstone experience with approval of the instructor. For the course to qualify as a capstone experience, the student must undertake a substantial research project that supplements the standard course requirements, in the form either of an additional project or of a longer and more research-intensive version of an existing course project. The project must involve both primary and secondary research using advanced disciplinary methodologies and resources.
45 / Total Hours
- A student may substitute the “Medieval World” section of HIST 100, Global History, by petition to a Medieval Studies faculty advisor. Only the section of HIST 100 devoted to the Middle Ages may be substituted.
- A student may substitute up to 6 hours in geographical distributioncoursework with courseson the medieval civilizations of the Americas: ANTH 277-Ancient Cities, Sacred Land, ANTH 278- Climate Change & Civilization, or both. However, at least one course must still be taken from each of the three regional areas.
A Major Plan of Study Form must be completed and submitted to the LAS Student Academic Affairs Office before the end of the fifth semester (60-75 hours). For further information contact the Director of Medieval Studies, Prof. Charles D. Wright