Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Degree Requirements

This humanities major provides interdisciplinary study of the Medieval and Renaissance civilizations including the Western World, the Byzantine and Islamic worlds, and Late Greco-Roman and Christian Antiquity. It offers formal courses and many possibilities for independent study in art history, English, foreign languages and literature, history, music, philosophy, religion and theatre. The chairperson of the Committee on Medieval and Renaissance Studies serves as the academic adviser.

The program requires 60 hours of study, distributed as follows:

• HIST 3100, 3110, 4030, 4040 (12 hours)
• Electives (39 hours). With the assistance of the adviser, the student must elect a truly interdisciplinary array of courses. If the student cannot satisfactorily read one of the learned or vernacular languages (other than modern English) of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, some elective hours must be used to remove the deficiency.
• Final Project (9 hours). This is a research or creative activity leading to a formal paper or an artistic expression. As a rule it requires the reading of primary sources in the original language. The hours may be spread over a full academic year, distributed between two semesters or earned entirely in one. The Committee on Medieval and Renaissance Studies approves the written proposal and appoints a faculty supervisor. The project may be concentrated in one field, such as philosophy; but an interdisciplinary committee of three faculty members, including the project supervisor, grades it.