M200 The Medieval Court: Romance and Reality (3 cr.)
|Time:||1:00 - 2:15 pm. MW|
This course asks students to imagine what it was like to live at the court of an English king or great nobleman in the late Middle Ages. We will learn about everday life in a castle: how people at court spent their time, the sources of the lord's income ande life style, and the important roles played by the women of the household. We'll also investigate the courtiers' encounters with other cultures, and, of course, how they entertained themselves with stories of chivalry and courtly love. Each student will choose an actual noble person or retainer of the time through whose eyes to experience life at court. We'll sample the kind of reading courtiers liked to do -- not just romances (including legends of King Arthur), but also biographies of medieval celebrities, saints' lives, and rule-books of good manners and chivalry. For writing, there will be short papers in which you recreate the daily occupations and reading experiences of a courtly household.
Note: M200 meets in the Lilly Library
M390 Literary Traditions in Medieval Europe (3 cr.)
|Time:||1:00 - 2:15 pm. MW|
This course introduces students to the beauty, humor, and intellectual sophistication of texts written in Europe between the sixth and fifteenth centuries, in order to help students learn more about medieval European cultures and allow students to compare early literary traditions in Europe with literatures from other times and other areas of the world. Another course goal is to help students enhance their general ability to read and write about texts analytically. We will study representative medieval works from a variety of genres and modes (including epic, romance, lyric, drama, allegorical narrative, and satire).We will explore such issues as the emergence of vernacular literature in the Middle Ages, the relationship of oral and written presentation of medieval texts, the influence of classical and Christian traditions on medieval texts, the relationship of medieval literature to music and the visual arts, and the social forces that shaped European literature during this time.
Our texts will include a selection of lyric poems from the Latin and vernacular traditions, the Song of Roland, the Song of the Cid, Chrétien de Troyes's Yvain, Marie de France's Lais, Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun's Romance of the Rose, Dante's Divine Comedy, The Second Shepherd's Play, and Everyman.
M390 meets with CMLT C321
M502 The Mirror Image: Reading, Writing, and Speculation in Medieval
European Texts (4 cr.)
|Time:||1:00 - 2:15 pm. TR|
One of the most intriguing images in medieval European literature is the mirror or speculum. One manifestation of this image is the naming of a text as “mirror”; oftentimes, however, references to literal mirrors refract through a text in the form of metaphoric mirrors or instances of narrative mirroring. In this course, we will explore the significance of the mirror as an image in medieval literature, especially as the image relates to the depiction of text as mirror and the reading/writing process as an act of philosophical speculation or reflection. Other issues for consideration will include the extent to which the material world is represented as the mirror image of God and women are represented as the mirror images of men.
Our primary readings will include Dhuoda’s Manual for William, Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival, Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun’s Romance of the Rose, Dante’s Divine Comedy, Marguerite de Porete’s Mirror of Simple Souls, Chaucer’s House of Fame, and selected lyric poems. The primary readings will be supplemented with readings in medieval and modern critical works.
Students will make two class presentations (one on a secondary reading and one on the research project the student has chosen), prepare a written proposal for the research project at mid-term, and complete the written presentation of the research project for the end of the semester.
M502 meets with CMLT C523
U177/U520 Introductory Persian I (4 cr.)
|Time:||10:10-11:00 am. D|
We will begin by studying the writing system and proper pronunciation. We will then concentrate on learning the basic grammatical structures of the language and developing a working vocabulary of two-to-three hundred words. Written and oral drills, graded readings and short written compositions, translation exercises and simple conversations will all play their role in gaining a thorough command of the fundamental elements of the language.
Required texts:Tehrania, Hassan and Windfuhr, Gernot. Modern Persian: Elementary Level
Contact IMU Bookstore for other class materials.
U277/U520 Intermediate Persian I (3 cr.)
|Time:||11:15 am. - 12:05 pm. MWF|
U299/U577 Research in Classical Persian Texts (3 cr.)
|Time:||3:35 - 6:00 pm. W|
A wealth of historical, literary, and religious writings gives the classical Persian tradition its distinguished place in the record of human thought and culture. In this course, students examine certain aspects of that rich legacy. Students will learn to recognize the grammatical and lexical differences that distinguish classical Persian from its modern counterpart, and will be introduced to some basic research tools and reference works. Readings this semester will be chosen by the instructor from the textbooks to reflect the range of classical Persian texts. Completion of intermediate Persian, its equivalent, or special permission of the instructor is a prerequisite.
W. M. Thackston, An Introduction to Persian, rev. 3d ed. (Bethesda, Maryland: Iranbooks, 1993).
W. M. Thackston, A Millennium of Persian Poetry, (Bethesda, Maryland: Iranbooks, 1994).
U320/U520 Central Asia from the Arab Invasion through the Mongol Imperium (3 cr.)
|Time:||2:30 - 4:45 pm. MR|
This course will survey the history of Central/Inner Eurasia over a nearly nine-hundred-year period, and will emphasize the following:
- The gradual spread of the Islamic faith from Arabia eastward and northward, affecting much of Central/Inner Eurasia, including the southern fringes of Siberia and the eastern areas of China, and competing in these areas with much older faiths and their cultures.
- While previous ethnic and expansionist movements originating in Central/Inner Asia—such as the Kushans in northern India, and the Huns and Avars in post-Roman eastern and central Europe—had been limited in their impact, the expansion westward and southward of hitherto little-known peoples of what is now the Mongolian region and the lands around Lake Baikal—first the Türks, then the Kitans, and finally the Mongols—was of wider, international significance.
U320/520 Cultural History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey (3 cr.)
|Time:||6:15 pm. - 8:30 pm. TR|
This course is designed to introduce graduate and particularly undergraduate students with little or no background in Turkish studies to the rich and varied cultures of Turkey, from Ottoman times to the present. After briefly touching upon the general history of the Anatolian Turks, we will study the social, economic and political structures of Ottoman and Turkish Anatolia, the language(s), the literature(s) and the many artistic traditions of the Anatolian peoples. How different was the literary language of the Ottoman elite from the language which has been spoken by the people of Anatolia for centuries? What was the social status of Turkish women during the Ottoman Empire? What changes took place after the emergence of Modern Turkey ? Along with these questions, we will deal with other significant topics, such as literacy/illiteracy in Turkish society; the secular enterprise of Kemal Atatüürk; the revival of Islamic fundamentalism; Turkish educational institutions; the emergence of K urdish nationalism; PKK terrorism, and others. In addition to the assigned readings, Turkish films and other visual materials will be used to familiarize students with the historical, artistic and political structure of Anatolian/Turkish society.
Required Textbook: the Reader prepared by the instructor [available at Collegiate Copies, 1430 E. 3rd Street (Phone: 339-3769)].
Grading Will Be Based on:
- Attendance and class participation: 20%
[Students are strongly encouraged to participate in class discussions; each student will be required to volunteer for a short presentation of scholarly article assigned.]
- Short paper: 20%
Students will write a 5-7 page summary of an article or analysis of a literary text (a poem, short story, etc.). Papers will be written following the guidelines in The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or The Chicago Manual of Sty le. The paper materials will be taken from the articles or literary texts not covered in class (titles NOT underlined in the CONTENTS page of the Reader).
- Midterm Exam: 30%
- Final Exam: 30%
L100 Elementary Latin I (4 cr.)
|Times and Locations:||9:05 - 9:55 am. MTWR BH 134
10:10 - 11:00 am. MTWR BH 246
11:15 am. - 12:05 pm. MTWR BH 147
1:25 pm. - 2:15 pm. MTWR BH 333
2:30 pm. - 3:20 pm. MTWR BH 247
Introduction to the fundamentals of classical Latin. Forms, syntax, and the nature of the language are emphasized in the first term, by the end of the second term students read selections from classical authors. There will be four tests, weekly quizzes, and written assignments which will be evaluated daily.
L103 Intermediate Latin (4 cr.)
|Times and Locations:||9:05 - 9:55 am. MTWR SY 105
11:15 am. - 12:05 pm. MTWR BH 205
Intensive review of fundamentals of the language for students who have placed into the second semester of first-year study.
Credit not given for both L150 and L103.
L200 Second-Year Latin I (3 cr.)
|Times and Locations:||9:05 - 9:55 am. MWF HP 010
11:15 am. - 12:05 pm. MWF GY 436
Reading from selected authors, emphasizing the variety of Latin prose. Examination of the concept of genre. Grammar review or prose composition.
Credit not given for both L200 and L400.
Prerequisite: L103, L150 or placement.
L250 Second-Year Latin II (3 cr.)
|Time:||10:10 - 11:00 am. MWF|
Reading from Vergil's Aeneid with examination of the epic as a whole. Prosody of dactylic hexameter and study of poetic devices. Grammar review. Credit not given for both L250 and L400.
Prerequisite: L200 or placement.
L540 Bishops, Queens, Scholars, and Lovers: Latin Letters of the Middle Ages (4 cr.)
|Time:||4:00 - 5:15 pm. TR|
We will read a varied selection of medieval Latin letters, with attention to the development of the epistolary genre and the ars dictaminis, medieval habits of self-representation, and the nature of long-distance communication in the middle ages. We will also consider the material aspect of letter-writing, and the means by which these letters have been preserved. Authors will include Caesarius of Arles, Alcuin, Hildebert, Abelard, Heloise, Hildegard, and Petrarch.
L220 Picturing the Past: Medieval History through Images in the
Books of Hours (3 cr.)
|Time:||1:25 - 2:40 pm. TR|
Popular culture often displays a stereotypical view of the Middle Ages which does not reflect the sophisticated social, economic, technical and spiritual environment of the period. The vibrant miniatures of Books of Hours are well-known, but these images are complex and their place in medieval art and culture is a fascinating way to learn about the richness and subtlety of the medieval world. While the most famous examples of these illustrations are widely recognized, such works include a wide variety of artistic styles and use sophisticated symbols and references to enhance the meaning of the texts in which they appear. Since these books were produced for private devotion, the art often had special meaning to particular individuals or in particular locations. This course will use interdisciplinary methodology to discuss the understanding and interpretation of these images and is arranged into thematic units.
This course is open to all IU students.
M558 A Pilgrim's Progress: Medieval Music from the Pilgrimages (1 cr.)
|Time:||12:30 - 2:00 pm. WF|
E203 Medieval Japan (3 cr.)
|Time:||4:00 - 5:15 pm. TR|
E301 Old English Literature, Language, and Culture (3 cr.)
|Time:||4:00 - 5:15 pm. TR|
OPEN TO MAJORS ONLY
The topic of this section will be the literature, language, and culture of Anglo-Saxon England, the earliest period of English history and literature. The primary focus of the course will be on the close reading of English texts from the earliest times to the later eleventh century, when the Normans put an end to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. We will continually attempt to place these texts in their cultural contexts, recovering the material conditions under which they were produced and received in the Anglo-Saxon and later periods. We will, for example, study the nature of monastic life, since the surviving texts in the Old English language were nearly all produced by and for the use of religious people. To the extent that it is possible, we will also try to recover the nature of Anglo-Saxon literary reception by examining texts in their manuscript contexts and by studying how oral literature and manuscript culture differ from the modern experience of reading literature. Such close study of Old English texts and their contexts will require a certain amount of familiarity with the Old English language, and so there will be considerably more language study in this course than is usual in literary courses. A particular topic of study will be the continually fruitful interaction of the native, martial Germanic culture of the Anglo-Saxons with the Mediterranean influences that arrived with Christianity at the end of the sixth century. Since only fragments of the native literary traditions survive, in order to understand early Germanic heroic literature we will need also to examine some texts translated from other early Germanic languages, such as the Old Icelandic eddas and sagas, the Old High German Hildebrandslied, the Latin Waltharius, and some others. Finally, we will also look at how the Anglo-Saxons and the texts they produced have been perceived in later times, from the twelfth century to the present, with emphasis on how successive periods have appropriated the Anglo-Saxons for their own purposes, frequently remolding them in their own image or an image that serves a particular cultural end.
Readings for the course will probably include Beowulf, Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy, selections from the two eddas, Njáls saga, Hrafnkels saga, and a variety of shorter texts translated from Old English and other languages. Students will also study a grammar of the Old English language. Assignments will include two or three examinations, a substantial course project demanding research in the library, and several shorter writing assignments.
E301 Literatures in English to 1600 (3 cr.)
|Time:||9:05 - 9:55 am. MWF|
How do texts of early English Literature imagine the community of peoples they purport to represent? Who has been included and who has been marginalized? How do premodern texts imagine the self in relation to a larger group identity? This course will engage these central questions in its survey of early literature in English from the Anglo-Saxon period to Elizabethan days. Readings will include Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, extensive selections from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, selections from The Book of Margery Kempe, Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur, and Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, selected poems, plays, and important texts by Surrey, Marlowe, and Shakespeare. Course requirements include a midterm and final, quizzes and exercises, and two longer written analyses. Regular attendance and participation are expected.
E301 Literatures in English to 1600 (3 cr.)
|Time:||11:15 am. - 12:05 pm. MWF|
This course will focus on English literature from Anglo-Saxon times to the Elizabethan period. Reading will likely include, but not be limited to, Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, extensive selections from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, selected sonnets, and important texts by Sidney, Spenser, Marlowe, and Shakespeare. The course will emphasize the major literary achievements of the centuries it treats, acknowledging as well the larger cultural contexts in which these participate. Writing will include a midterm, a comprehensive final, and several other assignments, ranging from essays to in-class exercises. Attendance and participation will be expected.
L305 Chaucer (3 cr.)
|Time:||1:00 - 2:15 pm. TR|
According to Umberto Eco, the author of Name of the Rose and more recently, Baudolino, one of the hallmarks of modernity is that “we are dreaming the Middle Ages.” Instead of seeing the medieval as past, Eco considers how the postmodern means a return to the medieval. This course will address how the medieval might offer a perspective on the modern and postmodern through Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Beginning with a study of Chaucer’s Middle English, we will ask how language creates community, and how modern English treats its own past medieval ancestor as other. The majority of the course will focus on the Chaucer’s grand work as a way of complicating our ideas about medieval culture and addressing issues that are very much in the contemporary limelight. We will, for example, ask how in a culture that was often defined in terms of religious communities, Eastern, non-Christian, and pagan cultures were viewed. We will interrogate how Chaucer represents Islam in The Man of Law’s Tale, what the Prioress’s Tale means in the context of medieval anti-Semitism, and how gender, class, and sexuality erupt among the narrators of the tale to vie for centrality. To help us answer these questions, we will also be reading some recent theory along with the tales. The course will include translation quizzes over the Middle English, two short papers, a mid-term and final examination.
G405/G601 Old English (4 cr.)
|Time:||4:00 pm. - 5:30 pm. TR|
The goal of G601 is to prepare students to read Old English prose and poetry with the help of a dictionary. The first half of the course will be devoted to learning the necessary grammar; the second, to reading interesting selections in prose and three or four poems, including "Caedmon's Hymn," "The Wanderer," "The Seafarer," and "The Dream of the Rood." "The Battle of Brunanburh," a poem in the Old English Chronicle, will be the basis of a paper evaluating different translations. There will be an in-class midterm on grammar and translation and a take-home final on the readings from the second half of the course.
Prerequisite: G205 OR EQUIVALENT
L616: The Medieval Spectator
|Time:||2:30 - 4:00 pm. TR|
This course is intended for non-medievalist graduate students as well as for medievalists in English and other departments. It will be run as a colloquium on the Medieval Spectator and will be organized around the following topics: sp ectatorship in the medieval city, gendered viewing, the devotional gaze, women on display, chivalric combats, and the "secrets" of spectacle. When choosing topics for the papers, students will be encouraged to focus on whatever aspects of the course are m ost applicable to their own program of study.
The primary texts will include medieval descriptions of tournaments and triumphal pageants as well as dramatic plays. The will also be contextual readings about the royal court, popular religion, the semiotics of medieval dress and gestures, and me dieval women. Theoretical studies of spectatorship (by Baudrillard, Guy Debord, contemporary film theorists, etc.) will focus the various segments of the course.
We will make the class a group effort as much as possible, sharing information and responses to the readings. There will be three short papers and a brief annotated bibliography related to one of the paper topics.
Please get in touch we me (e-mail email@example.com) if you have any questions about the course.
L622: Spenser and Milton
|Time:||1:25 pm. - 2:30 pm. MWF|
This course will be devoted to a close reading of the most important texts of Spenser and Milton, The Faerie Queene and Paradise Lost. For students interested in the early modern period, it is meant to be a substantial consideration of these encyclopedic writers; equally, it is meant to provide relevant literary background for students who concentrate in other areas and who might never have read much of either poem. In the past these two intentions have meshed surprisingly well and have provoked discussion. Primary attention will be given to the poems themselves, to a thoughtful reading of them that is at once historical and as variously problematized as time allows. The length of these poems is a challenge, but whenever possible, I'll assign readings for discussion that will press current and continuing critical issues. The format will be a mixture of presentation and discussion. Plan on short reports and two or three exploratory papers (ca. 5 pp.); a conference-length paper (9-10 pp.) is an alternative possibility. Texts are the second edition of The Faerie Queene, ed. A. C. Hamilton, and The Riverside Milton, ed. Roy Flanagan. (Try the likes of Amazon if you do not find Hamilton’s edition available elsewhere for a base cost of $40 or less.)
F410: French Literature of the Middle Ages (3 cr.)
|Time:||9:30 - 10:45 am. TR|
Dans cette introduction à la littérature française du Moyen Age, nous lirons en français moderne des oeuvres représentatives des principaux genres médiévaux: chanson de geste, récit bref (lais), roman, fabliaux et poésie lyrique. A travers la lecture de ces oeuvres, nous essaierons de dégager la spécificité de la littérature de cette période. Parmi les thèmes abordés figureront: le texte médiéval et ses modes de composition et de transmission; jongleurs et performance orale; mise en roman et tradition manuscrite; troubadours, trouvères et fin'amors (« amour courtois »); chevalerie, féodalité et littérature courtoise; etc. Le cours sera fait en français.
Notation : 1) participation orale active et continue en classe; 2) examen de mi-semestre; 3) dissertation; 4) examen final (25% X 4).
Textes à lire : voir avec la librairie universitaire.
F501: Medieval French Literature 1 (3 cr.)
|Time:||9:05 - 11:00 am. TR|
The purpose of F501 is to teach students to read Old French, to prepare them to use historical and literary documents and to prepare them for a broader study of Old French literature. We read all of Marie de France's Lais and we read approximately 2000 lines of the Chanson de Roland. Close attention is given to forms of grammar and Old French syntax. Additional readings and discussion involve texts basic to an understanding of the Middle Ages: Prudentius' Psychomachia, Boethius' On the Consolation of Philosophy, Einhardt's Life of Charlemagne, Augustine's On Christian Doctrine. Each day some time is given to reading, some to commentary, and some to lecture and discussion. Usually there is a term paper and one exam.
M501: Dante I (3 cr.)
|Time:||3:35 pm. - 5:30 pm. R|
Seminar on the cultural orientation, production and reception of Dante's early works from the Rime and the Vita nova to the early years of exile and the Inferno. Topics include an orientation to the preceding poetic schools through the De vulgari eloquentia, Stilnovist concepts of public in comparison to the Convivio, literary motifs in the political letters and the De Monarchia, Dante's spiritual Franciscan poetics, Dante and the arts, Dante's experimentalism, Barbi's 396 loci, and the texts of the Commedia. Conducted in Italian.
G635: Old Icelandic (3 cr.)
|Time:||4:00 - 5:15 pm. MW|
The object of the course is to give an introduction to Old Icelandic language and literature. The focus will be on linguistic aspects (phonology, morphology, and syntax), with sidelights to the literary and mythological traditions. Select passages from E. V. Gordon, An Introduction to Old Norse will be translated and serve as a background for the lectures. The final grades will be based on class participation, a midterm, a final, and an oral presentation.
Book: E. V. Gordon, An Introduction to Old Norse. Oxford: Clarendon, 1988. ISBN 0-19-811184-3
B204 Medieval Heroes (3 cr.)
|Lecture:||3:35 - 4:25 pm. MW BH 109|
|Discussion:||12:20 - 1:10 pm. R WH 104
12:20 - 1:10 pm. R LI 1051
8:00 - 8:50 am. R BH 333
8:00 - 8:50 am. R BH 337
9:05 - 9:55 am. F SB 138
9:05 - 9:55 am. F BH 221
10:10 - 11:00 am. F BH 333
10:10 - 11:00 am. F BH 332
B204 section qualifies for COAS topics credit
A society's heroes, real or fictional, can tell you a lot about that society (think about who our heroes are in modern America). So heroes are a great way to learn about past societies. This course is an introduction to the history of the Middle Ages in western Europe through its heroes (and villains). What made people heroes (or villains) in the Middle Ages? Who can be a hero? Who can become a heroine? How did changes in medieval society create changes in people's thinking about heroes? And how do modern people see these medieval heroes?
There will be a textbook that provides an outline of medieval history, but the main focus will be on the primary source readings. We will read historical texts, saints' lives, epic poems, Arthurian romances, in order to understand who the heroes were, and how they were presented to people in society. We will focus on the heroic qualities that people admired, and discuss how they changed during the 1000 years that make up the Middle Ages.
This class consists of two lectures a week, plus a discussion section. There will be short written assignments on the readings, and participation in discussion will be an important part of the class grade. In addition to the written assignments, there will be two midterms and a final exam.
C300 Byzantine History (3 cr.)
|Time:||4:00 - 5:15 pm. MW|
Although the Roman empire "fell" in western Europe, the eastern half of the Roman empire survived for over a thousand years, and is known to us as the Byzantine empire. Until the thirteenth century, it remained one of the most powerful and splendid societies in the world, far overshadowing the emerging countries of western Europe. This course is designed as an introduction to Byzantine history and civilization, A.D 330-1453. In it we will explore the survival of the eastern empire, how it developed a distinctive Christian culture and ideology, how it interacted with, and impacted, its neighbors, and how it responded to economic, political, and military challenges. In addition to textbooks, there will be four or five book-length primary source readings, which will introduce us to the ways that the Byzantines thought about their own culture and society. Grading will be based on attendance and participation, short papers (2-3 pages each) on the primary source readings, and a final exam.
B351 Western Europe - Early Middle Ages (3 cr.)
|Time:||2:30 - 3:45 pm. TR|
Above section open to undergraduates only
Above section carries culture studies credit
Above section meets with WEUR W405
This is the first course of a two-semester survey of the history of the Middle Ages; the second half, B352 will be given in the spring semester. Most surveys of the Middle Ages concentrate on the experience of western Europeans between about 400 and 1500. This approach grew out of an earlier historical tradition in which the history of Europe was seen as being of primary importance, because Europe came to dominate the world economically in the sixteenth century.
However, Western Europe was only one of the regions around a shared body of water, the Mediterranean. The Byzantine Empire also lay on the Mediterranean, as did a succession of Islamic empires and states. The entire Mediterranean world had been part of the Roman Empire, and thus the "Heirs of the Roman Empire" had some common cultural antecedents, as well as unique cultural features. While the European tradition will predominate in this course, we'll also consider the political, religious, and cultural developments in the Islamic/Islamist and Byzantine regions and try to think about the three comparatively. We will also think about points of contact and cultural exchange between the three regions. We will read primary documents from all three cultures. The course will culminate at the end of the eleventh century. Skills: The emphasis in this course will be on helping students to develop their ability to read and interpret primary sources (sources from The Middle Ages themselves) and to write more effectively. Each week, in addition to textbook reading, we will read one or more primary source readings and take some time to discuss these in class.
Assignments: three essays (4-5 pp) over the primary source readings, a midterm exam, a paper (10 pp.), and a comprehensive final examination.
H610 Ethnicity and Identity in the Middle Ages (3 cr.)
|Time:||4:00 - 6:00 pm. M|
A portion of the above section reserved for majors
In many other fields of history, scholars have been exploring the creation and meaning of ethnicity. Medievalists have come to this topic more recently, but in the past twenty years, a number of scholars have been examining the question of ethnicity in the Middle Ages. We will be examining this question from two perspectives. The first is the creation of ethnicity in the early Middle Ages--"The Barbarian West," and we will be reading a number of products of the "ethnogenesis" school, such as Wolfram, Pohl, and Amory. However, we will also consider how ethnic identities were generated, thought about, and maintained in the high Middle Ages, as states came to absorb peoples of various languages and customs and as individuals from one linguistic or cultural group came in contact with those from others (for instance, the English and Welsh on their frontier or the Germans and Slavs). What did it mean to be "French" or "English" or "German" or "Welsh"?
Class participants will take turns leading class discussions of the week's readings. Each participant will create and present a bibliographic essay on a particular problem of ethnicity or ethnic group.
H699 Plague History (3 cr.)
|Time:||6:00 - 8:00 pm. W|
This course will focus primarily on medieval and early modern plague in Europe, surveying the kinds of evidence we have from those who experienced these epidemics. We will also survey various historiographical approaches to the history of plague, with particular focus on the issues that divide and distinguish literature on plague. We will explore traditional and innovative collective strategies in times of great mortality crises. Finally, we will be concerned with the representation of plague and pestilence in Western tradition. The history of plague can be seen a useful template for the construction of non-traditional survey courses for students with no prior study of history. Graded requirements: (1) abstracts and/or short summaries of general assignments from the secondary literature; (2) a final paper incorporating both primary and secondary sources related to a plague (!) or topic of the student's choosing.
A101 Ancient to Medieval Art (3 cr.)
|Lecture:||11:15 am. - 12:05 pm. MW FA 015|
|Discussion:||10:10 - 11:00 am. T FA 005
11:15 am. - 12:05 pm. T FA 005
12:20 - 1:10 pm. T FA 005
1:25 - 2:15 pm. T FA 005
2:30 - 3:20 pm. T FA 005
3:35 - 4:25 pm. T FA 005
4:40 - 5:30 pm. T FA 005
10:10 - 11:00 am. R FA 010
12:20 - 1:10 pm. R FA 005
1:25 - 2:15 pm. R FA 005
The format of this course consists of two 50 minute lectures and one 50 minute discussion section per week. During the semester we will examine significant monuments and art objects dating from around 4000 B.C. to 1400 A.D. The primary objective of the course is to understand the civilizations of the important periods of antiquity and the Middle Ages by means of an examination of their visual material remains. For example, we will learn what the pyramids and colossal sphinx tell us about ancient Egyptian civilization, what the Acropolis and Parthenon of Athens tell us about the Greek civilization, and what Gothic cathedrals with their sculptures and stained glass windows tell us about the late Middle Ages and Christianity. We will be taking a look not only at actual works of art but also archaeology, religions, society, and literature and other salient remains of culture.
There is one paperback textbook for this course. Understanding the material will be enhanced through the availability of a digitized color image project available on the campus web or by local home computers. Course requirements include three 50 minute examinations, three 50 minute examinations, three quizzes and a grade in discussion section based on attendance, participation, and short quizzes.
A324 The Gothic Cathedral (3 cr.)
|Time:||11:15 am. - 12:30 pm. TR|
This course will survey the development of one of the most important cultural institutions of the Medieval era, the Gothic Cathedral. Starting in the Ile-de-France around 1140, the cathedral became the most important innovating force in Europe, leading the way in the development of architecture and the visual arts, as well as education, music. The centrality of the cathedral in the later medieval world reflects a fundamental change in the structure of medieval society, which moved from being primarily rural to urban in the course of only a century.
A study of the Gothic cathedral therefore provides an ideal jumping off point to examine the most important trends of the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. These include the use of secular learning, and the conflict between ecclesiastical and secular authority in the newly empowered medieval city.
A423/A523 Romanesque Art (4 cr.)
|Time:||2:30 - 4:00 pm. TR|
This course will survey the flowering of art and architecture following the end of the Viking invasions of Europe. The medieval pilgrimage, the cult of relics, the crusades, feudalism, the investiture crisis, and the growth of female patronage all contributed to the appearance of new types of artwork in the period between 1000 and 1200. Heresy, medieval view of sin and vice, and the writings of mystics guided the invention of new subjects in art. The recovery of Roman building techniques and the innovations of medieval builders led to the development of new kinds of church architecture, complementing the economic recovery of the eleventh century. Lectures and class discussion will seek to put phenomena such as the growth of the great monastic church, the emergence of the Giant Bible and the appearance of apocalyptic portal sculptures in the historical context.
A622 Illuminated Manuscripts from Late Antiquity to the End of the Ottonian Age (4 cr.)
|Time:||11:00 am. - 1:00 pm. R|
This graduate seminar will critically examine illuminated manuscripts of the Carolingian and Ottonian periods (ca. 750-1050). These manuscripts include Gospel Books, psalters, sacramentaries, Bibles, and prayer books as well as secular works: calendars, astronomical texts, the plays of Terence, and Cicero's Aratus. The themes and programs of these manuscripts will be investigated in terms of particular problems, such as patronage, royal and imperial images, narrative scenes, poetical and political messages of imagery, interlinks between religious beliefs and politics, the influence of antiquarianism as well as Late Antique, Byzantine, and Hiberno-Saxon images, how Carolingian and Ottonian illuminators metamorphosized such sources, critical assessments of originality and freedom, and the roles of color and expressiveness. Knowledge of German is highly desirable.
X406/X506 Survey of the History of Science up to 1750 (3 cr.)
|Time:||9:30 - 12:00 pm. T|
This is an introductory course designed for all students with an interest in the history of the sciences and their cultural contexts. We will cover select topics from Greek, Islamic, Medieval European and early modern science, emphasizing both primary sources and contemporary historiographical debates. We will include aspects of natural philosophy, astronomy, astrology, the medical disciplines, and the development of experiment. Students from a broad variety backgrounds will be welcome and their varied expertise in the science, humanities, or languages will be valued highly.
X706 The Origins of the Mechanical Philosophy
|Time:||12:30 - 3:00 pm. R|
A100/A500 Elementary Arabic I (4 cr./2 cr.)
|Times and Locations:||10:10 - 11:00 am. D SY 003
11:15 am. - 12:05 pm. D SY 022
This course is an introduction to Arabic. Using a communicative/proficiency oriented approach, we will begin to learn how to speak, read, and write in Modern Standard Arabic. The course is designed for students with no knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic. We will begin with the alphabet, then move gradually to learn various language skills.
Brustad, Kristen, et al. Alif Baa: Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds.
Brustad, Kristen, et al. Al-Kitaab: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic, Part One.
Wehr, Hans. A Dictionary of Modern Standard Arabic, ed. Milton Cowan (any edition).
N181/N502 Qur'anic Arabic I (4 cr./3 cr.)
|Time:||8:00 - 9:15 am. MTWR|
An intensive introduction to Classical Arabic with an emphasis on the Qur’anic text and related Arab-Islamic source materials, such as Qur’anic commentary, the biography of the Prophet (Sirah), and the Traditions of the Prophet (Hadith). It aims to provide students in classical and medieval Islamic fields with the ability to accurately read and translate classical texts through a foundation in syntax and morphology. The course is intended for committed undergraduates who are prepared to undertake a rigorous fast-paced classical language course and for graduate students who want to master reading skills in Arabic for research in classical Arabic texts. The course is particularly suited to NELC graduate students beginning Arabic, and for graduate students in other Islamic of Middle Eastern languages and cultures (Hebrew, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Swahili), and graduate students in the humanities (history, medieval studies, philosophy, history of religions).
A200/600 Intermediate Arabic I (3 cr.)
|Times and Locations:||11:15 am. - 12:30 pm. TR BH 221
11:15 am. - 12:30 pm. F BH 018
A200/A600 Intermediate Arabic I is a continuation of A150/A550. It will focus on the mastery of grammar, including more complex structures, acquisition and expansion of vocabulary, and the development of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. These objectives are achieved through intensive oral/aural practice using audio and video materials. In addition to working on all language skills, special attention will be given to the morphology and syntax of Arabic. Classes will be conducted in Arabic as much as possible.
Brustad, K., al-Batal, M., and al-Tonsi, A.: Al-Kitaab fii Ta’allum al-‘Arabiyya, Part I & II
Cowan, David. Modern Literary Arabic
Wehr, Hans. A Dictionary of Modern Standard Arabic, ed. Milton Cowan (any edition).
N205 Women in the Hellenic Tradition (3 cr.)
|Time:||1:00 - 2:15 pm. TR|
In this course we will explore the ways that women are represented in the art and literature of the Hellenic or Greek-speaking tradition. We will begin our survey with Homer's Odyssey, an epic that features so many sensitively drawn portraits of women that the famous novelist Samuel Butler concluded that it could only have been written by a woman. Next we will study the song lyrics of Sappho, the Melissa Etheridge of her day and one of the few women writers from the ancient world whose works have survived. The drama of classical Athens will provide us with the opportunity to see not only how different authors portray the character of Clytemnestra but also how these portraits differ from her earliest characterization in the Odyssey. The post-classical period and the introduction of Christianity brought new options for women in both secular and religious life. But even though the women of Byzantium could live and work independently, they continued to be judged by the archaic standards of the Homeric epics whether they were housewives, saints, or even the empress herself. Throughout the semester students will be asked to share with the class images of women from popular media such as the web to help show how and in what ways the feminine ideal has changed, if at all.
A300/A660 Advanced Arabic I (3 cr.)
|Time:||9:30 - 10:45 am. TRF|
This course is a continuation of A250/A650. It focuses on the continued development of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in Modern Standard Arabic and introduction to Classical Arabic texts. The course will also present a range of Arabic cultural and literary materials and a systematic review of morphology and syntax.
N305 Foundations of Byzantine Thought (3 cr.)
|Time:||11:15 am. - 12:30 pm. TR|
Byzantine society was deeply indebted to the culture of ancient Greece and classical Athens in particular. This debt manifested itself in small ways and large, from dining practices and references to often obscure works of classical literature to the conceptualization of the deity and even personal identity. Using translated texts, we will explore the relationship between ancient Greek literature and Byzantine thought. Among the authors that we will study are Plato, Aristotle, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Damascene. The final grade will be determined on the basis of four short papers, daily quizzes, and class attendance and participation.
N370 Koranic Studies (3 cr.)
|Lecture:||2:30 - 3:45 pm. M BH 142|
|Discussion:||2:30 - 3:45 pm. W BH 011
4:00 - 5:15 pm. W WH 106
The Koran and the Bible are the two most venerated books in history, but the Koran is far less known and understood for English readers. The purpose of this course is to introduce the Koran, its major themes, and its history. Topics to be covered include:
-how the Koran came into being;
-the structure, style, and organization of the Koran,
-God and humanity in the Koran,
-the Koranic sciences, especially interpretation;
-the Koran in Islamic culture,
-the relationship of the Koran to Judaism and Christianity,
-women in the Koran.
Previous courses on Islam are useful but not required. Students interested in Islam, literature, religion, and culture are invited. Allowance is made for the different levels of experience among the students.
The class consists of one lecture and one discussion class a week. Two discussion sections are available. Please note that discussion section 3661 will be conducted in English, while discussion section 3662 will require some knowledge of Arabic.
R257 Introduction to Islam (3 cr.)
|Time:||9:30 - 10:45 am. MW|
Introduction to the “religious world” of Islam: the Arabian milieu before Muhammad’s prophetic call, the career of the Prophet. Qur’an and hadith, ritual and the “pillars” of Muslim praxis, legal and theological traditions; mysticism and devotional piety, reform and revivalist movements.
R330/R531 Christianity, 400-1500 (3 cr.)
|Time:||2:30 - 3:45 pm. TR|
Historians often say that Christianity pervaded every part of life in medieval Europe. But what does this mean? How did Christianity shape politics? Piety? Social relationships? And what about Christians who lived outside of western Europe? Or Jews and Muslims who lived among Christians in Europe? In this course we will begin to answer these questions by studying the history of Christianity from the 5th century – the time when northern Europeans took over the Roman Empire and solidified a political divide between eastern and western Christianity – and the 16th century – the era when powerful reformers like Martin Luther facilitated the rise of new forms of Christianity and the break-up of Christendom. To make this vast expanse of history comprehensible, our approach will be both chronological and thematic. In other words, we will cover over 1000 years of history in three thematic cycles, using the themes of authority, sanctity, and theology as our focusing lens. This approach will enable us to review key dates, figures, and social developments as we analyze how saints wielded power, how popes and the institutional church garnered authority, and how various groups of Christians in specific historical contexts developed different practices and beliefs. This course can be seen as a sequel to R327/521, but there are no prerequisites. The course will serve as a foundation for the study of Christianity in later historical contexts, including the material covered in R331: Christianity 1500-present.
R373 Religion, Ethics, & Medicine (3 cr.)
|Time:||11:15 am. - 12:30 pm. TR|
The purpose of this course is to examine both religious and secular approaches in contemporary bioethics. We will learn basic philosophical concepts such as autonomy, beneficence and justice, how they relate to modern medicine, and how to apply them. We will also examine religious concepts such as covenant, love and gift that have been central in bioethical discussions. Most of our time in this class will be spent using these concepts to examine the complex issues that arise in the areas of reproduction, transplantation and death and dying.
R430 Mystical Prayer in Western Spirituality (3 cr.)
|Time:||2:30 - 3:45 pm. MW|
This course focuses on Western Christian mysticism as a way to understand the broad concept of “spirituality.” We may come up with a working definition of mysticism, but I am more interested in reading some of the great classical texts that describe it. We will begin by reading an 18th century Russian work, The Way of the Pilgrim and will then look at Julian of Norwich (14th century England), Bernard of Clairvoux (12th century France), and the two great 16th century Spanish mystics, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila.
Requirements: Attendance, mid-term and final exams + term paper. There will also be a course READER. The idea here is to take a good deal of time doing a careful reading of some very compelling and remarkable descriptions of “mystical” experience.
R620 / R713 Augustine of Hippo (3 cr.)
|Time:||4:00 - 6:00 pm. M|
A seminar on the life and thought of Augustine of Hippo (354-430), the pivotal figure at the transition from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Readings in his essential works will be followed by student seminar papers on topics that they select, which will culminate in research papers. The focus of the seminar – whether social, historical, philosophical, or religious – will flow from the interests of the participants. Participants will be encouraged to audit sessions of the conference on “The Religious Self in Antiquity,” which will meet in Bloomington in September. Textbooks: Augustine, Confessions, The Trinity, City of God, The Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love; Peter Brown, Augustine of Hippo; John Rist, Augustine: Ancient Thought Baptized.
Students who register for R713 must have a working knowledge of Latin so that they can base their papers on research in the original language.