ENGL 308 - Interdisciplinary Studies in the Middle Ages and Renaissance

Institution:

University of Richmond

Subject:

Description:

An interdisciplinary approach to the study of Middle Ages and Renaissance. Medieval and Renaissance perspectives on topics such as love, politics, individualism, and the divine will be explored through study of selected works from literature, art, architecture, political theory, theology, and philosophy of both periods. Modern historiographical studies also will be examined in order to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of period constructions. May be repeated for credit if topic varies. Prerequisite(s): English 297 or 298 with a grade of C or better. Unit(s): 1 Additional Information: The purpose of this course is to explore the cultures of the Middle Ages and Renaissance from the perspective of a number of different fields of inquiry. These fields include the history of art and architecture, literature, philosophy, religious studies, history, and political philosophy. The basic assumption behind this course is that the various kinds of artifacts, physical or conceptual, that a culture produces constitute together a unique symbolic "universe." In order to interpret this universe of signs and symbols, whose meanings have been blurred by the passage of time, it is often illuminating to explore their rich and complex interrelations. Thus, for example, by studying together Michelangelo's David, Luther's Freedom of a Christian, and Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is possible not only to further one's understanding of each of these works, but also to achieve a more complex and thus more accurate insight into Renaissance conceptions of the human self. Such an interdisciplinary study of a distant era fosters a capacity for intellectual flexibility, as students are asked to learn some of the "languages" of these historical periods and to fit together from them a version of a coherent culture. The point of this course, it should be noted, is not necessarily to trace the influence of one work on another. Depending on the instructor, this course places more emphasis either on the Middle Ages or on the Renaissance. The course usually has a subtitle that describes the particular theme or topic it will focuses on. For example, "Empire, Antiquity, and Myth: The Idea of Rome in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance" explores the various and often compelling ways in which poets, artists, theologians and political theorists in this period incorporated and constructed conceptions about ancient Rome and classical antiquity in their works. Another version of the course is entitled "The Divine, the Will, and the Performative Self." It begins with Augustine's Confessions and goes on to explore the works of Boethius, Spenser, and Chaucer, Gothic Architecture, and Giotto's frescoes, among other texts.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.richmond.edu

Phone Number:

(804) 289-8000

Regional Accreditation:

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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