Spring 2026
Please find below a selection of courses eligible for the Undergraduate Certificate in Medieval Studies that will be taught in Spring 2026. Note that the list is incomplete, and there are many other courses that are eligible.
*indicates that the course is open to graduate and undergraduate students.
ART HISTORY
*Professor Thomas Dale, AH515/815, “Cultural Encounter, Religion, Empire, and Race in Medieval and Early Modern Venice ” (Wednesdays, 4:00PM-6:30PM ; L170 of the Elvehjem Building)
Enduring as an independent city state for almost an entire millennium, Venice, a collection of settlements on islands and canals originating in the fifth century at the head the Adriatic Sea, forged a vast empire in the Eastern Mediterranean through trade, colonization, and conquest. A city like no other in Italy, Venice reveals in its architecture and monumental arts, as well as luxury objects in glass, textiles, and metalwork, a complex engagement with the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic states of the Mediterranean, and the Mongol Empire. This seminar explores the conceptual frameworks of cultural appropriation and entanglement, material religion, antiquarianism and humanism, imperial ideology, race and enslavement in Venice from late antiquity to early modernity.
Professor Thomas Dale, Art History 115/Religious Studies 115 , “Religion and Art ” (Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:00-11:50AM; L140, Conrad A. Elvehjem Building)
Fundamental to all religions are shared beliefs about human beings’ relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, divine, or worthy of reverence. Focuses on how religions around the world, from antiquity to the present, mediate sacred and divine presence through material means, aimed to stimulate the human senses. Considers the questions: What makes particular places sacred? How do architecture and ritual contribute to the fashioning sacred worship spaces or places of pilgrimage and healing in diverse religious traditions? How do some religions use icons/images, painted or sculpted, to mediate divine presence, while others consider figural images to be idols? How do art, architecture, and even landscapes serve as places of memory and convey fundamental beliefs about the afterlife?
ENGLISH
Professor Jordan Zweck, English/History/Religious Studies 360: Early Medieval England, (TR 9:30-10:45AM; Humanities 2637)
Who were the people who lived in what is now England over 1000 years ago? This class explores the history, literature, religion, art, and culture of the early medieval English (c.450-c.1100). We explore a wide range of texts originally written in Latin and Old English that include fights with monsters, heartbreaking elegies, dirty riddles, bombastic sermons, and medical treatises. Over the semester, we will learn about how Early Medieval England came into existence, how it became Christianized, how it fought, assimilated, and fought again with Vikings, and how it all ended (or didn’t!) with the Norman Conquest. As a framework for the class, we will study the literature of the period (in modern translation), but we will also explore the period’s history, art, religion, architecture and everyday culture. We will also consider how Old English and Anglo-Latin literature has been adapted by modern writers, and why this early medieval culture continues to appeal to people today.
Professor Martin Foys, Engl 177-01 “Beowulf, Tolkien and the Birth of Modern Fantasy” (T-Th 8:50AM – 9:40AM; INGRAHAM B10)
Many people know that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series, books that helped launch the modern fantasy genre. But Tolkien was also a foundational scholar of medieval literature, and studied and translated Beowulf, the Old English epic poem of heroes, feuds and monsters. In the first half of this course we will explore Beowulf in full detail and make it our own, studying a number of different Beowulfs, as well as numerous critical approaches to the poem. We will also study the cultural legacy of Beowulf today, through comic book, film and video game adaptations, and other literary adaptations, such as Maria Dahvana Headley’s The Mere Wife. In the second part, we will study the rise of modern fantasy through Tolkien’s own theories of fantasy, looking at Victorian fantasy (Grimm’s Fairy Tales and Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky and Alice in Wonderland), the fantasy of Tolkien’s time in both England and America, (The Hobbit, Robert Howard’s Conan the Barbarian stories), before ending with a section that pairs some of the most popular fantasy today in books, film and television (J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, and G.R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series) with recent examples of fantasy that propose cultural alternatives to the past models which have dominated the genre (e.g. N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth Trilogy, Marlon James’s Black Leopard Red Wolf). In both sections of this course, we will tie our explorations to relevant issues of past and present including: nationalism, the power of religion, effects of media and technology, social constructions of race and gender, the nostalgic production of the past, and the transformative nature of language.
SCANDINAVIAN STUDIES
Professor Scott A. Mellor, Medieval 430, “The Vikings” (TR 1:00-2:15PM, Van Hise 494)
The Vikings begins with modern portrayals—from popular media to nationalist appropriations in the 19th and 20thcentury—and examines how these images have shaped and sometimes distorted our understanding of early medieval Scandinavia. From there, the course turns to historical sources and archaeological evidence to explore the legendary origins of the Scandinavian peoples, the consolidation of their kingdoms, and the far-reaching impact of Viking expansion. Students will study the conversion to Christianity, which marked the end of the Viking Age, alongside the rich cultural legacy of Norse mythology, runic writing, skaldic poetry, and Icelandic sagas. Viking art, warfare, and environmental interactions are also considered. Weekly reaction papers and group projects encourage critical thinking and collaborative inquiry, while two comprehensive essays assess students’ engagement with both historical and modern narratives. By tracing the evolution of Viking identity, students gain insight into the medieval world and the forces that continue to shape cultural memory today.
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FALL 2025 (2026)
Please find below a selection of courses eligible for the Undergraduate Certificate in Medieval Studies that will be taught in Fall 2025-2026. Note that the list is incomplete, and there are many other courses that are eligible.
*indicates that the course is open to graduate and undergraduate students.
ENGLISH
Professor Martin Foys, Engl/Medieval 427 Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (T-Th 11:00am-12:15pm, Van Vleck B313)
Study of the most famous and influential medieval English poet through his best-known work and its playful, profound and at times problematic responses to some of the most pressing literary, social, political, and spiritual issues of his time. Chaucer’s writings are some of the funniest, raunchiest, most socially scathing and radically experimental literature ever written in English. You would be surprised. You will be surprised. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is also one of the best literary bridges we have to understand how and why our modern world remains vitally connected to its own medieval past. Through a slow and careful reading and discussion that allows us to take our time with each work we study, the literary, cultural and political issues important to Chaucer will be revealed, as will his medieval wit, humor, and literary avant-gardism– along with a few seriously NSFW passages. We’ll also explore how Chaucer became a literary superstar (complete with his own fan fiction) after he died, and screen the modern film A Knight’s Tale (2001), to figure out why Chaucer, surprisingly and alarmingly, shows up as a wandering and naked gambling addict. Readings will be in modernized Middle English – but no prior experience with the language is required (it’s easier than you think – and will also teach you a lot about modern English along the way!).
*Professor Martin Foys, Engl/Medieval 520 Really Old English (T-Th 2:30-3:45pm, HUM 2637)
Old English is the earliest form of English – over 1,000 years old, it is the language of Beowulf and Grendel, of saints and sinners, of farmers, seafarers, and a surprising number of animals and objects that can talk. It is a language that is uncannily strange, alien, yet at the same time the backbone, the muscle, of modern English. This course will teach you an awful lot about the language we use every day: in the first half of the semester, we will study basic pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary, with short translation exercises due in most class meetings; in the second half, we will put the skills you’ve learned to work, reading Old English texts and poems in the original — a rare opportunity. Because this is a principally a language class, no research papers will be required. Instead, there will be translation exercises, quizzes, a midterm exam, and final translation projects. No previous experience required, though some familiarity with studying another language at any level can be helpful.
Professor Jordan Zweck, English 241: Literature and Culture 1: To the 18th Century (MW 11:00am-11:50am, Science 180)
This course provides an introduction to literature in English from the Middle Ages to the early eighteenth century. Together with English 242, it provides an introduction to British literary history, and its primary goals include familiarizing students with the canon of English literature and preparing students for more specialized study in advanced courses in the major. The course spans roughly 1000 years, from the origins of English literature to the rise of the novel. Along the way, we will examine how literature engaged with topics as disparate as love, religion, and science, and we will read everything from elegant descriptions of angelic beings to six-hundred-year-old fart jokes. To focus our discussions, we will concentrate on questions of form and genre, including the epic, fabliau, romance, sonnet, lyric, and novel. Emphasis will be on close reading and literary analysis, but we will also pay close attention to the social, cultural, and political contexts from which each text emerged. This course also develops skills for writing clearly and critically that are essential to majors and non-majors alike.
Professor Jordan Zweck, English/Medieval Studies 423: Topic in Medieval Literature and Culture: Medieval Senses (MW 2:30pm-3:45pm, Van Vleck B309)
How does medieval literature represent sounds, noise, and silence? How can we listen to sounds from the past, especially before the invention of sound recording technologies c. 1900? Is it even possible to “know” what the past sounds like? In this course we will examine the representation of the medieval senses, but especially sound, in literary texts in medieval England. No previous experience with premodern literature, music, or sound studies is required.
HISTORY
Professor Elizabeth Lapina, Hist115-Medieval Europe 410-1500 (Lecture, Mo/We 8:00am-9:15am, Humanities 1651)
We will begin this class with a discussion of the rise of Christianity and the role of Christianity in forging the new medieval civilization. We will continue with the relations between Romans and barbarians and with the fall (or “fall”?) of Rome. We will then move on to major heirs of the Roman Empire, both in Western Europe and in the Middle East. After dealing with the Vikings – and, hopefully, dispelling a myth or two about them – we will move on to a major episode in the history of relations between Church and State, the Investiture Controversy. In the last few weeks of class, we will discuss what is known as the age of castles and cathedrals. Some of the features of this period were the founding of first universities, the appearance of the new chivalric culture, the expansion of Latin Europe into the Middle East during the crusades, and the rise – and brutal suppression – of heresy.
*Professor Elizabeth Lapina, Hist 600-Middle Ages in Film (Seminar, Tue 11:00am – 12:55pm, Humanities 5257)
In this course we will watch, read about and discuss a series of films on various medieval subjects. Some of these films will be blockbusters, but most will be films that are little known to the general public. Some of them will be recent, but most will date from the middle to late 20th century. Some of them will be American, the rest European and Asian. We will gain an awareness of medieval realities and medieval texts on which these films are based. However, we will move beyond simply noting whether each film is offering a faithful or an unfaithful representation of historical events and will attempt to understand what attracted modern filmmakers to medieval history in the first place and what concerns – be they artistic, political, social, religious, etc. – made them represent it in the ways that they did. Two topics in particular will be at the center of our discussion: violence and gender. The students will have to choose a film, a cluster of films, or a topic that runs across a series of films, which they will analyze in their essays and oral presentations.
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
Professor Samuel England, International Studies 266: Introduction to the Middle East (TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM, Ingraham 214)
In this course we study the history of people living in the Middle East from about 5000 BC to the present, with a focus on modernity. We survey the material in loosely chronological order, starting with cultural life in the earliest cities of Mesopotamia and northeastern Africa—ancient sites that we’ll find, in some cases, still support communities now. For the purposes of the course, “the Middle East” encompasses the land and water bodies between Tunisia and eastern Iran.
ITALIAN
Professor Jelena Todorovic, LitTrans/Medieval 255, Black Death and Medieval Life Through Boccaccio’s Decameron (Tu-Th 1:00pm – 2:15pm, Soc Sci 5106)
Have you ever wondered what it was like to live during the Black Death? Were our medieval and early-modern ancestors different from us, or are we challenged with similar problems? What can we learn from their lives? And, if we could, what could we teach each other? Discuss these topics while reading one of the world’s greatest literary classics, Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron, a text that will make us both laugh and cry. Through reading the Decameron, investigate medicine, art, culture, music, politics, religion, interpersonal and transcultural relations, warfare, fashion, gender and gender roles, as well as everyday life in the Middle Ages and early modernity. Also examines medieval written documents, twentieth-century feminist responses to the Decameron and filmic renditions of it, medieval frescoes, historical descriptions of the plague, and modern descriptions of, and reactions to, the COVID-19 pandemic.
JEWISH STUDIES
Professor Nina Caputo, Jewish 231-Medieval Jewish Studies (Lecture, Tu/Th 1:00-2:15 p.m., Van Hise 474)
In this course we will explore the major historic developments in medieval Jewish society under both Islam and western Christendom. Using primary sources as well as recent historical scholarship, we will consider the divergence of Judaism and Christianity, the rise of the Babylonian geonim, the social and cultural history of Jews in the Arab Mediterranean world, the emergence of Jewish communities in Medieval Ashkenaz and Iberia, Jewish-Christian dialogue, and the impact on Jewish society of the Crusades, the Reconquista in Iberia, and the Black Death. Through lectures, readings and assignments, students will examine the interaction of Jews with the majority culture, political structure, and economy, as well as changing cultural trends within Jewish society. The distinctive religious climate of the medieval period will serve as a unifying theme throughout.
RELIGIOUS STUDIES/SCANDINAVIAN STUDIES
Professor Scott A. Mellor, Folklore/Medieval/ ReligSt/ScandSt 342: Nordic Mythology (Tu-Th 2:30-3:45, Van Hise 494)
Nordic Mythology will introduce you to the belief systems of early and medieval Nordic region in a European Context and take a look at the literary works written by Christian Scandinavians about their former Religion. We will look at the Kalevala, the mythological and heroic poetry of the Edda and the Icelandic legendary sagas, as well as a few early Christian texts.
SCANDINAVIAN STUDIES
*Professor Kirsten Wolf, 410 Introduction to Scandinavian Linguistics (Tue/Thur 9:30-10:45am, 487 Van Hise Hall)
The course is intended to give students an overview of the development of the Scandinavian languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, and Faroese) from Proto-Germanic to modern times, focussing on phonological and morphological changes. The emphasis will be on Proto Scandinavian (ca. 200-ca. 600), Common Scandinavian (ca. 600-ca. 1050), and Old Scandinavian (ca. 1050-1350). The course is a combination of lecture and seminar. Following a general introduction to and a brief survey of the various methods of study, the development from Indo-European to Proto-Germanic will be considered. By the end of the semester, students will have a good overview of the development of the Scandinavian languages and understand the main differences between East Norse (Danish and Swedish) and West Norse (Faroese, Norwegian, and Icelandic).
*Professor Kirsten Wolf, 511 Paleography and Philology – Old Norse (Tue/Thur 11:00am-12:15pm, 483 Van Hise Hall)
This is a history of writing in Iceland ca. 1150-ca. 1700 on the basis of manuscripts as principal sources for Old Norse-Icelandic. The course builds on 407 Old Norse I and 408 Old Norse II and must be regarded as a continuation of the two courses. It provides a survey of the development of the Icelandic language from the 12th century until a couple of centuries after the Reformation and introduces students to the field of codicology. The history of writing and writing materials are treated in detail. The development of writing in Iceland and Norway from the introduction of Christianity (1000) until around 1700 will be examined on the basis of exercices in transcribing medieval manuscripts. Students will be trained in dating manuscripts on the basis of paleographic and orthographic features and introduced to the methods and principles of editing a medieval text. By the end of the course, students will be able to transcribe an Old Norse-Icelandic manuscript and present both a diplomatic and normalized edition.