Medieval and Early Modern Studies

To the Middle Ages the modern world owes the preservation and transmission of Latin and Greek; the development of a host of vernaculars; the evolution of Judaism and Christianity, and the rise of Islam; the renewed study of Roman law; the growth of a mercantile class; the creation of musical notation; the erection of ecclesiastical monuments; the foundations of constitutional government; and the institution of universities. The early modern period inherited and elaborated all these institutions and inventions, adapting them to fit new conceptions of man (and woman), church and state.

The Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies is founded on the convictions that the period from c. 400 to c. 1800, conceived in a global context, is a dynamic cultural continuum and ever-evolving system; that study of both periods in tandem sheds new light on each; and that the unity and diversity of the premodern world can be understood and appreciated only from an interdisciplinary perspective. Medieval and Early Modern Studies therefore crosses boundaries of period, nation, language and discipline, and the center's prime function is to facilitate and encourage interdepartmental study and teaching.

Courses throughout the curriculum are available to students whose area of specialization within a given department is the medieval and/or early modern period(s) and who wish to broaden their knowledge of the cultures of the period. With the approval of the major department, a coherent group of these courses may be accepted as a related program of study and as part of the requirements for an undergraduate degree. For additional details concerning these courses, see departmental listings.

For more information, visit the Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies website.

Course code for this program is MEMS.

Courses