Medieval Studies

The Medieval Studies concentration exposes students to the medieval civilizations of Europe and the Middle East through a range of disciplines. A broad approach is particularly appropriate to the study of medieval culture because the national and disciplinary boundaries to which the university has become habituated did not exist. French was spoken in England, Provençal in Italy, Arabic in Spain, and Latin everywhere. The dominant political organizations in Western Europe—the Church and Holy Roman Empire—were transnational by definition. Fields such as literature, history, astronomy, medicine, religion, and philosophy were not considered distinct. Students are encouraged to appreciate connections such as those between the Crusades and the epic, or the Cistercian movement and monastic architecture, so that they may grasp medieval culture as it was experienced.