Medieval and Renaissance Studies (MRST)

HONORS: An Honors Program in Medieval and Renaissance Studies is offered for qualified students; see the program head for details.

Program Head: Holly Pickett

Core Faculty

First date is the year in which the faculty member began service as regular faculty at the University. Second date is the year of appointment to the present rank.

Matthew Bailey, Ph.D.—(2008)-2008
Professor of Romance Languages
Ph.D., Tulane University

Rebecca R. Benefiel, Ph.D.—(2005)-2011
Associate Professor of Classics
Ph.D., Harvard University

George R. Bent, Ph.D.—(1993)-2007
Sidney Gause Childress Professor of Art History
Ph.D., Stanford University

Joel Blecher, Ph.D.—(2013)-2013
Assistant Professor of Religion
Ph.D., Princeton University

Michelle D. Brock, Ph.D.—(2014)-2014
Assistant Professor of British History
Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin

Alexandra R. Brown, Ph.D.—(1987)-2001
Jessie Ball DuPont Professor of Religion
Ph.D., Columbia University

Gwyn E. Campbell, Ph.D.—(1985)-1999
Professor of Romance Languages
Ph.D., Princeton University

Roger A. Crockett, Ph.D.—(1991)-1991
Professor of German
Ph.D., University of Illinois

Howard N. (Hank) Dobin, Ph.D.—(2005)-2005
Professor of English
Ph.D., Stanford University

Françoise Frégnac-Clave, Ph.D.—(1996)-2011
Professor of Romance Languages
Ph.D., University of North Carolina

Genelle C. Gertz, Ph.D.—(2003)-2010
Associate Professor of English
Ph.D., Princeton University

Wan-Chuan Kao, Ph.D.—(2013)-2013
Assistant Professor of English
Ph.D., City University of New York

Jeffrey L. Kosky, Ph.D.—(2003)-2013
Professor of Religion
Ph.D., University of Chicago Divinity School

Stephen P. McCormick, Ph.D.—(2014)-2014
Assistant Professor of French
Ph.D., University of Oregon

David S. Peterson, Ph.D.—(1999)-2009
Professor of History
Ph.D., Cornell University

Holly C. Pickett, Ph.D.—(2005)-2011
Associate Professor of English
Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Debra Prager, Ph.D.—(2005)-2013
Associate Professor of German
Ph.D., Harvard University

Domnica V. Radulescu, Ph.D.—(1992)-2003
Edwin A. Morris Professor of Romance Languages
Ph.D., University of Chicago

Medieval and Renaissance Studies courses are as follows; for course descriptions.

• ARTH 101 - Survey of Western Art: Ancient to Medieval  
  ARTH 102 - Survey of Western Art: Renaissance to the Present  
• ARTH 253: Medieval Art in Southern Europe
    
• ARTH 254: Medieval Art in Northern Europe
    
• ARTH 255: Northern Renaissance Art
    
• ARTH 256: Italian Renaissance Art
     
• ARTH 350: Medieval Art in Italy
    
• ARTH 354: Early Renaissance Art in Florence
    
• ARTH 355: The High Renaissance in Italy
    
• ARTH 384 - Renaissance Art in Venice  
• ARTH 385 - Leonardo da Vinci: Art, Science and Innovation in Renaissance Europe  
• CLAS 200 - Greek Art & Archaeology  
• CLAS 201 - Classical Mythology  
• CLAS 203 - Greek Literature from Homer to the Early Hellenistic Period  
• CLAS 204 - Augustan Era  
• CLAS 205 - Reading Rome: A Survey of Latin Literature   
• CLAS 208 - The Classical Epic Tradition  
• CLAS 210 - Sex, Gender and Power in Ancient Literature  
• CLAS 215 - Ancient Drama and Its Influence  
• CLAS 221 - Plato  
• CLAS 224 - The World of Late Antiquity  
• ENGL 240: Arthurian Legend
    
• ENGL 242 - Individual Shakespeare Play  
• ENGL 250: British Literature: Medieval and Early Modern
    
• ENGL 252 - Shakespeare  
• ENGL 311: History of the English Language
    
• ENGL 312 - Gender, Love, and Marriage in the Middle Ages   
• ENGL 313: Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
     
• ENGL 316 - The Tudors  
• ENGL 319: Shakespeare and Company
    
• ENGL 320: Shakespearean Genres
    
• ENGL 326: 17th-Century Poetry
    
• ENGL 330: Milton
    
• FILM 255 - Seven-Minute Shakespeare  
• FREN 281 - Civilisation et culture françaises: Traditions et changements  
• FREN 341 - La France de l’Ancien Régime  
• GERM 318: German Medieval and Renaissance Literature
    
• HIST 100 - European Civilization, 325-1517  
• HIST 101 - European Civilization, 1500-1789  
• HIST 170: History of Islamic Civilization I: Origins to 1500
    
• HIST 200 - Dante: Renaissance and Redemption  
• HIST 201: Europe in the Early Middle Ages, 325-1198
    
• HIST 202: Europe in the Late Middle Ages, 1198-1500
    
• HIST 203: The Italian Renaissance in Its Historical Setting
    
• HIST 204: The Age of Reformation
    
• HIST 217: History of The British Isles to 1688
    
• HIST 219 - Seminar: The Age of the Witch Hunts  
• HIST 305: Seminar: Religion, Church and Politics in Medieval and Renaissance Society
    
• HIST 306: Seminar: Medieval and Renaissance Political Thought
    
• HIST 307 - Politics and History: The Machiavellian Moment   
• LATN 327: Medieval and Renaissance Writers
    
• LIT 203 - Greek Literature from Homer to the Early Hellenistic Period  
• LIT 218 - Pre-Modern Chinese Literature in Translation  
• LIT 219 - Augustine and the Literature of Self, Soul, and Synapses  
• MRST 110: Medieval and Renaissance Culture
    
• MRST 395: Seminar in Medieval and Renaissance Studies
    
• MRST 403: Directed Individual Study
    
• MRST 473: Senior Thesis
    
• MRST 493: Honors Thesis
    
• MUS 201: Music History I
    
• PHIL 110 - Ancient Greek Philosophy  
• PHIL 221: Plato
    (CLAS 221)
• PHIL 222: Aristotle
    
• PHYS 150: The Immense Journey: Harmonices Mundi
    
• REL 101 - Hebrew Bible/Old Testament  
• REL 102 - New Testament  
• REL 105 - Introduction to Islam  
• REL 106 - Judaism: Tradition and Modernity  
• REL 108 - The Qur’an  
• REL 131 - Buddhism  
• REL 132 - God and Goddess in Hinduism  
• REL 215: Female and Male in Western Religious Traditions
    
• REL 216 - Sainthood in Four Traditions  
• REL 219 - Augustine and the Literature of Self, Soul, and Synapses  
• REL 225 - Magic, Science, and Religion  
• REL 250: Early Christian Thought: Orthodoxy and Heresy
    
• REL 260 - Seminar in the Christian Tradition  
• REL 283: Sufism: Islamic Mysticism
     
• REL 284 - Gender, Sexuality, and Islam  
• REL 350 - Seminar in Biblical Studies  
• SPAN 210 - The Road to Santiago  
• SPAN 211: Spanish Civilization and Culture
    
• SPAN 220: Introducción a la literatura española
    
• SPAN 312 - Medieval Spanish Cultures in Context  
• SPAN 320: Don Quijote
    
• SPAN 322 - Spanish Golden-Age Drama  
• SPAN 323 - Golden Age Spanish Women Writers  
• SPAN 333 - El Cid in History and Legend  
• THTR 210 - Ancient and Global Theater  
• THTR 341 - Acting 3: Styles  

The following courses may also meet major requirements when the topic is appropriate:

• ARTH 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar  
• ARTH 394 - Seminar in Art History  
• ARTH 403: Directed Individual Study
    
• CLAS 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar  
• ENGL 299: Seminar for Prospective Majors
    
• ENGL 392 - Topics in Literature in English before 1700  
• ENGL 394 - Topics in Literature in English since 1900  
• ENGL 403: Directed Individual Study
    
• FILM 195 - Topics in Film Studies  
• FILM 196 - Topics in Film and Literature  
• FREN 281 - Civilisation et culture françaises: Traditions et changements  
• FREN 283 - Histoire des idées  
• FREN 285 - Spring Term Topics in French Civilization  
• FREN 341: La France de l’Ancien Régime
    
• FREN 403: Directed Individual Study
    
• HIST 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar  
• HIST 195 - Topics in History for First-years and Sophomores  
• HIST 229: Topics in European History
    
• HIST 395: Advanced Seminar
    
• HIST 403: Directed Individual Study
    
• ITAL 403: Directed Individual Study
    
• LIT 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar  
• LIT 295: Special Topics in Literature in Translation
    
• MUS 423: Directed Individual Project
    
• PHIL 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar  
• PHIL 195 - Seminar in a Philosophical Topic  
• PHIL 395: Advanced Seminar
    
• PHIL 403: Directed Individual Study
    
• PHYS 403: Directed Individual Study
    
• POL 396: Seminar in Political Philosophy
    
• POL 403: Directed Individual Study
    
• REL 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar  
• REL 403: Directed Individual Study
    
• ROML 295: Topics in Romance Languages
    
• SPAN 211 - Spanish Civilization and Culture  
• SPAN 220 - Introducción a la literatura española  
• SPAN 397: Peninsular Seminar
    
• SPAN 403: Directed Individual Study
    
• THTR 121 - Script Analysis for Stage and Screen  
• THTR 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar  
• WRIT 100 - Writing Seminar for First-Years  

Degrees/Majors/Minors

Major

• •  Medieval and Renaissance Studies major leading to BA degree

Minor

• •  Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor

Courses

• •  MRST 110 - Medieval and Renaissance Culture
• •  MRST 395 - Seminar in Medieval and Renaissance Studies
• •  MRST 403 - Directed Individual Study
• •  MRST 473 - Senior Thesis
• •  MRST 493 - Honors Thesis