The Medieval Studies Minor Concentration consolidates into a coherent program the abundant course offerings in various departments at McGill that are relevant to the medieval millennium (roughly 500-1500 AD). It also provides McGill's undergraduates with the interdisciplinary training they will need to pursue further study in a field that expects experience in a number of disciplines. The Medieval Studies Minor facilitates communication and student mobility among its participating units (Art History and Communication Studies; English; History and Classical Studies; Islamic Studies; Jewish Studies; Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Langue et littérature françaises; Philosophy; and Religious Studies).
Course Spotlight
MDST 400
Interdisciplinary Seminar in Medieval Studies
Winter 2021 - Prof. Michael Van Dussen
Theme for Winter 2021: Mnemonic Theory and Practice from Plato to Chaucer
Theory of memory and recollection has been entwined with considerations of external textual form for millennia. In his Socratic dialogues Plato linked recollection with learning and ultimately the immortality of the soul; yet Socrates also argued that external aids to memory hindered the ascent to truth. Aristotle used textual and other material images to elaborate his physiological theory of human storage and retrieval of information. These models would later influence the “place theories” of Roman rhetors and medieval intellectuals, who advocated the construction of mind palaces and other spatial schemes for the storage and retrieval of knowledge. These schemes characterized the process of recollection as one of composition—recollection as a creative endeavor. With the rise of universities and the reintroduction of many of Aristotle’s writings in the Latin west in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the forms of books themselves were adapted to correspond to new intellectual needs, like the need to find information quickly. The book became not just a repository for externalized knowledge, but a prosthesis for the human memory that could work in cooperation with it. All of this was happening at a time when institutional bureaucracies were expanding rapidly; secular, ecclesiastical, and academic institutions were the sites of innovation in archival practice. Finally, many authors in the later Middle Ages found earlier theories and practices of memory and recollection to be fruitful ground for exploring questions of authorship, poetics, textual materiality, and longevity, and poets developed their own mnemonic theories using a range of literary forms.
Note: The seminar is cross listed with ENGL 456. Students who have taken MDST 400/ ENGL 456 under a different course topic are free to take this version of the course. Although the course number is the same, the content is entirely different; therefore, these will count as two different courses toward university and program requirements. Several course texts are written in the original Middle English, but no prior experience with Middle English is required. Introduction to the language will be provided and a portion of several classes will be devoted to reading and translating.
ARTH 204
Introduction to Medieval Art and Architecture
Fall 2019 - Prof. Cecily Hilsdale
Offering an introduction to the major artistic monuments of the medieval world from the fourth to the fifteenth century in both the eastern and western Mediterranean, this lecture course surveys a diverse range of Byzantine, Islamic, and European works of art and architecture and positions them within their original social, political, and spiritual contexts.
HIST 401
Medieval Films
Winter 2020 - Prof. Travis Bruce
Prompting students to think about the modern construction of the Middle Ages, this course examines how modern culture uses medieval themes to tackle issues relevant to modern movie goers. We will explore those themes, discuss how films bend accuracy for the sake of argument, and understand how these films are often more a reflection of modern society, than they are of the Middle Ages.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Minor Concentration Medieval Studies(18 Credits)
Program Requirement:
The Minor Concentration in Medieval Studies facilitates undergraduate training in the interrelated branches of the discipline (e.g., history, literature, art history, languages, religion, philosophy), providing students with experience working in an inherently interdisciplinary filed and a valuable credential to pursue graduate study in the field (in any area).
Required Course (3 credits)
Complementary Courses (15 credits)
15 credits from the following list, of which only 9 credits may be taken in any one department. No more than 6 credits may be taken below the 300 level.
Art History and Communication Studies
English
* Note: When content relates to Medieval Studies.
History and Classical Studies
Islamic Studies
Jewish Studies
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Langue et littérature françaises
** Note: Course taught and all coursework done in French.