MEDIEVAL STUDIES PROGRAM
2019-2020
MEDIEVAL STUDIES PROGRAM FACULTY
The medieval studies program provides an interdisciplinary context for students who wish to study the European Middle Ages. Students normally concentrate on one of three fields: art history and archaeology, history and culture, or language and literature. They are also expected to do coursework in the other fields. In certain cases the program may also provide a framework for students wishing to cross the temporal, topical, and geographical boundaries of medieval studies to consider such problems as the relationship between classical and medieval literature or art, or the broader history of the preindustrial European societies.
Students have a number of opportunities to experience medieval materials firsthand, including working with rare manuscripts in Special Collections, singing in the Collegium Musicum, or participating on an archaeological dig. The Medieval Studies Department brings distinguished visitors to campus each year to give public talks and to work one-on-one with students. Field trips to places such as the Cloisters Museum in New York City and to concerts in the nearby area foster a sense of community in addition to providing access to materials.
The skills typically acquired by medieval studies students—knowledge of European culture, ability to analyze “foreign” texts, experience handling artifacts and manuscripts, and familiarity with Latin—provide good preparation for advanced degrees, whether in the humanities, law, or other professional schools.
Medieval Studies majors will be expected to master the following skills:
- An ability to interpret intersections among the many cultures, religions, ethnicities, and identities of the European Middle Ages.
- The critical use of historical evidence across a range of disciplines.
- A comparative approach to medieval sources of various kinds (material and textual).
- The ability to construct arguments informed by ideas of temporalities and geographies that are currently debated by scholars in Medieval Studies.
No specific courses are required for admission to the Medieval Studies major.
Medieval Studies majors take classes in a broad range of fields, including art history, archaeology, history, languages and literature, music history, manuscript studies, and religious studies. They are required to take 10 upper-level courses that will normally conform to the following:
- Four courses in the student’s chosen field of specialization
- Two courses in a second field of Medieval Studies
- One course in a third field of Medieval Studies
- Three additional courses in any area of Medieval Studies, or in another field deemed, in consultation with the advisor, to be closely related to the student’s work in subject matter or method. For example, a student specializing in medieval history may count toward the major a course in ancient history or historical method, while a student specializing in medieval literature may include a course in classical literature or in the theory of literary criticism.
A student may take more than four courses in his/her primary area of specialization, but only four will be counted toward the major.
At least one of the courses in the primary area of specialization should be a seminar, as should at least one of the courses in either the second or third fields.
The medieval studies minor provides students with a basic knowledge of the European Middle Ages in the valuable context of an interdisciplinary framework.
Students minoring in medieval studies complete six courses cross-listed with MDST or approved by the chair of the Medieval Studies program. No more than three of these courses may be taken in any one department and at least two must be taken in arts and humanities and two in social sciences. At least four of these courses must be taken at Wesleyan; one or two may be taken while studying abroad or during the summer.
Minors are strongly encouraged to take at least two years of a modern foreign language. Minors who anticipate going on to graduate work in the medieval or early modern period are strongly encouraged to take at least two years of Latin as well.
Students majoring in the program are encouraged to spend at least one semester studying abroad. Programs of study must be approved in advance by the student’s advising committee.