College of the Holy Cross | Medieval & Renaissance Studies

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I. Rationale:

The historical terms Middle Ages and Renaissance are intellectual constructs used to denote a broad period, spanning from the fourth to the seventeenth century. One unifying characteristic of medieval and Renaissance cultures is the intellectual struggle for the synthesis of human knowledge. The multidisciplinary major and minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies are therefore both conceptually and ideologically coherent, since the true study of the pre-modern world is interdisciplinary. Many of the disciplinary boundaries that define academic programs today would have been foreign to people living in the Middle Ages; in fact we need to study together to be more truly "medieval." For those of us who teach medieval and Renaissance studies and work on scholarship in those areas, interdisciplinarity is a way of life.

With the three major world religions rising in the Mediterranean basin, this period offers a highly relevant model for contemporary study of the interaction of cultures. Study of the medieval and early modern world is fundamental for understanding many of the current pressures that are again opening the world to a renewed internationalism.

The chief benefit for students of a multidisciplinary major or minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies is the intellectual focus it provides, intensifying the academic value of courses in the fields in the following important ways:

Advising. Students design Medieval/Renaissance majors and minors in consultation with the director of CISS and members of the faculty: one faculty sponsor for minors, two for majors. They thus receive more than usual faculty counsel and support in planning their academic programs.
Guest lectures. Medieval and Renaissance Studies sponsors events throughout the term. In addition, Tier 1 courses often include guest lectures by faculty members from other departments.
Tiered courses. As described below, the major and minor require that students take courses from groups designated as Tier 1 and Tier 2. In addition, students will each complete a capstone project (Tier 3) resulting in a paper or a project.
Foreign Language Competence. Students completing a major in Medieval and Renaissance Studies are required to read and work with original texts at some point during their course work, and minors are encouraged to do so, particularly if contemplating graduate school. Students may choose to work with a text in a foreign language (Latin, Italian, German, French, Spanish) or in Middle English.
Creative linkages. By creating increased cooperation and contact among faculty, Medieval and Renaissance Studies generates creative linkages that result in new courses, collaborative study and teaching.
Preparation for graduate work. Majors and minors who plan on continuing in graduate programs will have a distinct advantage, especially at institutions with Medieval/Renaissance programs at the graduate level. For students who plan to attend graduate school in Medieval/Renaissance, the study of Latin is strongly encouraged.

II. Program of Study:

Students come to the major and minor chiefly through one of the many courses currently offered in medieval or Renaissance studies. Interested students will be directed to faculty advisors with whom they can work directly in developing a course of study. Advisors will inform students about the tiered course offerings, help them plan an interdisciplinary program that will build toward a capstone project, and inform them about graduate opportunities in their field.

Medieval/Renaissance minors are required to take at least six courses. Of these, at least one must be a Tier 1 course; up to three courses may be taken at this level. Students can get credit toward the minor for no more than three Tier 1 courses. Minors will take at least two Tier 2 courses. Each student will also complete a capstone project at the Tier 3 level. Courses must be drawn from at least three separate fields (History, Modern Languages, English, Visual Arts/History, Religious Studies, Philosophy, Music, Classics). Students may utilize no more than two courses for the minor which they are using for their major.

Tier 1: These courses are designated as such because they are broader in their scope and allow the student an entry into the field of Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Each semester at least two Tier 1 courses will be offered. Instructors teaching Tier 1 courses will be encouraged to invite faculty from other departments to give guest lectures, so students can become acquainted with a variety of disciplinary methodologies. Minors must take at least one and not more than three courses at this level.

Tier 2: These courses are more specialized courses, challenging students to deepen their knowledge in an area, and will help students to focus their course of study. At least two courses will be drawn from those designated at this level with guidance from the advisor in the minor.

Tier 3: Capstone project. For the capstone, minors will work with faculty members from two different departments in preparing a capstone paper or project that links at least two disciplines. The capstone is sometimes a tutorial, but often is developed within the regular course structure. Generally one of the two advisors serves as the primary advisor, with ultimate responsibility for grading in consultation with the other.

Medieval/Renaissance Studies majors fulfill all the requirements of the minor plus eight more courses, for a total of 14. (Or, if the Medieval/Renaissance major is a second major for a student, s/he will take a total of 10 Medieval/Renaissance courses that do not overlap with the first major.) In addition, majors are required to read and work with original period texts--either in a foreign language (Latin, Italian, German, French, Spanish) or in Middle English--at some point during their coursework.

For detailed information on proposing a major or minor, go to http://www.holycross.edu/departments/CISS/website/multi_disciplinary.htm. There are two proposal deadlines per year.

III. When May a Student Become a Major or Minor?

A student may propose a Medieval/Renaissance major or minor no later than the first semester of his/her senior year.

IV. Sample Course Sequence

Student A is a History major. She has taken History 112: Emerging Europe, and was fascinated by the Medieval/Renaissance period. Her instructor encourages her to broaden her scope to include study of literature and art. She is referred to the Medieval/Renaissance coordinator for advising. Since she expresses interest in continuing her studies in graduate school, she is encouraged to take Latin. Student A also enrolls in Early Renaissance Art as well as English 290: Readings in Medieval Literature the following fall. Readings in Medieval Literature is one of the gateway courses which prepares students in the minor for interdisciplinary studies. In the Spring she takes another history course--Medieval France--as well as Italian 260: Dante. During her senior year, Student A completes a capstone project relating her interest in history and art, advised by two professors, one from History, the other from Visual Arts. In her capstone, she studies art and history in quattrocento Florence, using her training in Latin to translate guild records. Thus Student A has completed six courses in the minor, including a gateway course (Tier 1) and a capstone project.

Student B is an English major. He has taken English 314: Chaucer. He is excited about the connections he sees between English, Italian and French literature, but would like to know more about the historical context of the works. He is advised to take History 112: Emerging Europe as one of the gateway courses for the minor, and also Middle English Literature, French Literature from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, and Philosophy 362: Augustine.. For his capstone project, he works with a professor from English and one from Modern Languages/French in a study of the Gawain cycle and its Continental origins, reading two of the Gawain romances in Old French. Student B has completed six courses in the minor, including a gateway course and a capstone project.