THE MIDDLE AGES

Catalog description

In recent years, interest in the medieval period has reached an all-time high due to the popularity of fantastical creations like the Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. But what were the Middle Ages really like, and how do the ideas and inventions of this period continue to influence us in our own day and age? This introductory course will answer these questions by taking a broad, interdisciplinary approach to the so-called Middle Ages, a historical concept that typically is used to characterize life in Europe from roughly 400-1400 CE. The class will particularly focus on developments in Western Europe during these years, though we will also consider some "medieval" events and developments beyond European borders. By reading texts written by modern scholars in with premodern technologically-oriented, collaborative environment, students will explore the major political events, intellectual developments, and artistic achievements that shaped the history and culture of medieval Europe-including such transformational social issues as the growth of cities, chivalry, the Crusades, and the horrors of the Black Death. As students will come to learn, in many ways the Middle Ages never really ended, and the ideals of the period endure in the twenty-first century.