2005-2006 UC Santa Barbara General Catalog
Medieval Studies
Medieval Studies Program,
Division of Humanities and Fine Arts,
Department of History, Humanities and Social Sciences 5056;
Telephone (805) 893-3167

Website: www.medievalstudies.ucsb.edu (will open in a new browser window)

Advisory Committee Chair: Harvey Sharrer
Executive Director: Edward D. English

Contents:


Medieval Studies Advisory Committee

Debra G. Blumenthal, Ph.D. (History)

Cynthia Brown, Ph.D. (French and Italian)

Jody Enders, Ph.D. (French and Italian)

Edward D. English, Ph.D. (History)

Sharon Farmer, Ph.D. (History)

Aranye Fradenburg, Ph.D. (English)

Carol L. Lansing, Ph.D. (History)

Carol Braun Pasternack, Ph.D. (English)

Harvey Sharrer, Ph.D. (Spanish and Portuguese)

Affiliated Faculty

C. Edson Armi, Ph.D. (History of Art and Architecture)

Juan Bautista Avalle-Arce, Ph.D. (Spanish and Portuguese)

Antonio Cortijo, Ph.D. (Spanish and Portuguese)

Francis A. Dutra, Ph.D. (History)

Richard D. Hecht, Ph.D. (Religious Studies)

R. Stephen Humphreys, Ph.D. (History)

Mark A. Meadow, Ph.D. (History of Art and Architecture)

Giorgio Perissinotto, Ph.D. (Spanish and Portuguese)

Dwight Reynolds, Ph.D. (Religious Studies)

Jon R. Snyder, Ph.D. (French and Italian)

Emeriti Faculty

Larry M. Ayres, Ph.D. (History of Art and Architecture)

Jeffrey B. Russell, Ph.D. (History)

Alejandro Planchart, Ph.D. (Music)

Robert Potter, Ph.D. (Dramatic Art)


Medieval studies is an interdisciplinary program in which European and Middle Eastern civilizations of the Middle Ages can be explored from the viewpoints of many traditional subject areas: history, literature, religious studies, drama, art, and music. The student can build a program around one or two of these disciplines, enriched by the others, or organize a program in which several subject fields are more or less balanced. In order to enhance the interdisciplinary nature of the major, the Medieval Studies Program has designed a series of cross-listed courses that will put students in touch with a number of medievalists both at UCSB and in the larger scholarly community. Each year at least one upper-division course from another department that fulfills the requirements of the medieval studies major will be cross-listed as Medieval Studies 100 (A-Z). The instructor of that course will invite at least one professor from another UCSB department to guest teach a class; and the students will have the opportunity to attend a mini-conference, in which visiting scholars will give lectures on research topics relating to the subject of the course.

Each year a series of lectures by distinguished medievalists from other universities in America and Europe, representing various disciplines, provides fresh intellectual perspectives for undergraduate medieval studies majors as well as candidates for graduate degrees in medieval history, literature, art, and music. In addition, undergraduate, graduate, and faculty medievalists meet periodically to hear and discuss scholarly papers and to exchange ideas about the many facets of medieval culture.

The UCSB Medieval Studies Program operates in close cooperation with the Medieval Academy of America, the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Center at UCLA, the International Congress on Medieval Studies, and the Renaissance Society of America.

Students with a bachelor's degree in medieval studies who are interested in pursuing a California Teaching Credential should contact the credential advisor in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education as soon as possible.


Undergraduate Program

Bachelor of Arts--Medieval Studies

Preparation for the major. History 4A-B. For students not planning graduate work, a language is desirable but not required. For those who plan to continue their studies on the graduate level, a reading knowledge of Latin and of at least one modern European language will be necessary. In certain fields, Hebrew, Arabic, or Greek may be needed.

Upper-division major. Forty units from the following list, with the selection forming a coherent program that must be approved by a member of the medieval studies committee: Art History 105A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P; Comparative Literature 116, 120; Dramatic Art 160B; English 110A, 110B, 111, 115, 119, 152A-B-S, 156, 197 (when course content is appropriate to medieval studies); French 102, 106A, 129X, 130X, 131X, 132X, 133, 133X, 134A, 134X, 135, 135H, 135X, 135XH, 136A, 136C, 136E, 136X, 137X, 138, 138X; German 120, 169; History 114A-B-C-P, 115, 115P-Q, 116, 117A-B-C-D-P, 119, 119Q, 121A-B, 145A-B, 155A; Italian 114X; Latin 103; Medieval Studies 199; Music Performance Laboratories A148, A148S; Music 112A, 179; Portuguese 105A; Religious Studies 115C, 127B, 131C, 140A, 187, 188, 189B; Spanish 110A, 115A, 116, 118A, 119A, 122A-B, 183AA-ZZ (when course content is appropriate). Students may also submit petitions to the chair of the Medieval Studies Program to have other appropriate courses count towards the major.


Graduate Program

Optional Ph.D. Emphasis in European Medieval Studies

The Medieval Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary doctoral emphasis to students previously admitted to a Ph.D. program in the Departments of Dramatic Art, English, French and Italian, History, History of Art and Architecture, Music, Religious Studies, and Spanish and Portuguese. Students pursuing the emphasis in European medieval studies must receive a grade of B or better in each of the following: Medieval Latin (Latin 103); one course in a vernacular, western European or Middle Eastern medieval language (English 205, English 230, French 206, Spanish 222A, Spanish 222B, Portuguese 222, Religious Studies 148A, Religious Studies 148 B, Religious Studies 210); Paleography and/or Diplomatics (History 215S, History 215T); Medieval Studies 200A-B-C; and 8 additional units in graduate courses on medieval topics. Students may petition to have appropriate courses from other institutions, or independent study, substituted for these requirements. Medieval Studies 200A-B-C is the program's colloquium series; graduate students in the emphasis attend the series and write brief papers on each colloquium (one per term), to be reviewed by the chair of the program (2 units). To qualify for the emphasis, at least one member of a Ph.D. candidate's dissertation committee must be an affiliated faculty member of the European Medieval Studies Program. Contact the European Medieval Studies Program for additional information on faculty interests, course offerings, and program requirements, or visit our website at www.medievalstudies.ucsb.edu.

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Medieval Studies Courses

Upper Division

100A. Women, the Family and Sexuality in the Middle Ages
(4) Farmer
Prerequisite: History 4B or upper-division standing.
Same course as History 117C and Womens' Studies 117C.

Focuses on family structure; perceptions and ideals of intimate relations; status, perceptions, and experiences of women in Western Europe circa 400-1400 A.D. Special attention is given to social, political, and religious contexts.

100C. Medieval Urban Legends
(4) Enders, Brown
Same course as French 129X.
Spanning history, fiction, theology, folklore, and popular culture, urban legends remain an intriguing and enduring tradition. We explore and interpret French medieval legends (e.g., monsters and "snuff" drama) which revel some surprising connections with their modern counterparts.

194AH-BH. Senior Honors Seminar
(4-4) Staff
Prerequisite: admission to Senior Honors Program.
Same course as History 194AH-BH. A two-quarter, in-progress course with grade for both quarters issued upon completion of Medieval Studies 194BH. Four of the eight units may be applied to the upper-division units required for the major.

Students taking part in departmental honors program write a senior thesis on a research topic of suitable depth under close supervision of faculty mentors.

199. Independent Studies in Medieval Studies
(1-5) Staff
Prerequisites: upper-division standing; completion of two upper-division courses in medieval studies.
Students must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average for the preceding three quarters and are limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199AA-ZZ courses combined.

Graduate Courses

200A-B-C. Interdisciplinary Approaches to Medieval Studies
(2) Staff
Prerequisites: consent of instructor.
Students enroll in the course for the entire Academic year. They attend and write papers on quarterly colloquia. A three-quarter in-progress sequence course with grades for all quarters issued upon completion of Medieval Studies 200C.

Students attend and write responses to papers by visiting lecturers on topics in various fields of Medieval Studies. Themes will vary from year to year.

201. Medieval Latin Paleography
(4) English
Focuses on the evolution of manuscript creation and Latin handwritings from the early Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Students transcribe a variety of texts (literary, notarial, and historical). Reading knowledge of Latin required.


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