Medieval Studies Major

The major consists of 10 courses drawn from seven departments: art history and music, classics, English, history, modern languages and literature, philosophy, and theology. Six courses are required, as follows, with examples of departmental and program offerings that fill the requirement. The final selection of four elective courses should be determined in consultation with program advisers. A thesis option is also available for students interested in pursuing an ambitious research project as part of the major.


CIP Code

30.1301 - Medieval and Renaissance Studies.


You can use the CIP code to learn more about career paths associated with this field of study and, for international students, possible post-graduation visa extensions. Learn more about CIP codes and other information resources.

The major requires ten courses.

Course Title Credits
HIST 1300Understanding Historical Change: Medieval3
One course required from each of the following sections:15 to 20
Medieval Literature
Medieval Philosophy
Medieval Theology
Medieval Art or Music
Medieval Language
Four additional elective courses 112 to 16
1

Any course with the MVST subject code or the MVST attribute code may fulfill this requirement.

In consultation with the director or the associate director, students may be encouraged to take 5000-level courses (graduate courses open to undergraduates) in related departments.

Senior Thesis Option

The program offers a senior thesis option in Medieval Studies for senior Medieval Studies majors with a 3.0 GPA or higher in Medieval Studies who wish to complete an ambitious project under the direction of a faculty member.

Interested students should discuss this option with the undergraduate chair of Medieval Studies, as well as with a potential faculty adviser, and then submit an application to be evaluated by the undergraduate chair and potential adviser prior to the semester in which the thesis will be completed.

To write a thesis in the spring semester, students must submit the application by October 15 of the previous semester; to write a thesis in the fall semester, students must submit the application by March 1 of the previous semester.

If the application is approved, the undergraduate chair will authorize the student to register for MVST 4997 Medieval Studies Honors Thesis Tutorial, which counts as an elective toward the major (but will not replace any major requirements). Students will write the thesis over the course of one semester, at the end of which there will be a defense of the thesis with the adviser and one program reader. For more information, visit the Medieval Studies website.

Double Majors

Double majors are given greater flexibility in fulfilling the major requirements. Up to two courses may also count toward both the Medieval studies major and the second major. Students who choose medieval studies as a double major also complete 10 courses, including the following:

Course Title Credits
HIST 1300Understanding Historical Change: Medieval3
One course in each of the following areas:
Medieval Literature or Medieval Language
Medieval Philosophy or Medieval Theology
Medieval Art/Music
Six electives

Medieval Literature 

Courses in this group have the MVLI attribute.

Course Title Credits
COLI 3010Politics and Poetry in the Middle Ages: The Rise of Vernacular Culture in the Mediterranean4
COLI 3031Medieval Monsters4
COLI 3123Surviving the Barbarians in Early Medieval Britain4
COLI 3135Irish and British High Medieval Literature: Connections and Comparisons4
COLI 3145Medieval Love in Comparison: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Perspectives4
COLI 3146Science and Magic in Medieval Literature4
COLI 3440Arabic Literature in English Translation4
ENGL 3031Medieval Monsters4
ENGL 3100Medieval Literature4
ENGL 3102Medieval Drama4
ENGL 3103Early English Drama4
ENGL 3104Medieval English Blackness?4
ENGL 3105"Game of Thrones" and the Modern Medieval4
ENGL 3107Chaucer4
ENGL 3109Arthurian Literature4
ENGL 3111Medieval Romance and Adventure4
ENGL 3113Introduction to Old English4
ENGL 3114The (Medieval) Walking Dead4
ENGL 3115Medieval Women Writers4
ENGL 3121The Pearl Poet and His Book4
ENGL 3123Surviving the Barbarians in Early Medieval Britain4
ENGL 3125Beowulf in Old English4
ENGL 3127Dreams in Middle Ages4
ENGL 3131Medieval Tolerance and Intolerance4
ENGL 3134Love in the Middle Ages4
ENGL 3135Irish and British High Medieval Literature: Connections and Comparisons4
ENGL 3136Medieval Mystics4
ENGL 3140Myth of the Hero: Medieval Memory4
ENGL 3144Other Worlds4
ENGL 3145Medieval Love in Comparison: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Perspectives4
ENGL 3146Science and Magic in Medieval Literature4
ENGL 4005The Medieval Traveler4
ENGL 4019Seminar: Love Letters from Ovid's Heroides to Heloise's Letters to Abelard4
ENGL 4027Seminar: Race, Ethnicity, and Contact in Early Medieval Ireland and Britain4
ENGL 4096Hobbits/Heroes/Hubris4
ENGL 4141Death in the Middle Ages4
ENGL 4142Contemplating the Cloisters4
ENGL 4148Medieval Drama in Performance4
ENGL 4151Performing Medieval Drama4
FREN 3100Medieval French Literature4
FREN 3103Medieval Other, Modern Ethics: Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Medieval France4
GERM 3057Medieval German Literature: Potions, Passions, Players, and Prayers4
ITAL 3011Dante and His Age4
ITAL 3012Medieval Storytelling4
LATN 3041Ovid4
LATN 3060Readings in Vergil4
MLAL 3010Politics and Poetry in the Middle Ages: The Rise of Vernacular Culture in the Mediterranean4
MLAL 3012Medieval Storytelling4
MLAL 3057Medieval German Literature: Potions, Passions, Players, and Prayers4
MLAL 3203Dante and His Translators4
MLAL 3440Arabic Literature in English Translation4
MLAL 4006Dante's Cosmos: Medieval Science, Theology, and Poetry in the Divina Commedia4
MVST 1210Literature and Society3
MVST 3057Medieval German Literature: Potions, Passions, Players, and Prayers4
MVST 3102Medieval Women Writers4
MVST 3500The Knights of the Round Table4
MVST 3501Between Conquest and Convivencia: The Spanish Kingdoms of the Middle Ages4
MVST 4005The Medieval Traveler4
MVST 4008Medieval Autobiographies4
SPAN 3540Spain and Islam4
THEA 4148Medieval Drama 4
THEA 4151Performing Medieval Drama4

Medieval Philosophy 

Courses in this group have the MVPH attribute.

Course Title Credits
MLAL 3535Building the Ideal City: Ethics and Economics Foundations of Realizable Utopias4
MVST 3552Medieval Philosophy4
MVST 3590Medieval Political Philosophy4
MVST 4003War and Peace: Just War Theory4
PHIL 3520Philosophy of Aristotle4
PHIL 3525Philosophy of Plato4
PHIL 3530Philosophy After Constantine4
PHIL 3552Medieval Philosophy4
PHIL 3557Confessions of Augustine4
PHIL 3559Dante and Philosophy4
PHIL 3560Philosophy of Aquinas4
PHIL 3565Four Medieval Thinkers4
PHIL 3570Beauty in the Middle Ages4
PHIL 3591Medieval Political Philosophy4
PHIL 3753Philosophy of the Islamic World4
PHIL 3910Shakespeare and Aquinas4
PHIL 4442Fantasy and Philosophy4
PHIL 4473War and Peace: Just War Theory4

Medieval Theology 

Courses in this group have the MVTH attribute.

Course Title Credits
HIST 3204Sex & Celibacy in the Middle Ages4
MVST 3501Between Conquest and Convivencia: The Spanish Kingdoms of the Middle Ages4
MVST 4006Dante's Cosmos: Science, Theology, and Literature4
THEO 1006Sin and Salvation in Medieval Theology3
THEO 3100Introduction to Old Testament / Tanakh3
THEO 3102Book of Genesis3
THEO 3105The Torah3
THEO 3120The Prophets3
THEO 3200Introduction to New Testament3
THEO 3207The First Three Gospels3
THEO 3212Gospel of John3
THEO 3310Early Christian Writings3
THEO 3314St. Augustine of Hippo3
THEO 3316Byzantine Christianity3
THEO 3320Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther3
THEO 3330Medieval Theology Texts3
THEO 3332Christians, Muslims, Jews in the Medieval Period3
THEO 3340Christian Mystical Texts3
THEO 3345The Book of Revelation3
THEO 3620Great Christian Hymns3
THEO 3711Sacred Texts of the Middle East3
THEO 3713Classic Jewish Texts3
THEO 3715Classic Islamic Texts3
THEO 3833Christian Thought and Practice II4
THEO 3849Eschatology4
THEO 4430Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Early Christianity4

Medieval Art or Music

Courses in this group have the MVAM attribute.

Course Title Credits
ARHI 2230Islamic Art4
ARHI 2250Ancient American Art4
ARHI 2320The Fall of Ancient Rome: A Material Culture Investigation4
ARHI 2341Medieval Desire and Devotion4
ARHI 2360Illuminated Manuscripts4
ARHI 2365Medieval Art and the Museum4
ARHI 2410Northern Renaissance Art4
ARHI 3350Age of Cathedrals4
ENGL 4142Contemplating the Cloisters4
MUSC 3110Music Before 16004
MUSC 31114
MVST 2360Illuminated Manuscripts4
MVST 3215Medieval Fashion and Its Meanings3
MVST 4100Modern Sounds, Early Music4
THEO 4420Early Christian Art in Context4

Medieval Language

Typically classical or medieval Latin, Old English, Old French, or, in consultation with the director, another medieval language.

Courses in this group have the MVLA attribute.

Course Title Credits
ARAB 1001Introduction to Arabic5
ARAB 1501Intermediate Arabic I3
ARAB 1502Intermediate Arabic II3
ARAB 2001Arabic Language and Literature3
ENGL 3834History of the English Language4
GREK 1001Introduction to Greek I3
GREK 1002Introduction to Greek II3
GREK 1004Intensive Ancient Greek4
GREK 1501Intermediate Greek I3
GREK 2001Greek Language and Literature3
HEBW 1001Introduction to Hebrew I5
HEBW 1501Intermediate Hebrew I3
HEBW 1502Intermediate Hebrew II3
HEBW 2001Hebrew Language and Literature I3
LATN 1001Introduction to Latin I3
LATN 1002Introduction to Latin II3
LATN 1004Intensive Latin4
LATN 1501Intermediate Latin I3
LATN 2001Latin Language and Literature3
LATN 3021Roman Love Poetry4
LATN 3041Ovid4
LATN 3060Readings in Vergil4
LATN 3061Christian Latin4
LATN 3300Advanced Latin4
LATN 5542Medieval Latin Literature4
THEO 1050Syriac Language and Literature I3

Availability

The major in medieval studies is available at Fordham College at Rose Hill and Fordham College at Lincoln Center. Students in Fordham's School of Professional and Continuing Studies students may major in medieval studies only if they receive the approval of their advising dean and/or department, and their schedules are sufficiently flexible to permit them to take day courses at the Rose Hill or Lincoln Center campuses.

Fordham College at Rose Hill students: The requirements above are in addition to those of the Core Curriculum.

Fordham College at Lincoln Center students: The requirements above are in addition to those of the Core Curriculum.

Professional and Continuing Studies students: The requirements above are in addition to those of the PCS Core Curriculum and any additional electives that may be required to earn a minimum of 124 credits.