Medieval Studies Major
The major consists of 10 courses drawn from seven departments: art history and music, classics, English, history, languages and cultures, 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 1300 | Understanding Historical Change: Medieval | 3 |
| 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 1 | 12 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 1300 | Understanding Historical Change: Medieval | 3 |
| 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 3010 | Politics and Poetry in the Middle Ages: The Rise of Vernacular Culture in the Mediterranean | 4 |
| COLI 3031 | Medieval Monsters | 4 |
| COLI 3123 | Surviving the Barbarians in Early Medieval Britain | 4 |
| COLI 3135 | Irish and British High Medieval Literature: Connections and Comparisons | 4 |
| COLI 3145 | Medieval Love in Comparison: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Perspectives | 4 |
| COLI 3146 | Science and Magic in Medieval Literature | 4 |
| COLI 3440 | Arabic Literature in English Translation | 4 |
| ENGL 3031 | Medieval Monsters | 4 |
| ENGL 3088 | Medieval Britain: History and Prophecy | 4 |
| ENGL 3100 | Medieval Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 3102 | Medieval Drama | 4 |
| ENGL 3103 | Early English Drama | 4 |
| ENGL 3104 | Medieval English Blackness? | 4 |
| ENGL 3105 | "Game of Thrones" and the Modern Medieval | 4 |
| ENGL 3107 | Chaucer | 4 |
| ENGL 3109 | Arthurian Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 3111 | Medieval Romance and Adventure | 4 |
| ENGL 3113 | Introduction to Old English | 4 |
| ENGL 3114 | The (Medieval) Walking Dead | 4 |
| ENGL 3115 | Medieval Women Writers | 4 |
| ENGL 3121 | The Pearl Poet and His Book | 4 |
| ENGL 3123 | Surviving the Barbarians in Early Medieval Britain | 4 |
| ENGL 3125 | Beowulf in Old English | 4 |
| ENGL 3127 | Dreams in Middle Ages | 4 |
| ENGL 3131 | Medieval Tolerance and Intolerance | 4 |
| ENGL 3134 | Love in the Middle Ages | 4 |
| ENGL 3135 | Irish and British High Medieval Literature: Connections and Comparisons | 4 |
| ENGL 3136 | Medieval Mystics | 4 |
| ENGL 3140 | Myth of the Hero: Medieval Memory | 4 |
| ENGL 3144 | Other Worlds | 4 |
| ENGL 3145 | Medieval Love in Comparison: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Perspectives | 4 |
| ENGL 3146 | Science and Magic in Medieval Literature | 4 |
| ENGL 4005 | The Medieval Traveler | 4 |
| ENGL 4019 | Seminar: Love Letters from Ovid's Heroides to Heloise's Letters to Abelard | 4 |
| ENGL 4027 | Seminar: Race, Ethnicity, and Contact in Early Medieval Ireland and Britain | 4 |
| ENGL 4096 | Hobbits/Heroes/Hubris | 4 |
| ENGL 4141 | Death in the Middle Ages | 4 |
| ENGL 4142 | Contemplating the Cloisters | 4 |
| ENGL 4148 | Medieval Drama in Performance | 4 |
| ENGL 4151 | Performing Medieval Drama | 4 |
| ENGL 5213 | Studies in Old English Literature | 3 |
| FREN 3100 | Medieval French Literature | 4 |
| FREN 3103 | Medieval Other, Modern Ethics: Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Medieval France | 4 |
| GERM 3057 | Medieval German Literature: Potions, Passions, Players, and Prayers | 4 |
| ITAL 3011 | Dante and His Age | 4 |
| ITAL 3012 | Medieval Storytelling | 4 |
| LACU 3010 | Politics and Poetry in the Middle Ages: The Rise of Vernacular Culture in the Mediterranean | 4 |
| LACU 3012 | Medieval Storytelling | 4 |
| LACU 3203 | Dante and His Translators | 4 |
| LACU 3440 | Arabic Literature in English Translation | 4 |
| LACU 4006 | Dante's Cosmos: Medieval Science, Theology, and Poetry in the Divina Commedia | 4 |
| LATN 3041 | Ovid | 4 |
| LATN 3060 | Readings in Vergil | 4 |
| MLAL 3057 | Medieval German Literature: Potions, Passions, Players, and Prayers | 4 |
| MVST 1210 | Literature and Society | 3 |
| MVST 3057 | Medieval German Literature: Potions, Passions, Players, and Prayers | 4 |
| MVST 3102 | Medieval Women Writers | 4 |
| MVST 3500 | The Knights of the Round Table | 4 |
| MVST 3501 | Between Conquest and Convivencia: The Spanish Kingdoms of the Middle Ages | 4 |
| MVST 4005 | The Medieval Traveler | 4 |
| MVST 4008 | Medieval Autobiographies | 4 |
| SPAN 3540 | Spain and Islam | 4 |
| THEA 4148 | Medieval Drama | 4 |
| THEA 4151 | Performing Medieval Drama | 4 |
Medieval Philosophy
Courses in this group have the MVPH attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MLAL 3535 | Building the Ideal City: Ethics and Economics Foundations of Realizable Utopias | 4 |
| MVST 3552 | Medieval Philosophy | 4 |
| MVST 3590 | Medieval Political Philosophy | 4 |
| MVST 4003 | War and Peace: Just War Theory | 4 |
| PHIL 3520 | Philosophy of Aristotle | 4 |
| PHIL 3525 | Philosophy of Plato | 4 |
| PHIL 3530 | Philosophy After Constantine | 4 |
| PHIL 3552 | Medieval Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 3557 | Confessions of Augustine | 4 |
| PHIL 3559 | Dante and Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 3560 | Philosophy of Aquinas | 4 |
| PHIL 3565 | Four Medieval Thinkers | 4 |
| PHIL 3570 | Beauty in the Middle Ages | 4 |
| PHIL 3591 | Medieval Political Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 3753 | Philosophy of the Islamic World | 4 |
| PHIL 3910 | Shakespeare and Aquinas | 4 |
| PHIL 4442 | Fantasy and Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 4473 | War and Peace: Just War Theory | 4 |
Medieval Theology
Courses in this group have the MVTH attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 3204 | Sex & Celibacy in the Middle Ages | 4 |
| MVST 3501 | Between Conquest and Convivencia: The Spanish Kingdoms of the Middle Ages | 4 |
| MVST 4006 | Dante's Cosmos: Science, Theology, and Literature | 4 |
| THEO 1006 | Sin and Salvation in Medieval Theology | 3 |
| THEO 3100 | Introduction to Old Testament / Tanakh | 3 |
| THEO 3102 | Book of Genesis | 3 |
| THEO 3105 | The Torah | 3 |
| THEO 3120 | The Prophets | 3 |
| THEO 3200 | Introduction to New Testament | 3 |
| THEO 3207 | The First Three Gospels | 3 |
| THEO 3212 | Gospel of John | 3 |
| THEO 3310 | Early Christian Writings | 3 |
| THEO 3314 | St. Augustine of Hippo | 3 |
| THEO 3316 | Byzantine Christianity | 3 |
| THEO 3320 | Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther | 3 |
| THEO 3330 | Medieval Theology Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3332 | Christians, Muslims, Jews in the Medieval Period | 3 |
| THEO 3340 | Christian Mystical Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3345 | The Book of Revelation | 3 |
| THEO 3620 | Great Christian Hymns | 3 |
| THEO 3711 | Sacred Texts of the Middle East | 3 |
| THEO 3713 | Classic Jewish Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3715 | Classic Islamic Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3833 | Christian Thought and Practice II | 4 |
| THEO 3849 | Eschatology | 4 |
| THEO 4430 | Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Early Christianity | 4 |
Medieval Art or Music
Courses in this group have the MVAM attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARHI 2230 | Islamic Art | 4 |
| ARHI 2250 | Ancient American Art | 4 |
| ARHI 2320 | The Fall of Ancient Rome: A Material Culture Investigation | 4 |
| ARHI 2341 | Medieval Desire and Devotion | 4 |
| ARHI 2360 | Illuminated Manuscripts | 4 |
| ARHI 2361 | Italian Art, Politics, and Religion in the Age of Dante | 4 |
| ARHI 2365 | Medieval Art and the Museum | 4 |
| ARHI 2370 | Art and Science in the Middle Ages | 4 |
| ARHI 2410 | Northern Renaissance Art | 4 |
| ARHI 3350 | Age of Cathedrals | 4 |
| ENGL 4142 | Contemplating the Cloisters | 4 |
| MUSC 3110 | Music Before 1600 | 4 |
| MUSC 3111 | 4 | |
| MVST 2360 | Illuminated Manuscripts | 4 |
| MVST 3215 | Medieval Fashion and Its Meanings | 3 |
| MVST 4100 | Modern Sounds, Early Music | 4 |
| THEO 4420 | Early Christian Art in Context | 4 |
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 1001 | Introduction to Arabic | 5 |
| ARAB 1501 | Intermediate Arabic I | 3 |
| ARAB 1502 | Intermediate Arabic II | 3 |
| ARAB 2001 | Arabic Language and Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 3113 | Introduction to Old English | 4 |
| ENGL 3834 | History of the English Language | 4 |
| ENGL 5213 | Studies in Old English Literature | 3 |
| GREK 1001 | Introduction to Greek I | 3 |
| GREK 1002 | Introduction to Greek II | 3 |
| GREK 1004 | Intensive Ancient Greek | 4 |
| GREK 1501 | Intermediate Greek I | 3 |
| GREK 2001 | Greek Language and Literature | 3 |
| HEBW 1001 | Introduction to Hebrew I | 5 |
| HEBW 1501 | Intermediate Hebrew I | 3 |
| HEBW 1502 | Intermediate Hebrew II | 3 |
| HEBW 2001 | Hebrew Language and Literature I | 3 |
| LATN 1001 | Introduction to Latin I | 3 |
| LATN 1002 | Introduction to Latin II | 3 |
| LATN 1004 | Intensive Latin | 4 |
| LATN 1501 | Intermediate Latin I | 3 |
| LATN 2001 | Latin Language and Literature | 3 |
| LATN 3021 | Roman Love Poetry | 4 |
| LATN 3041 | Ovid | 4 |
| LATN 3060 | Readings in Vergil | 4 |
| LATN 3061 | Christian Latin | 4 |
| LATN 3300 | Advanced Latin | 4 |
| LATN 5542 | Medieval Latin Literature | 4 |
| THEO 1050 | Syriac Language and Literature I | 3 |
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.