Medieval
and
Renaissance STudies
Fall 2015
Marist College
n.s. Vol. 1, Issue 1
Spring 2016 MARS Courses
ENG 221/325
Shakespeare in London
Spring Attachment Course!!
This course meets once per week during Spring semester to
read and discuss Shakespeare and his history, then travels to
London for two weeks after the semester is over (May 27-June
10) where we visit sites and see as many Shakespeare plays as
we can. We'll visit the Tower of London, Hampton Court
Palace, Westminster Abbey, Stratford-Upon-Avon and many
other sites, and see shows at the Globe, the Royal Shakespeare
Company, and others. Register for this course through the
International Studies website, or talk to Dr. Richard Grinnell.
Art
17th
ART 224
Century Art (NEW Course!)
Dr. Anne Bertrand-Dewsnap; MR 9:30-10:45
In this course we will focus on the visual arts of Western Europe in the seventeenth – covering such major artists as Caravaggio, Bernini, Velazquez, Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer and
Poussin. We will place these artistic endeavors in their cultural
context by considering such topics as the relationship between
patronage and the arts, the creation of academies, and the intellectual and religious trends of Baroque Europe. Fulfills the Core
Fine Arts requirement.
ART 230
Greek & Roman Art**
Prof. Jan Mainzer; TR 11:00-12:15
This course will examine the art of ancient Greece from the
Bronze Age through the Hellenistic era and the art of ancient
Rome from the early Republic through the reign of Constantine.
The pre-Greek civilizations of the Cyclades, Crete, and mainland
Greece will be introduced as well as the pre-Roman culture of
Etruria. Fulfills the Core Fine Arts requirement.
ART 281
History of Costume**
Prof. Richard Kramer; TR 11:00-12:15
Students explore the historical styles and modes of Western
dress and adornment throughout the ages from the ancient
Egyptian period to the 20th century. Costume is viewed within
the context of the period relating to major historical developments, technology, production, and economic situation. Also
discussed are the arts, specific individuals, events, or societal
values that can be seen to influence fashions of the times. Fulfills the Core Fine Arts requirement.
English
ENG 212
English Lit I
Instructor TBA; TF 8:00-9:15
A broad survey of English Literature, represented by significant
texts produced from the Medieval period through the Renais-
sance, by authors such as the Beowulf poet, Margery Kempe,
Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare, John
Milton, and Aphra Behn. Fulfills the Core Literature requirement.
ENG 325
Shakespeare
Dr. Richard Grinnell; TF 2:00-3:15
A study of Shakespeare’s art and development through a reading
of selected tragedies, comedies, histories, romances, and nondramatic poetry. Fulfills the Single-Author requirement for English
Literature majors and the Core Literature requirement.
ENG 329
17th Century Lit
Dr. Gregory Machacek; TR 11:00-12:15
A detailed examination of poetry and prose of the century. The
course focuses on important schools, such as Metaphysical and
Cavalier; genres, such as elegies and country house poems; authors, such as Donne, Jonson, Milton, Marvell, Dryden; and periods, such as the Commonwealth and Restoration. Fulfills the
Chronological Contiguous Course requirement for English Literature majors (when paired with ENG 331 or ENG 336) and the
Core Literature requirement.
History
HIST 248
Medieval Europe
Dr. Janine Larmon Peterson; TF 12:30-1:45 or TF 2:00-3:15
This course will serve as an introduction to the Middle Ages, the
period between the dissolution of the Roman Empire in western
Europe and the beginning of the Renaissance, with a focus on
how this period was a vibrant time of progress, adaptation, and
cultural encounters. An emphasis will be placed on how medieval
culture developed from its Roman, Christian, and Germanic
foundations as well as how it adapted to political, economic, and
social challenges. Fulfills the Core History requirement.
Philosophy and Religious Studies
PHIL 393 Philosophy of Science**
Dr. James Snyder; TF 2:00-3:15
This course examines questions concerning the metaphysics and
epistemology of science, as well as the culture of science. Topics
of discussion may include science and pseudoscience, the scientific method, explanation, realism and anti-realism, as well as
some contemporary criticisms of science. Fulfills Philosophy/
Religious Studies requirement.
REST 203
Christianity
TR 3:30-4:45; T 6:30-9:00; R 6:30-9:00; W 6:30-9:00
A contemporary approach to the study of Christian principles
and history. Special areas of interest include the person of Jesus,
the development of Christian doctrines, and the interrelationships
among various Christian denominations. Fulfills Philosophy/
Religious Studies requirement.
Special Courses (see back)
FYS 101 Art, Sex and Murder: Caravaggio and His Myths**
Dr. Anne Bertrand-Dewsnap; MR 12:30-1:45 or MR 2:00-3:15,
common time W 8:00-9:15
This seminar is devoted to Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
(1571-1610). During the first half of the semester, we will investigate Caravaggio’s life and artistic production by studying his
ground-breaking paintings and reading primary documents. During the second half of the course, we will examine
how recent fictionalized, costume drama biographies and films
have transformed Caravaggio’s life and career into a popular,
sensationalist soap-opera, with all the colorful ingredients of sex,
glamor, disgrace, scandal and murder.
HONR 312
Medieval Gender & Sexuality**
Dr. Janine Larmon Peterson; T 6:30-9:00
This class will explore the construction of gender, notions about
sexuality and sex difference, and how these ideas affected lived
experience during the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance.
We will explore the traditions, theories, and scientific ideas that
profoundly influenced medieval and Renaissance conceptions of
sex and gender, and we will also look at the experience of men
and women who lived within – or rejected – the boundaries of
accepted behavior.
Languages
ITAL 250
Civilization of Italy
Dr. Lisa Downward-Viskovic; MR 9:30-10:45
This course will examine the ways both individual and collective
identity have been shaped in Italy from the Middle Ages to the
present by language, politics, literature, film, art, and fashion. In
addition to studying cultural production, students will explore
major events, movements and figures in Italy. While the course is
organized chronologically, recurrent themes throughout Italian
history will generate much of our class discussions. Required for
the Italian minor/major. Fulfills Cultural Diversity Requirement,
Language Core Req and Political Science International Culture
Course. Course and readings will be in Italian.
Please look online for times of the following courses:
ARAB 102
Elementary Arabic II
ARAB 106
Intermediate Arabic II
FREN 105
Intermediate French I
GER 102
Elementary German II
GER 106
Intermediate German II
ITAL 105
Intermediate Italian I
ITAL 106
Intermediate Italian II
LAT 101
Elementary Latin I
SPAN 105
Intermediate Spanish I
SPAN 106
Intermediate Spanish II
**IMPORTANT NOTE: Starred Courses!!
For special topics courses to count towards the minor, please
see the MARS coordinator, Dr. Peterson, so she can make
the substitution for you with the registrar.
Janine Larmon Peterson, Dept. of History
Fontaine 228, ext. 2556; Janine.Peterson@marist.edu
Fall 2015 office hours: T 11-12 & 3:30-4:30; W 12-2 appt.; F
10-11
MINOR REQUIREMENTS
Five courses (15 credits) selected from three
of the following disciplines:
Art History & Music; English; History;
Modern Languages & Culture;
Philosophy & Religious Studies
An intermediate language course (3 credits)
in the following:
French, Spanish, or Italian
Or an introductory course in the following:
German, Latin or Arabic
 If you are a MARS pathway student, you only need
1 more course plus a language for a minor! Many
study abroad courses will count towards the
minor—see Dr. Peterson for the substitutions!
The Second Annual Hudson Valley Medieval
and Early Modern Undergraduate Symposium
Will be held at Mount St. Mary’s College,
Newburgh, NY on Saturday, February 6, 2016
Students, please speak to your professors if you
are interested in presenting a paper on a
medieval/Renaissance/early modern topic!
Fall 2015 MARS Events:
Thursday, 10/22 at 7 pm in LT 019:
Prof. Mark Spitzer, Univ. Central Arkansas
“From Wild People to Wilderness: Researching Monsters in Our Midst”
Professor Spitzer will speak of his experience researching
the iconography of the medieval wild man in European
art history and literature, and how this study informs his
current environmental research and fish writing. From
living grotesques such as the dreaded and despised alligator gar to legendary Bigfoot myths, Spitzer’s examination
of socio-historical crypto-creatures outlines an ecological
imperative for sustainability during an era of planetary
crisis.