Spring 2012 Courses
I.
II.
III.
Undergraduate Course Descriptions
Graduate Course Descriptions
Schedule Grid of All Courses
I. Undergraduate Courses
MDVL 201 / ENGL 202 / CWL 202 Medieval Literature and Culture
Credit: 3 hours.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for a
Literature and the Arts, and Western Comparative Culture course.
CRN 43185
lecture-discussion
MWF 10:00-10:50 115 English
Instructor: TBA
British and Contintental Authors (including Chaucer) read in modern English.
MDVL 240 D / ITAL 240 / CWL 240 Italy in the Middle Ages and
Renaissance
Credit: 3 hours.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for a Literature and the Arts course.
CRN 38864
lecture-discussion
TR 11:00-12:20 G20 FLB
Instructor: E. Rota
The development of Medieval Italian civilization in a literary context from the
Sicilian School of love poetry to the early Renaissance in Florence; lectures and
readings are in English.
MDVL 247
A / HIST 247 Medieval Europe
Credit: 3 hours.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for a
Hist&Philosoph Perspect, and Western Compartv Cult course.
CRN 34116
lecture-discussion
MWF 2:00-2:50 328 Armory
Instructor: M. McLaughlin
An introduction to medieval European history. We will be talking about
invasions and conversions, kings and popes, plows and cannons, troubadour
poetry and mystical visions, and many other aspects of life in Europe between
the fifth and the fifteenth century. Requirements include attendance and class
participation, a group project, ten brief “microthemes,” a mid-term and a final
exam.
MDVL 251
AE1 / SCAN 251 / CWL 251 / RLST 251 Viking Mythology
Credit: 3 hours.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for a
Hist&Philosoph Perspect, and Western Compartv Cult course.
CRN 34202
lecture
MW 2:00-2:50 103 Talbot Laboratory
For Friday discussions sections see UI course catalogue.
Instructor: T. Malekin
In this course we will read a variety of texts dating back to the Roman period
but primarily from the centuries during and immediately after the Viking
Period. Students will become familiar with the major gods and goddesses, other
mythological beings, rituals, and texts as well as getting an overview of the
archaeological and anthropological contributions to the understanding of preChristian religion in Pagan Northern Europe. In the final part of the semester
we will look at reflections of Viking Mythology in everything from 19th century
opera to 20th century Warner Bros Cartoons and will also treat Neopaganism
and the “Revival” of Germanic Religion. Students will purchase translations of
several of the most important Icelandic texts on Viking Age Religion and will
also read materials that are available for free online.
RLST 260 Mystic and Saints in Islam
Credit: 3 hours.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for a Literature and the Arts, and Non-Western
Cultures course.
CRN 39191
lecture-discussion F
MW 2:00-3:20 313 Gregory
Instructor: A. Khan
Examines mystical concepts and practices in Islam through the ages, through
the lives and writings of important mystics and Sufi holy men and women, as
well as the integration of mysticism and the Sufi Orders into Muslim society
and Islamic orthodoxy. No knowledge of Islam or foreign language is required.
RLST 214 Introduction to Islam
Credit: 3 hours.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for a Hist&Philosoph Perspect, and NonWestern Cultures course.
CRN 48249
lecture A
MWF 9:00-9:50 TBA
Instructor: A. Khan
History of Islamic thought from the time of Muhammad to the present,
including the prophethood of Muhammad, the Qur'an, theology and law,
mysticism and philosophy, sectarian movements, modernism and legal reform,
and contemporary resurgence. Credit is not given for both RLST 213 and
RLST 214.
RLST 223 Qur'an Structure and Exegesis
Credit: 3 hours.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for a Literature and the Arts, and Non-Western
Cultures course.
CRN 38006
lecture-discussion A
MWF 11:00-11:50 307 David Kinley Hall
Instructor: A. Khan
Introduction to the Qur'an (Koran), the holy scripture of Islam, examining its
major doctrines, thematic development, literary style, and its relationship to
pre-Qur'anic, especially Biblical, traditions. Special attention is given to various
methods Muslims have used to interpret the Qur'an. Same as CWL 223.
Prerequisite: RLST 213 or RLST 214.
MDVL 412 T / ARCH 412 Medieval Architecture
Credit: 3 hours.
Prerequisite: ARCH 210 or ARTH 111.
CRN 30269
TR 2:00-3:20
lecture T
209 Huff Hall
Instructor: A. Marina
This course explores the architecture of Western Europe from the fourth to
the fourteenth centuries. Although survey of this breadth can only skim the
surface of the remarkable number of works of architecture produced during the
Middle Ages, we will sample representative works, paying special attention to
the tension between architectural innovation and traditional practices. Our
mission is to explore why and how these buildings and sites were produced, to
understand how they communicate their patrons’ and makers’ ideas, and to
discover their audiences’ responses to them.
We will pay special attention to the reinterpretation and transformation of the
classical orders, the adaptation and transformation of several ancient building
types, the establishment and development of architecture to serve newlyemerging nation-states and religions, the evolution of vaulting, the changing
conception of the wall, and the representational qualities of medieval
architecture. We will also examine the impact that the cult of the saints, the rise
of Christian monasticism, and the reemergence of cities had on medieval
architecture.
By the end of the course, you will not only have become acquainted with the
key monuments of medieval architecture in Europe, but also improved your
ability to look critically at the built environment, begun to acquire the
vocabulary and conceptual framework to research it independently, and
sharpened your ability to speak and write about it lucidly.
MDVL 415
GR UG / CLCV 415 / CMN 415 Classical Rhetorics
Credit: 3 or 4 hours.
CRN 36995
TR 12:30-1:50
lecture-discussion
Instructor: T. Ogormon
Survey of the contributions to the theory and practice of rhetoric from Homer
to the Renaissance.
MDVL 470 M / GER 470
Middle Ages to Baroque
Credit: 3 hours.
CRN 33596
lecture-disussion
TR 9:30-10:50 110 FLB
Instructor: M. Wade
ARTH 491 Topics in Art History: Strange Bedfellows: The Aesthetic
and Artistic Exchange Between Medieval Islamic and Christian Societies
Credit: 3 hours.
CRN 47460
lecture 4
MW 1:00-2:20 240 Art & Design
Instructor: H. Silvers
This course explores the development and maturation of the art and
architecture of the Islamic world during its rapid spread in the Middle Ages.
We will investigate the Islamic aesthetic and how it influenced and was
influenced by the architecture, sculpture, and manuscript tradition of medieval
Christendom, particularly in the Byzantine Empire, the Mediterranean, and
Spain. We will pay special attention to the cultural, ideological, and artistic
intermingling between Muslim and Christian societies during the age of
crusades and at the height of medieval pilgrimage.
II. Graduate Courses
MDVL 500
CS Seminar in Medieval Studies: “Exploring the Medieval
Globe”
Credit: 4 hours.
May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours. Approved for both letter and S/U grading.
CRN 46988
T 1:00-2:50
seminar
318 Gregory
Instructor: C. Symes
The idea of “the medieval” has been fundamental to the conceptualization of
human history, and to understandings of how the interrelated pasts of societies
(in contact and in isolation) have shaped the complex world we have inherited
from them. “Medieval” presupposes mediation; it is also a Western
historiographical concept that has been appropriated in non-Western contexts,
often to the detrimental effect of over-simplifying or de-valuing them. This
seminar will explore the modes of communication, materials of exchange, and
myriad interconnections among regions, communities, and individuals in this
central era; it will also consider how concepts of the Middle Ages continue to
affect our own world. We will consider such questions as: What are the special
challenges -- and potential rewards -- of studying this epoch in a global
context? How did medieval peoples, trends, ideas, and goods interact with (or
against) one another? Can we meaningfully compare coeval cultures or
phenomena that didn't come influence one another directly? How will our own
research projects be enriched (and complicated) with reference to the wider
medieval world, and by fuller awareness of the meanings attached to the Middle
Ages in different places and times?
This seminar arises from major initiatives within the Program in Medieval
Studies and will coincide with a conference on “The Medieval Globe” (April
12-14). Participants will therefore have a unique opportunity to meet and learn
from key scholars in the field, including many Illinois faculty. Together, we will
read pioneering works of scholarship and some seminal primary materials.
Response papers and other written exercises will brief. Students taking the
course for full credit will be expected to prepare a critical review essay or
research paper reflecting the seminar's intersection with their own interests.
ENGL 514 Topics in Medieval Literature: Bibliography and Methods in
Medieval Studies
Credit: 3 hours.
CRN 32262
seminar G
W 3:00-5:00
107A English
Instructor: C. Wright
This course is a practical introduction to the bibliography of Medieval Studies,
with a focus on Western European textual and iconographic traditions. You
will learn about the primary materials and research tools that medievalists use,
and the methods and assumptions that enable various historical approaches to
medieval texts and cultural artifacts. You will learn how to use the major
reference guides, encyclopedias, bibliographies, and electronic databases in
order to access medieval historical sources, literary texts, and artistic
monuments and to locate the relevant scholarly literature. Representative
topics include ecclesiastical history, medieval Latin literature, liturgy,
hagiography, biblical exegesis, folklore and popular culture, sciences and
encyclopedias, and iconography. Basic reading knowledge of Latin is required;
reading knowledge of French or German will be helpful but is not prerequisite.
MDVL 522 / ARTH 522 Reading Rocks: Contextuality and
Romanesque Sculpture
Credit: 4 hours.
CRN 43768
conference B
T 9:30-12:10
210A Architecture
Instructor: H. Silvers
In this seminar, we will explore sculpture of the Romanesque period within its
architectural, political, literary, and cultural contexts. Concentrating mainly on
monuments in France and Spain, we will delve into the stylistic antecedents of
the Romanesque from the Late Antique, Islamic, and Mozarabic cultures, and
from temples of India. While the course is designed to focus on the ways in
which different contexts affect our reading of Romanesque sculpture, we will
also consider such questions as: to what degree was the efficacy of sculpture or
architecture dependent on the other? Where did the style and iconography of
Romanesque sculpture originate in the wake of the dearth of monumental
sculpture of the early Middle Ages? How did these stylistic traits meet and
manifest in the West?
Landscape Architecture 593 Special Topics: The Alhambra
Credit: 4 hours.
CRN 43768
conference B
T 9:30-12:10
210A Architecture
Instructor: D. F. Ruggles
Changing expectations have led to new ideas about authenticity at the
Alhambra (Granada). The Islamic palace appears largely intact, so much so that
in 1984 UNESCO conferred World Heritage status on the basis of the site's
excellent state of preservation. But prints, photos, and the restoration
architect’s notebooks reveal extensive intervention. This provokes questions
about stewardship, the celebration or repression of cultural and religious
difference, and whether the Alhambra remains an authentic work of medieval
Islamic architecture or has been remade to satisfy European visions of Spain’s
Islamic past.
III. Schedule Grid of All Courses
Monday
9:00
Tuesday
214 Intro
Islam
9:30
Wednesday
Thursday
214 Intro Islam
470 Germany
Middle Ages
Friday
214 Intro
Islam
470 Germany
Middle Ages
522 Reading
Rocks (to
12:10)
593 The
Alhambra
(to 12:10)
10:00
201 Medieval
Lit.
11:00
201 Medieval
Lit.
201 Medieval
Lit.
240 Italy
Middle Ages
240 Italy
Middle Ages
415 Classcial
Rhetorics
415 Classcial
Rhetorics
12:00
12:30
1:00
491 Artistic
Exchange
500 Exploring
Medieval
Globe (to 2:50)
491 Artistic
Exchange
2:00
247 Medieval
Europe
412 Medieval
Architecture
247 Medieval
Europe
3:00
251 Viking
Mythology
251 Viking
Mythology
260 Saints
Islam (to
3:20)
260 Saints
Islam (to 3:20)
514 Medieval
Studies
Bibliography
(to 5:00)
412 Medieval
Architecture
247 Medieval
Europe