Professors Mary Watt and Will Hasty of the Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS) at the University of Florida discuss the cultural significance of castles, cloisters, palaces, and cities, the subject matter of two UF MEMS courses. The video was produced by Naomi Rivas and Nicholas Cravey as a student project.
The classes in this list are only the selection of MEMS courses that have been cross-listed with the “MEM” prefix. Numerous other classes being offered may also count towards the MEMS Minor and IDS Major. For more information, contact Will Hasty (hasty@ufl.edu).
Spring 2025 Courses
Instructor: Sarra Tlili
This course examines the Qur’an from a literary perspective. After a brief historical overview, we will focus on the style and themes of the Qur’an, considering how this text generates meaning and creates literary impact. The course is divided into four main units:
- History: This section explores the historical context in which the Qur’an emerged, its textual evolution, and its use as a source of historical information.
- Translation and Interpretation: This unit examines whether and to what extent the Qur’an is translatable and reviews various interpretative approaches to it.
- Style and Structure: Here, we will analyze some of the Qur’an’s stylistic features and explore its structure at the verse and sura levels.
- Themes: This section discusses the major themes of the Qur’an, as well as themes of special relevance to modern audiences.
Instructor: Richard Wang
An overview of Chinese martial arts fiction from earliest times to the present day. Chinese martial arts is not just part of traditional Chinese culture. It has had a profound impact on modern world. In physical exercises, meditation and self-cultivation, entertainment, and the Olympic Games, martial arts plays a significant role. Martial arts films, TV series, and computer games all feature martial arts sagas and their famous characters. As the foundation of this global cultural phenomenon, the Chinese martial arts fiction deserves our reading, understanding, analysis, and entertainment. This course explores the historical and cultural stimuli that led to martial arts, recorded and represented later as martial arts narratives. The focus will be on the close-reading of literary narratives, but will also include discussion of the significance of these works against their broader historical and social background. Topics to be discussed: the literary pleasure of watching violence, the relationship between violence and the law, gender ambiguity of the woman warrior, the imperial and (trans)national order of martial arts narrative, and the moral and physical economy of vengeance. In addition, it touches upon Chinese religion and traditional medicine in addition to general culture. The course is also supported by images of martial arts movies.
Instructor: Florin Curta
Instructor: Nina Caputo
This class will examine the shifting terrain of historical and theological conceptions of war and holy war in the Middle Ages. The material is divided into four distinct sections: theological foundations, early medieval conceptions of war and community, the Crusades, and changes in the high and late Middle Ages. How did leaders and theologians talk about and mitigate war in the name of Christianity? When and under what circumstances was it deemed right or just to fight?
Instructor: Florin Curta
Instructor: Yehoshua Ecker
The Present State of the Ottoman Empire, by Elias Habesci, published in English translation in 1784, is an 18th century country survey claiming to be more interesting and entertaining than the competition. It is an irreverent book, full of historical fact and possibly fiction, gossip and anecdotes, written by a shady and obscure character, called an assassin and a fraud. This was one
of the ways English readers were exposed to Ottoman realities, history, customs and opinions. It serves as an introduction to the Ottoman world, to the way it was viewed and studied by others, and to the craft and practices of writing large scale survey projects that try to describe everything you need to know. (One credit)
Instructor: Valerie Hampton
Instructor: Ben Guyer
Instructor: Élie Pinta
Beginning with an overview of Vikings and the Viking Age, we will concentrate on the movements of people and the shared heritage and culture that connected them. Specific examples of Norse everyday activities and interactions with their environments will take us from modern-day Russia to the North American shores. We will also explore several craft activities and techniques relying on wood use or textiles. Different aspects of the Norse economy will be tackled, including agropastoralism and hunting practices. A final element of the class will cover the interactions between Vikings/Norse and other populations living at the edge of their world.