The following courses are cross-listed with MEMS for Spring term 2016. Many other courses can be used to contribute to the minor or IDS major.
MEM 2500 (03AF)/FRT 3004 (087F): “The Tales of King Arthur”
William Calin, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Great literary works of the Arthurian tradition and the manner in which the tales of King Arthur serve, from their 6th century Celtic origins to the present, to articulate the interests and values of different social groups throughout history. (H and N)
MEM 3301 (01E8)/GET 3930 (3852): “Palaces and Cities: An Introduction to Early Modern Communities”
Will Hasty, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Explores the new kind of European culture that emerges with early modern residential palaces and cities. The study of seminal texts in poetry, politics and theology, and of early modern cities and palaces shows the new operant principle in cultural processes to be the primacy of the individual. (H)
MEM 3931 (0837)/CHT 3123 (051B): “Premodern Chinese Fiction in Translation”
Richard Wang, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Pre-modern Chinese narrative from its philosophical and historical origins to the fiction at the turn of the 20th century. Emphasizes the 16th and 17th centuries when Chinese vernacular fiction flourished. (H and N)
A Few Other Courses in medieval & early modern studies
ARH 4930 (0391): Medieval Art Exchange
Ashley Jones, Art and Art History
From conquests and re-conquests to the circulation of objects via trade and gift exchange, the Mediterranean region in the long Middle Ages is rich in cultural contacts between Christian and Muslim artists and communities. This course will investigate this history from all sides, from the multi-cultural environs of Al-Andalus to the eastern borders of the Byzantine Empire, and from the peaceful co-existence of Christian and Islamic faith communities in late antiquity to the violent encounters of the Crusades. Spaces and places covered will include Georgians, Armenians, and Seljuk Turks on the eastern frontier of the Byzantine Empire; the Levant in late antiquity and during the Crusades; Al-Andalus and Morocco; Ifriqiya (modern Tunisia); Norman Sicily; and the Mongol and Venetian Empires.
EUH 3942 (8459): “History Practicum: Love and Marriage in the Middle Ages.”
Florin Curta, Department of History
What is history? Why do we study it? What skills do professional historians need to do there work? In this course, we will attempt to provide answers to those and other related questions, in a manner designed to introduce new History majors to the professional study of the discipline and to facilitate the development of skills in the practice of problem-centered history. The course is organized around the theme of “love and marriage in the Middle Ages,” which will be covered in lectures, readings, and discussions. At the same time, the goal of this course ismastery of set of skills that essential to historians: identifying and evaluating source materials; critical reading of primary and secondary sources; formulating research questions; documenting and writing papers. In short, this course is design to provide both knowledge and skills that will serve you in your academic career at the University of Florida and in your professional career after graduation.
EUH 4310 (02B1): “Medieval Spain”
Florin Curta, Department of History
The Middle Ages (ca. 500-1300) was a period of fundamental transformations in Spanish history. At the same time it was the only period between Antiquity and the modern age in which the Iberian Peninsula witnessed the most remarkable political, religious, cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity in its history. Such diversity creates serious problem of study, as during the Middle Ages, three or, occasionally more, Christian states existed at the same time, each with its own distinct history, culture, and institutions. In addition, one or more Muslim powers dominated the south. The inescapable importance of the Jewish and Basque communities adds to a bewildering richness and complexity of the cultural and religious mix. The medieval history of Spain has long been regarded as isolated from the mainstream of European development, but more than in any other period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula, Spain during the Middle Ages was linked to a vast region in Eurasia, from the banks of the Danube to the deserts of Arabia.
In this course we will examine the various aspects of that history. We will initially follow a topical, rather than chronological order. Our focus will be on the Spanish mainland, but we will also look at some of the neighboring areas, such as the Baleares.