The central ideas in Western philosophy, politics, and the arts had their genesis and initial development in the medieval and early modern periods. Medieval and Renaissance culture and history provides students with a flexible but coherent area of study, anchored around such ideas as epistemology, human psychology, philosophy, political organization, and literary, musical, visual, and theatrical representation.
Students taking the minor will explore relations between different disciplines and media across historical periods, and will be encouraged to develop their knowledge of these periods. Students majoring Art, Education, English, History, Journalism, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, Spanish, Speech, and Theater will be exposed to a body of knowledge that forms a natural complement to a minor that broadens and deepens the experience of student’s major by providing a variety of theoretical, historical, and aesthetic perspectives.
For other majors (e.g. Engineering, Biology, Psychology, Business), the Medieval and Renaissance minor offers an intellectual stimulus that extends beyond strict disciplinary boundaries, exposing them to unfamiliar yet fascinating ideas and contexts. The minor will enhance their major by allowing them to see it with a new knowledge of temporal change and cultural diversity, and with a new awareness of the historically contingent nature of their chosen field of study.
In keeping with the spirit of the “U.T. Tyler Tradition,”
the minor helps students to acquire an understanding of the interrelationship
between the diverse branches of the Arts and Sciences by in an
intellectually rigorous manner. Finally, the minor in Medieval and Classical
Studies helps students to embrace the rich tradition of the past in order to
prepare them for the future.
Units involved: Art, English, History, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Spanish, and Theater.
Requirements
Medieval and Renaissance Studies may be chosen as a minor to satisfy bachelor’s degree requirements in any major that requires a minor.
The program requires a total of 18 hours in the field, 12 of which must be upper level (appropriate lower division courses will need to cover some combination of the Medieval and/or Renaissance periods, e.g. ART 2303, ENGL 2322, ENGL 2362, HIST 2321 and other courses with consent of the advisor). No more than 9 hours can be taken in any one discipline, and courses must be different than those used to fulfill major requirements. The minor must include either POLS 3350 or PHIL 3330. Other courses are selected by students in consultation with their advisor. Please contact the (You will need to select someone from the committee to answer inquiries) for more information.
Courses (topics courses, if appropriate and approved by a student's advisor, may also be included):
ART 4344 Medieval Art
ART 4345 Renaissance Art
ENGL 4300 Old and Middle English Literature
ENGL 4305 Renaissance Poetry and Prose
ENGL 4310 Shakespeare
ENGL 4360 Studies in World Literature (depending on content)
HIST 3352 Renaissance Europe
HIST 3353 Reformation Europe
HIST 3354 Medieval Europe
HIST 3356 Early Modern Europe
HIST 3383 Tudor and Stuart England
HIST 4391 Colonial Latin America
MUSI 3319 Survey of Music History to 1600
PHIL 3330 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
POLS 3350 Western Political Theory: Antiquity to Renaissance
SPAN 3350 Survey of Spanish Literature to 1700 (taught in Spanish)
SPAN 4352 Cervantes (taught in Spanish)
SPAN 4364 Colonial Latin American Literature (taught in Spanish)
THTR 3329 Theater History: Aeschylus to Shakespeare