An interdisciplinary survey course based on textual sources in Arabic literature, philosophy, and scripture designed to introduce the major aspects of Arabic and Islamic culture from the classical to the modern period. Taught in English. Knowledge of Arabic desirable but not required.

This course is designed as an introduction to Islamic civilization and thought and requires no prior knowledge of Islam or Middle Eastern History. It will focus on the political, social and religious institutions that shaped Islamic civilization as well as on the intellectual and scholarly traditions which characterized the Muslim world from the foundation of Islam onwards. Beginning with the geographical, cultural and historical context of the rise of Islam, the life of the Prophet, the Qur’an, it will extend through modernity and beyond, with a special emphasis on texts. The readings consist of a selection of translated primary sources as well as complementary background essays. In addition to the political history of this period, we will discuss a wide range of social and cultural themes including the translation movement, science and literature, art and architecture as well as gender issues.

This course will familiarize students with the sources, research tools and methods used in the field of Islamic Studies. We will look at the history of the discipline and survey its major areas of research, including history, language and literature, religious sciences, intellectual sciences, and social studies.

This course introduces students to hadith literature and the science of hadith. It looks at the origin, development, and criticism of the hadith literature as well as the debates surrounding its transmission, authority, and application. For this purpose we read materials in Arabic and English discussing the role and function of the hadith literature.

The powerful images and the creative architectural monuments made in western Europe during the Middle Ages provide the focus of this course. Often described as the “Age of Faith,” the era begins with the Early Christian period of the late Roman Empire and ends with the onset of the Italian Renaissance. We will consider the formation and evolution of a “medieval art,” its roots in classical sources, its major functions and forms, its tendency toward abstraction, its role in the lives of medieval men and women, and its extraordinary ability to persuade and inspire. Format: Primarily lecture, with readings and discussion. No prerequisites, but previous art history course (ARTH 101) or medieval studies courses are helpful.

An intensive introduction to the Latin language and the culture of the ancient Romans. Readings and composition exercises will focus on the acquisition of solid reading skills. At the same time, the study of Latin will enlarge students' English vocabulary and their understanding of the structures of their own language.

This class, for students with one year of college Latin or equivalent, combines grammar review with continuous reading of what must be Cicero's most amusing speech, the Pro Caelio. While aimed primarily to teach students practical strategies for reading Latin prose, the course also introduces the day-to-day life of late Republican Rome's high society.

This class, for students with one year of college Latin or equivalent, combines review of Latin grammar with continuous reading of what must be Cicero's most amusing speech, the Pro Caelio. While aimed primarily to teach students practical strategies for reading Latin prose, this course also introduces the day-to-day life of late Republican Rome's high society.

In this seminar, we will read classics of the medieval European literary tradition: troubadour lyrics, Chrétien de Troyes’s Lancelot, the Lais of Marie de France, Gottfried von Strassburg’s Tristan, legends of St. Francis of Assisi, the Cantigas de Santa Maria, and selections from Dante’s Divine Comedy, Boccaccio’s Decameron, and Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde. Our focus will be on close readings of the literary works, but we will also bring cultural contexts to bear in our efforts to better understand and enjoy them. All readings will be in modern English translation.

The objective of this course is to explore the medievalism of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. To do this we need to go back to their medieval antecedents in the 12th-15th centuries, which will allow us to contrast and compare the old and the new. We will read masterpieces of imaginative storytelling from French, German, and English medieval literature in addition to selected Harry Potter volumes, but we will also consult Plato and Joseph Campbell. The old and the new are linked thematically in that they are all narratives about growing up and finding one’s identity: a complex, mysterious, and sometimes arduous process that the hero/heroine experiences as a magical world where the natural laws governing human existence are suspended, the unexpected is bound to occur, and marvels are reserved for the chosen few. The readings and discussion are in English.

The history of the French language is the story of a language evolving within concrete situations to meet the needs of its users. We trace its emancipation from Classical Latin and its gradual transformation into a recognizable French language by the thirteenth century. Colonialism, migrations, invasions, geographical location social, and ideological systems leave their imprint on the language. By the end of the course students will be able to read aloud and translate selected passages of Old French. Through the language, they will also have an historical and linguistic understanding of why France's cultural identity today is predominantly "Latin." Some acquaintance with Latin is desirable but not essential. Cross-listed with Linguistics. This course fulfills the linguistics requirement and the post-advanced language requirement for the French major, and satisfies one semester of the College's social science general education requirement. (Not offered 2004-05)

This course is about how and why saints fascinated medieval people and still fascinate modern historians. We will examine the various kinds of medieval saints: male and female, high-born and lowly, popular and official, aspiring and failed. We will also look at the ways that medieval people reacted to saints and the role that devotion to the saints played in medieval culture. We will study how medieval people honored their saints (and sometimes defamed them) and what was expected from saints in return; what kinds of people became recognized saints, and how this recognition happened (or failed to happen); and what sort of stories were told about saints and how this hagiography took on enormous cultural importance. We will be examining popular (and unusual) practices regarding saints, such as the treatment of saints’ corpses, as well as the development of the juridical process that led to canonization. Our approach to the phenomena of saints and their veneration in medieval society will be historical, anthropological, literary, and sociological.

The objective of this course is to explore the medievalism of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. To do this we need to go back to their medieval antecedents in the 12th-15th centuries, which will allow us to contrast and compare the old and the new. We will read masterpieces of imaginative storytelling from French, German, and English medieval literature in addition to selected Harry Potter volumes, but we will also consult Plato and Joseph Campbell. The old and the new are linked thematically in that they are all narratives about growing up and finding one’s identity: a complex, mysterious, and sometimes arduous process that the hero/heroine experiences as a magical world where the natural laws governing human existence are suspended, the unexpected is bound to occur, and marvels are reserved for the chosen few. The readings and discussion are in English.

This course will examine the structure, parts, and performance of the medieval liturgical calendar--a twelve-month cycle of feasts and fasts, hours and seasons. Special emphasis on understanding the liturgical music which accompanied every celebration. Close reading of original liturgical texts from throughout medieval cultures (800-1400), together with study of the rites and customs which accompanied them. Relationship of the liturgical year to the rhythms of medieval societies, demonstrating how worship of God and honor of saints provided a framework for much of medieval life. Lectures, readings, films, music. Seminar format. Mid-term and final take-home exams. Counts toward Medieval Studies major, minor, and SFS Certificate in Medieval Studies; Music minor (not major); Catholic Studies major and minor. Cross-listed with Catholic Studies, Music, Theology.

A survey of Spanish peninsular literature covering a wide range of texts and authors belonging to the main cultural periods of Spanish history from the Middle Ages to the present. Students will be exposed to different genres--including poetry, drama, narrative, and the essay--as they are introduced to basic concepts of literary criticism and textual interpretation. These are discussion-based survey courses with active participation by all students required.

Detailed study of the diachronic processes responsible for the transformation of spoken Latin into Old and Modern Spanish. Texts & Readings: Paul M. Lloyd. Del latín al español. Madrid: Gredos, 1993. Rafael Lapesa. Historia de la lengua española. 8ª o 9ª edición. Madrid: Gredos, 1980 o 1981. Assignments & Expectations of Students: A midterm exam, a final exam, and a short paper. What Students Should Know: The course is given in Spanish. Some knowledge of linguistics is required.

The course offers an introduction to the religious thought and practice of Muslims as they have developed over the centuries and continue to develop today. The focus of the course is more religious than political and although its approach is primarily historical, it hopes to offer students insights that will be of contemporary relevance. Topics covered will include: the question of defining Islam today; the context of Islam's beginnings; Muhammad and the Qur'an; the religio-political vision; the development of Islamic law; the spiritual tradition. Islam emerged at least in part as a critique of the faith and practice of earlier Abrahamic traditions, and so for Christians in particular the encounter with Muslim religious thought can provoke important theological insights.

This course examines the impact of the Qur'an on the Muslim literary imagination. We will begin with a close reading of the Qur'an and then turn to examples of Islamic literature - ethics, poetry, politics, mysticism, belles-lettres, biography, the novel -to explore the ongoing role of the Qur'an in Muslim cultural life.

This course will explore the major intellectual and cultural trends of the Jews living in the Islamic world from the rise of Islam through the 19th century. Topics to be covered include the relationship between Judaism and Islam, the legal status of the Jews, the organization and structure of the Jewish community and developments in Jewish religion, philosophy, literature, and folklore.