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Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Get involved with our  passionate about the Middle Ages.

Table of Contents

1. 杏吧原创
1.1 Fields of Study
2. Program Requirements
2.1 Minor in Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS)
3. Courses
3.1 Approved Medieval and Early Modern Studies Electives
3.2 MEMS-related Electives Offered 2025-26


Welcome to the Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies at 杏吧原创 University. We are devoted to the history, thought, and artistic expression of the cultures emerging around the Mediterranean in the aftermath of the Roman Empire. With expertise ranging from Byzantine Archaeology to Qur鈥檃nic Studies to Old English Literature, our faculty members are committed to teaching and researching the Global Middle Ages and Early Modernity between approximately 300 and 1650 CE.

Our students follow an interdisciplinary program centred around two core courses and have the freedom to pursue their own interests in a wide range of electives. Our students on the medieval and early modern collected in the and also learn about historical book production practices in hands-on, experiential learning opportunities at the . 

Get involved with our  passionate about the Middle Ages.

杏吧原创

Ever since the pioneering medievalist  joined the Department of History in 1952, 杏吧原创 University has been committed to teaching the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Early Modernity. More than sixty years after Labarge first joined our university, the study of the medieval and early modern world continues to thrive. At a time when things medieval and early modern pervade the popular imagination, 杏吧原创 University maintains a strong disciplinary core in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, populated by scholars passionate about teaching and researching the Late Antique, Medieval and Early Modern periods who have won numerous awards and grants for their work.

Fields of Study

The field of Medieval and Early Modern Studies is broad, but one with an inherent temporal unity. Our program focuses on the major post-Roman Mediterranean cultures (Western European Kingdoms, Byzantine Empire, Islamic World) until early modernity (ca. 1650). These are societies with shared roots in Hellenistic and Roman government, literature, philosophy, and theology that came to develop new communities and new forms of social organization as well as to adopt new languages and forms of expression. In the early modern period, these cultures expanded beyond the Mediterranean to colonize and reshape the Atlantic World.

The Minor in Medieval and Early Modern Studies offers a pathway for students to broaden their interest in the Late Antique, Medieval and Early Modern Worlds by taking an interdisciplinary program linking together the many courses offered at 杏吧原创 in different departments. Medievalists and Early Modernists are interdisciplinary and international by necessity and by training: understanding medieval art, for example, often demands a knowledge of medieval architecture, religion and liturgy. Grasping the novelty of Reformation religious practices depends on a knowledge of medieval religion as well as contemporary political and social debates. Reading Renaissance chronicles, likewise, requires an understanding of how fifteenth-century Venetians rework a literary tradition developed in medieval monasteries. An Islamic intellectual culture of the period depended not only on Muslim thinkers, but was also in dialogue with Classical Greek texts and with Christian and Jewish scholars writing in Arabic and many other languages.

In addition to the interdisciplinary , 杏吧原创 offers a range of courses providing many windows into the medieval and early-modern experience. Students are invited to explore the cultures and societies of the medieval and early modern worlds through the study of art and architecture, language and literature, history, and religion, including such topics as:

Program Requirements

Minor in Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS)

This minor is available to all undergraduate students, requiring the completion of 4.0 credits in approved courses.

Requirements:

  1. Students must complete both core courses of the MEMS program (MEMS 2001 and 3001).
  2. Students must complete 2.0 credits from Approved Medieval and Early Modern Studies Electives at the 2000-level or higher.  1.0 credit in approved language training may count towards these credits.
  3. Students must complete 1.0 credit from Approved Medieval and Early Modern Studies Electives at the 3000-level of higher (see below);

Note:

 requires students to complete two core courses intended to provide them with an interdisciplinary foundation for further study. The instructors and topics explored will change from year to year, but are intended to dovetail with other courses offered in the field at 杏吧原创.

Courses

The core courses offered this year are:

Courses taught previously:

Approved Medieval and Early Modern Studies Electives

The following departments contribute courses that are approved electives for the minor. Click on the name of each department for a list of possible courses:

Art History

English

  • ENGL 2105 (0.5 credit), History of the English Language
  • ENGL 2301 (0.5 credit) or ENGL 2302 (0.5 credit), Literatures and Cultures 500-1500 or Literatures and Cultures 1500-1700
  • ENGL 3105 (0.5 credit), History of Literary Theory
  • ENGL 3200 (0.5 credit), Medieval Literature
  • ENGL 3202 (0.5 credit), Chaucer
  • ENGL 3302 (0.5 credit), Renaissance Literature
  • ENGL 4105 (0.5 credit), Old English
  • ENGL 4208 (0.5 credit), Studies in Medieval Literature
  • ENGL 4301 (0.5 credit), Studies in Renaissance Literature

French

Greek and Roman Studies

  • CLCV 2905 (0.5 credit), History of Ancient Rome II
  • LATN 1005 (0.5 credit), Introduction to Latin I
  • LATN 1006 (0.5 credit), Introduction to Latin II
  • LATN 2200 (0.5 credit), Intermediate Latin I
  • LATN 2201 (0.5 credit), Intermediate Latin II
  • LATN 3900 (0.5 credit), Advanced Latin I
  • LATN 3901 (0.5 credit), Advanced Latin II
  • LATN 4900 (0.5 credit), Directed Studies in Latin I
  • LATN 4901 (0.5 credit), Directed Studies in Latin II

History

  • HIST 2001 (0.5 credit), Early Medieval Europe
  • HIST 2002 (0.5 credit), Late Medieval Europe
  • HIST 2005 (0.5 credit), England During the Middle Ages
  • HIST 2204 (0.5 credit), Early Modern Europe 1350-1650
  • HIST 2501 (0.5 credit), Early Modern Britain
  • HIST 3005 (0.5 credit), Medieval Aristocratic Life
  • HIST 3006 (0.5 credit), Medieval Religious Life
  • HIST 3007 (0.5 credit), Medieval Intellectual Life
  • HIST 3105 (0.5 credit), Renaissance Europe
  • HIST 3112 (0.5 credit), The Body in Early Modern Europe
  • HIST 3708 (0.5 credit), Reformation Europe
  • HIST 4006 (1.0 credit), Seminar in Medieval History
  • HIST 4100 (0.5 credit), Seminar in Early Modern European History

Humanities

Music

Political Science

Religion

  • RELI 2210 (0.5 credit) Christianity
  • RELI 2310 (0.5 credit) Islam
  • RELI 2330 (0.5 credit) The Qur鈥檃n
  • RELI 3220 (0.5 credit) Reformation Europe
  • RELI 3232 (0.5 credit) Christian Discipline
  • RELI 3320 (0.5 credit) Classical Muslim Thought I
  • RELI 3321 (0.5 credit) Classical Muslim Thought II
  • RELI 3322 (0.5 credit) Shi鈥檌 Islam I
  • RELI 3323 (0.5 credit) Shi鈥橧 Islam I
  • IRELI 3340 (0.5 credit) Life and Image of Muhammad
  • RELI 3341 (0.5 credit) Qur鈥檃nic Exegetical Traditions
  • RELI 3350 (0.5 credit) Hadith Literature: An Introduction

* Please note: Professor Calkin, the Coordinator of the MEMS Minor, will approve any of these electives to count towards the MEMS Minor in 2025-26 if the course number is not already on the approved electives list (see program requirements page to check). Any requests to approve courses listed here, or language credits, or other courses for the minor, can be sent to siobhain.calkin@carleton.ca.

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MEMS-related Electives Offered 2024-25

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