Course offerings range from the last centuries of the Roman world to Renaissance Italy, from the Mediterranean to the Americas, and from the reading of Latin literature to the analysis of Dante, Chaucer and Shakespeare among many others, as well as the music, architecture and art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

MARS 1F90

Medieval and Renaissance Civilizations
Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. (D1)
Plus 1-hour seminar/week
Dr. Andre Basson

Key themes, problems and topics in Medieval and Renaissance civilizations will be studied.

Click here for promotional video featuring Professor Basson.

MARS 2P08 (also offered as HIST 2P08)

Colonial Latin America
Thursdays 7-9 p.m. (D2)
Plus 1-hour seminar/week
Dr. Maria Del Carmen Suescun Pozas

This course is an introduction to the history of Latin America from pre-Hispanic times through 1810 focusing on the clashes, alliances and negotiations among Indigenous peoples, conquistadores, slaves, and missionaries.

MARS 2P50 (also offered as MUSI 2P50)

Western Music from Hildegard to Haydn
Mondays and Thursdays 1030-12 noon (D2)
Dr. Peter Landey

This course explores topics in the history of Western art music from the Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century. Analysis of representative musical compositions.

MARS 2P75 (also offered as HIST 2P75)

Heaven and Earth
Tuesdays 2-4 p.m. (D2)
Plus 1-hour seminar/week
Dr. Elizabeth Neswald

This course looks at the history of science from ancient Greece through Arabic, European, Medieval and Renaissance science into the Early Modern period.

MARS 2P89 (also offered as VISA 2P89)

Medieval Art, Architecture & Society
Wednesdays 5-8 p.m. (D2)
Dr. Michael Fulton

Students will study the inter-relation and connectedness between the arts, architecture and society in Medieval Europe.

MARS 2P92 (also offered as ITAL 2P92 and VISA 2P92)

Early to High Renaissance Art & Architecture
Thursdays 4-7 p.m. (D3)
Dr. Elias Polizoes

The review of monuments, buildings and art works of the period from the humanist influence on the arts in Florence and Rome to the issue of patronage and artist’s cultural status.

MARS 2P95 (also offered as ENGL 2P95)

Reading the Middle Ages: Heroic and Chivalric
Tuesdays 930 a.m.-1230 p.m. (D2)
Dr. Felipe Ruan

We will look at the heroic and chivalric worlds of Europe and how they shaped Medieval society.

MARS 2P99 (also offered as ITAL 2P99)

Medieval and Renaissance Tales
Thursdays 930 a.m.-1230 p.m. (D3)
Dr. Felipe Ruan

Students will study the evolution and development of Novella Collections in Europe, emphasizing the Frame Tale function.  Selections from Boccaccio, Chaucer, Marguerite de Navarre, Miguel de Cervantes, and Maria de Zoyas.

MARS 3F52 (also offered as HIST 3D52 and ITAL 3F52)

Social History of Renaissance Florence
Study Abroad Course – May 2026
Dr. Colin Rose

Intensive study of the Italian Renaissance in Florence, Italy.  Social, political and cultural developments of the period, with an emphasis on daily life in the city and its surrounding countryside.  Visits to significant cultural sites and guided tours of the city.  Two day-trips to other cities: Sienna and Bologna.

MARS 3P93 (also offered as ITAL 3P93)

Dante’s Inferno
Wednesdays 4-7 p.m. (D2)
TBA

Dante’s Divine Comedy and the world it created and reflected focusing on the Inferno.  References to relevant visual arts (illustrations and adaptations of the Divine Comedy by such artists as Dore, Rodin and the Pre-Raphaelites).

MARS 3P96 (also offered as HIST 3P96)

Medieval & Early Modern Christianity
Fridays 12 noon-3 p.m. (D2)
Dr. Andre Basson

The examination of continuities and discontinuities in the history of the Christian Church from the onset of the Middle Ages to the eve of the Protestant reformations.

MARS 3P97 (also offered as HIST 3P97)

The World of Renaissance & Beyond
Wednesdays 930 a.m.-1230 p.m. (D3)
Dr. Felipe Ruan

The study of the primary texts relative to the European Renaissance and the reshaping of the world with emphasis on the historical, cultural and intellectual legacies of the Renaissance.

MARS 3Q93 (also offered as HIST 3Q93)

The Medieval Isle of Man
Tuesdays 9 a.m.-12 noon (D3)
Dr. Andrew McDonald

This course focuses on the Isle of Man and the Irish Sea basin, 500-1500; exploring the complicated interrelationships linking the British Isles, Ireland, and Scandinavia in the Middle Ages from the arrival of Christianity to the Stanley era (1405); key themes include invasion, migration, settlement, mobility, cultural accommodation, identity, religious beliefs, society and economy, warfare, archaeology, and monuments; with emphasis on primary-source texts.

MARS 4P00

Directed Studies
(D2/D3)

Contact Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies for details.

MARS 4P01 (also offered as ENGL 4P01 and HIST 4P01)

Sources and Methods of Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Wednesdays 12 noon-3 p.m. (D2)
Dr. Leah Knight

This course explores a range of source materials used to address inquiries into Medieval and Renaissance cultural forms and societies.

MARS 4P06 (also offered as ENGL 4P06)

Medieval Literature and Social Control
Tuesdays 4-7 p.m. (D2)
Dr. Lynn Arner

Topics covered include the English Rising of 1381, punishment systems, sexuality, literacies and class, the disciplining of bodies to conform to etiquette, the regulation of female speech, and colonization and civility.