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.
2026/27 COURSE OFFERING
MARS 1F90
Medieval and Renaissance Civilizations
Tuesdays 7-9 p.m. (D1)
Plus 1-hour seminar/week
Instructor TBA
Key themes, problems and topics in Medieval and Renaissance civilizations will be studied.
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MARS 2P08 (also offered as HIST 2P08)
Roots of Latin America and the Caribbean
Thursdays 1-3 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 2P70 (also offered as HIST 2P70)
In the Middle East, 600-1800
Fridays 230-430 p.m. (D2)
Plus 1-hour seminar/week
Dr. Behnaz Mirzai
This course looks at the major themes in Middle Eastern history from the advent of Islam to 1800 AD art, culture, religions, migration, minorities, slavery and political developments.
MARS 2P89 (also offered as HAVC 2P89)
Medieval Art, Architecture & Society
Wednesdays 6-9 p.m. (D2)
Instructor TBA
Students will study the inter-relation and connectedness between the arts, architecture and society in Medieval Europe.
MARS 2P91 (also offered as HIST 2P91)
Europe’s Reformations, 1450-1650
Mondays 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (D2)
Plus 1-hour seminar/week
Dr. Michael Driedger
This course explores the origins, course, and consequences of the division of Western Christendom into Protestant and Catholic factions in the 16th century.
MARS 2P92 (also offered as ITAL 2P92 and HAVC 2P92)
Early to High Renaissance Art & Architecture
Tuesdays 2-5 p.m. (D3)
Instructor TBA
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
Thursdays 12-3 p.m. (D3)
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
Wednesdays 930 a.m.-1230 p.m. (D2)
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 Zayas.
MARS 3P09 (also offered as CLAS 3P09 and ITAL 3P09)
The Later Roman Empire
Tuesdays and Fridays 8-930 a.m. (D3)
Dr. Michael Carter
This course explores Roman imperial history from the death of Marcus Aurelius to the fall of Rome in the West.
MARS 3P30 (also offered as HIST 3P30)
The Viking Age
Mondays 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (D2)
Plus 1-hour seminar/week
Dr. Andrew McDonald
This course follows the Vikings from their Scandinavian homelands as they raid, trade and settle throughout Europe and the North Atlantic, convert to Christianity, establish new kingdoms and eventually assimilate into medieval Christendom.
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
Fridays 12-3 p.m. (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
Fridays 10 a.m.-1 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
Wednesdays 3-6 p.m. (D3)
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.
