Last updated: September 13, 2019 @ 09:26AM

Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Director
Felipe Ruan

Professor Emerita
Rosemary Hale

Adjunct Professor
Andre Basson

Participating Faculty
Renee-Claude Breitenstein (Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures), Fanny Dolansky (Classics), Michael Driedger (History), Leah Knight (English Language and Literature), R. Andrew McDonald (History), Behnaz Mirzai (History), Elizabeth Neswald (History), Brian E. Power (Music), Colin Rose (History), Matthew Royal (Music), Elizabeth Sauer (English Language and Literature), Mariá del Carmen Suescunn Pozas (History), Ernesto Virgulti (Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures)

Academic Advisor
Liz Hay

General Information

Administrative Assistant
Elaine Aldridge-Low

905-688-5550, extension 5325
573 Glenridge 213

The Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies offers an excellent opportunity to study medieval and Renaissance culture and society from an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural study of the history, literature, philosophy, art and architecture of cultures across the globe from 400 CE to 1700 CE. To this end, we have co-operating faculty from Digital Humanities, English Language and Literature, History, Modern Languages, Literature and Cultures, Music, Dramatic Arts, Visual Arts, and Women's and Gender Studies.

The Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies offers a combined major program leading to a BA (Honours or Pass) and Minor for students in other disciplines. Medieval and Renaissance Studies can be combined with any other program offering a combined major option. Medieval and Renaissance Studies core courses may also be taken as electives by students in other disciplines.

Course offerings range from the late Roman world to Renaissance Italy, from Byzantium to Iceland, and from the reading of seminal authors like Dante, Chaucer and Shakespeare among many others. As well, our courses explore the culture, religion, music, architecture and art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

The Middle Ages and Renaissance were instrumental in shaping the cultures in which we live. The interdisciplinary understanding of how Medieval and Renaissance cultures worked will illustrate their legacy to us, and their importance in shaping who and what we are. Our program seeks to help the students develop the skills of critical inquiry, analysis, argument and expression needed for the treatment of these questions.

The Centre recommends that students have their programs reviewed each year by the Faculty of Humanities Undergraduate Adviser and/or the Director. Students planning to enter fourth year are required to have their programs approved by the Humanities Undergraduate Adviser as well as the Director.

Students considering graduate work in Medieval and/or Renaissance Studies should note that graduate programs normally require competence in Latin and other languages depending on the specific area of study.

Study Abroad

In the Spring session, the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies often offers study abroad courses such as MARS 3F50 Reading the Italian Medieval and Renaissance City. For information contact the Director.

Program Notes
  1. It is strongly recommended that Medieval and Renaissance Studies students take 1.0 language credit as part of their degree program. Latin or modern European languages as appropriate to the program are suggested. Students contemplating Graduate Studies should consider taking at least one second language credit.
  2. Approved MARS courses may be chosen within the student's co-major. However, students may not use the same course(s) to satisfy both the Medieval and Renaissance Studies and the co-major requirements.
  3. Each student should meet with the Humanities Academic Adviser to ensure their choice of courses meets the criteria for the combined major degree.
  4. Students may take only 2.0 credits numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99 from the list of MARS approved courses for major credit.
  5. In 20 credit degree programs a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least three credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; at least three credits must be numbered 3(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
    In 15 credit degree programs a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least three credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
    In some circumstances, in order to meet university degree and program requirements, more than 15 or 20 credits may be taken.

Combined Major Program

Students wishing to major in Medieval and Renaissance Studies must declare a second discipline for a combined major program. For requirements in the second discipline, the student should consult the relevant department/centre. It should be noted that not all departments/centres provide a combined major option.

Year 1
·   MARS 1F90
·   one credit from co-major
·   one Sciences context credit
·   one Social Sciences context credit
·   one elective credit (see program note 1)

Year 2
·   MARS 2P89, 2P92, 2P93, 2P95 and 2P99
·   two credits from co-major
·   one half elective credit

Year 3
·   MARS 3P96 and 3P97
·   one credit from MARS 3F50, 3P19, 3P92, 3P93, 3Q92, the list of approved Medieval and Renaissance Studies courses (see program note 5)
·   two credits from co-major
·   one elective credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above

Year 4
·   MARS 4P00 and 4P01
·   one credit numbered 2(alpha)00 or above from MARS courses, the list of approved Medieval and Renaissance Studies courses
·   two credits from co-major (see program note 5)
·   one elective credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above

Minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Students in other disciplines may obtain a Minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies by successfully completing the following courses with a minimum 60 percent overall average:
·   MARS 1F90, 2P89 and 2P95
·   one MARS credit numbered 2(alpha)00 or above
·   one MARS credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above

Approved Medieval and Renaissance Studies Courses Offered by Other Departments/Centres

Note: As many of the courses listed below have prerequisites, students should plan their programs in advance.

CLAS 1P92
The Grandeur of Ancient Rome

CLAS 1P95
Myths of the Greek and Roman Gods

CLAS 1P97
Myths of the Heroic Age

CLAS 3M20-3M29
Study in Mediterranean Lands
(also offered as VISA 3M20-3M29)

CLAS 3P06
History of the Early Roman Empire
(also offered as HIST 3P06)

CLAS 3P23
Art and Architecture of the Roman Empire
(also offered as VISA 3P23)

DART 3P91
Shakespeare in Performance

ENGL 2P19
Chaucer

ENGL 2P21
Introduction to Tudor Literature

ENGL 2P24
Early 17th-Century Literature

ENGL 2P80
Shakespeare 1590-1603

ENGL 2P81
Shakespeare 1603-1614

ENGL 2P82
Shakespeare's Comedies

ENGL 2P83
Shakespeare's Tragedies

ENGL 2P84
Non-Shakespearean Drama in England, 1576-1642

ENGL 3P21
Major Tudor Poets and Poetics

ENGL 3P22
The Literature of Milton's Time

ENGL 3P95
Medieval English Literature

ENGL 4P00
Literature of the English Revolution
(also offered as HIST 4P00)

FREN 2P65
Culture and Civilization of France to 1800

FREN 4P20
Sixteenth-Century Literature

GERM 1P93
Culture and Civilization of Central Europe: From the Prehistoric to 350CE
(also offered as CLAS 1P93)

HIST 2P03
Early Medieval Britain 400-1000: Celts, Saxons and Vikings

HIST 2P04
The Medieval British Isles, 1000-1485

HIST 2P25
Revolutions in Communication
(also offered as IASC 2P25)

HIST 2P76
Making Modern Science

HIST 2P96
Early Russia

HIST 3P60
The World of Genghis Khan: Inner Asia since 500 BC

HIST 3Q93
The Crusades

HIST 4P29
Wallace, Bruce and the Wars of Scotland

HIST 4P35
Witchcraft Episodes in Britain and America, 1500-1700

LATI 1F00
Language (Introductory)

LATI 2P01
Language and Literature I

LATI 2P02
Language and Literature II

MUSI 4P50
History of Music in the Middle Ages

MUSI 4P51
History of Music in the Renaissance

MUSI 4P55
History of Music and Liturgy to 1600

Description of Courses

Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable term timetable for details.

# Indicates a cross listed course
* Indicates primary offering of a cross listed course

Prerequisites and Restrictions

Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.
MARS 1F90
Medieval and Renaissance Civilizations
Key themes, problems and topics in Medieval and Renaissance civilizations, including: the development of concepts of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance; notions of decline, renewal, rebirth and reformation in the West; sources and methods of inquiry.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Note: includes an on-line seminar component.

MARS 2P08
Colonial Latin America
(also offered as HIST 2P08)
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.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

MARS 2P70
The Middle East, 600 - 1800
(also offered as HIST 2P70)
Major themes in Middle Eastern history from the advent of Islam to 1800 AD art, culture, religions, migration, minorities, slavery and political developments.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

MARS 2P75
Western Science from Aristotle to Newton
(also offered as HIST 2P75)
Western science from Greek natural philosophy through Arabic, Medieval and Renaissance science to the Scientific Revolution.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Note: no background in science is required.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in LART 2P75.

MARS 2P87
Genealogy and Identity in Medieval and Early Modern Spain
(also offered as SPAN 2P87)
Significance of genealogy and blood (i.e. limpieza de sangre or blood purity statues), in the shaping of categories and forms of identification pertaining to Jewish, Muslim and Christian populations, and emerging New Christian groups like Conversos and Moriscos.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

MARS 2P89
Medieval Art, Architecture and Society
(also offered as VISA 2P89)
Interdisciplinary study of the inter-relation and connectedness between the arts, architecture and society in medieval Europe.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

MARS 2P91
Europe's Reformations, 1450-1650
(also offered as HIST 2P91)
Origins, course and consequences of the division of Western Christendom into Protestant and Catholic factions in the 16th century.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

MARS 2P92
Early to High Renaissance Art and Architecture
(also offered as ITAL 2P92 and VISA 2P92)
Major monuments, buildings and art works of the period from several critical perspectives including the humanist influence on the arts in Florence and Rome, the issue of patronage and the question of the artist's cultural status.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one of MARS 1F90, ITAL 1F90, VISA 1Q98 and 1Q99 or permission of the instructor.
Note: given in English.

MARS 2P93
Medieval Cultures and Literatures
Societies, cultures and literatures of medieval Europe focusing on the High and Late Middle Ages. Sampling of medieval texts ranging from comic and tragic, to religious and epic. Importance of music and its relation to religion, art and literature.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

MARS 2P95
Reading the Middle Ages: the Heroic and the Chivalric
(also offered as ENGL 2P95)
Heroic and chivalric worlds of Europe and how they shaped medieval society. Selections from Beowulf, Anglo-Saxon heroic literature, Old Norse sagas, the lais of Marie de France, Courtly Love and Arthurian-related narratives.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

MARS 2P99
Medieval and Renaissance Tales
(also offered as ITAL 2P99)
Evolution and development of Novella Collections in Europe, emphasizing the Frame Tale function. Selections from Boccaccio, Chaucer, Marguerite de Navarre, Miguel de Cervantes, Maria de Zayas.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

MARS 3F50
Reading the Italian Medieval and Renaissance City
(also offered as HIST 3F50, ITAL 3F50 and VISA 3F50)
Exploring key monuments, churches, museums and urban sites. Concept of the city as expressed through art, literature and architecture from Medieval to Baroque times. Historical and geographical influences and factors in shaping the city, its culture and traditions. Cities include Rome, Assisi, Florence and Siena.
Prerequisite(s): one MARS, HIST, ITAL or VISA credit or permission of the Italian Studies course co-ordinator.
Note: given in English. No knowledge of Italian is needed. Begins in May on campus during the Spring session. Departure for Italy at the end of May-beginning of June for a 2-week study tour of Rome, Assisi, Florence and Siena. Students are responsible for travel, accommodation and other expenses.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in ITAL (VISA) 2F99 and MARS (ITAL/VISA) 3M50.

MARS 3M20-3M29
Study in Mediterranean Lands
(also offered as CLAS 3M20-3M29 and VISA 3M20-3M29)
Topographical investigations of ancient sites and monuments. Study tours of the great cities and museums of the Mediterranean world emphasizing the art and architecture of the Prehistoric, Classical and later periods.
Restriction: permission of the Department of Classics.
Note: offered in the Spring or Summer Session for three or four weeks of intensive study abroad. Students are expected to pay their own expenses.

MARS 3P19
The Rise of Christian Philosophy
(also offered as PHIL 3P19)
Philosophy from the patristic period through Erigena and Anselm up to and including the 12th-century Renaissance.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit or permission of the instructor.

MARS 3P30
The Viking Age
(also offered as HIST 3P30)
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.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to HIST (single or combined), HIST (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors and minors until date specified in Registration guide. After that date, open to MARS, HIST (single or combined), HIST (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors and minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): one HIST credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 2(alpha)99 and one HIST credit numbered 2(alpha)00 to 2(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.

MARS 3P92
Petrarch and Boccaccio
(also offered as ITAL 3P92)
Literature, arts and culture of the Middle Ages, emphasizing Petrarch's Canzoniere (Song Book) and Boccaccio's Decameron, and the works and genres that they influenced.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one MARS credit, one ITAL credit or permission of the instructor.
Note: given in English. No knowledge of Italian is required.

MARS 3P93
Dante's Inferno
(also offered as ITAL 3P93)
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 Doré, Rodin and the Pre-Raphaelites).
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 5.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.
Note: given in English. No knowledge of Italian is required.

MARS 3P96
Medieval and Early Modern Christianity
(also offered as HIST 3P96)
Interdisciplinary study of the continuities and discontinuities in the history of the Christian Church from the onset of the Middle Ages to the eve of the Protestant reformations. Examination of ecclesiastical authority, Christianity's interactions with Judaism and Islam, changing social structures, monastic reforms, the Crusades, magic, science, religion, the papacy, and the cult of saints and devotion to relics.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

MARS 3P97
The World of the Renaissance and Beyond
(also offered as HIST 3P97)
Interdisciplinary study of the primary texts relative to the European Renaissance and global questions that reshape the world, emphasizing the historical, cultural and intellectual legacies of the Renaissance, including literature, religion, philosophy, science, medicine and the history of exploration.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

MARS 3Q91
Renaissance Perceptions of Indigenous Cultures
(also offered as HIST 3Q91 and SPAN 3Q91)
Perceptions and views of indigenous American peoples and civilizations in Renaissance Europe, drawing from written accounts, histories of the Indies, and visual representations of Incas, Aztecs and Mayans.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one MARS, HIST, SPAN credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 2(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.
Note: given in English.

MARS 3Q92
Moors, New Christians and Renegades
(also offered as HIST 3Q92 and SPAN 3Q92)
Contesting identity categories resulting from exchanges and interactions of Christians and Muslims in the early modern Mediterranean world, through the study of historical and fictional primary sources.
Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one MARS, HIST or SPAN credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 2(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.
Note: given in English.

MARS 4P00
Directed Studies
Program of study designed in consultation with a faculty member.
Restriction: open to MARS majors with approval to year 4 (honours).
Note: topic for a major piece of written work or the equivalent must be submitted by the student by April 1 of year 3 and approved by Director and the appropriate instructor.

MARS 4P01
Sources and Methods of Medieval History
(also offered as HIST 4P01)
Different types of medieval source material and the ways in which they can be utilized by historians.
Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to MARS, HIST (single or combined) and HIST (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors with approval to year 4 (honours).
Note: students in other disciplines may register with permission of the instructor and Director. Students will be encouraged to share their research projects from MARS 4P00 in the discussions.

MARS 4P06
Medieval Literature and Social Control
(also offered as ENGL 4P06)
Medieval English literature in relation to the management of different populations in Britain in the late Middle Ages. Topics 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.
Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to MARS (single or combined), ECUL, ENCW (single or combined), ENGL (single or combined), ENGL (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) and WRDS (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor and Chair.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in MARS (ENGL) 4V06.

MARS 4P55
The Later Roman Empire
(also offered as CLAS 4P55)
History of the Roman Empire from the death of Marcus Aurelius to Late Antiquity.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one CLAS credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above.

MARS 4P70
Reading a Renaissance Woman
(also offered as ENGL 4P70)
The place of books and reading in the life and culture of Anne Clifford. Readings from personal writings and books in her library including extracts (in English) from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Cervantes' Don Quixote, Castiglione's Courtier, Montaigne's Essays, Chaucer, Spenser, Jonson and Donne.
Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to MARS, ECUL, ENCW (single or combined), ENGL (single or combined), ENGL (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) and WRDS (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor and the Chair.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in MARS (ENGL) 3V92 and 4V70.

MARS 4V70-4V75
Selected Topics in Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Issues in Medieval and Renaissance Studies.