The Body: Medieval Perspectives

In this course, we will explore bodies from a wide range of disciplines in medieval studies. The body has been always an object of imagination, literature, science, philosophy, and religion, it is the vehicle of both the divine and the profane, and it is at the center of debates on sexuality, gender identities, race, and politics. In this course, we look at how different views on the body and on sexuality developed and changed throughout the medieval period and how they influenced and were influenced by the religious doctrines, medical theories, and the intellectual environment of different groups of people. Finally, we will explore bodies both physical and metaphorical.