MTHDS in MVST: Explrs Trvlrs

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course serves as an introduction to the discipline of Global Medieval Studies and its research methods, while seeking to address important questions in the field: What does it mean to be “global” in the Middle Ages? How do we view the Middle Ages today, and why do we do so? In addition to general research skills in Medieval Studies, the course theme, “Explorers and Travelers,” will guide students through a selection of primary texts that will serve as case-studies for different research approaches. These materials include literary texts, artifacts, maps, and documents that deal with oceanic and land travel, discoveries in the New World, navigation in the Indian Ocean, shipwrecks, and more. Class sessions will also cover research topics including manuscript culture, book history, medieval genre, (post)colonial theory, and gender studies. This course will also include “explorations” to some of DC’s museum collections at the National Gallery of Art and the Dumbarton Oaks museum. This course is cross-listed with the Department of Spanish and Portuguese as many texts and objects come from Iberian and Latin American traditions. Students will read, for example, Luis de Camões’ The Lusiads, the travels of Vasco da Gama, the First New Chronicle of Guaman Poma, and work with Pre-Columbian artifacts. While working knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is useful, it is not a prerequisite for this course. The course is taught in English and materials are available in English. For students looking to receive credit for the SPAN major or minor, written assignments must be submitted in Spanish or Portuguese.